“I Have An 11-Year-Old Daughter, I Am At That Uncomfortable Stage…”: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran opened up about parenting, child safety and the responsibility of men while speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming film Daayra in Mumbai on August 31.
The Meghna Gulzar directorial, starring Prithviraj alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, deals with a disturbing reality involving juvenile crime and raises difficult questions about justice, accountability and the safety of children. The film is set to release in theatres on September 18.
Speaking about how the subject of Daayra affected him personally, Prithviraj said he was concerned not only as a father but also as a husband, friend and responsible citizen.
“I have an 11-year-old daughter. I am at that uncomfortable stage as a parent where now I have to start talking to her and letting her know about what is safe and what is unsafe,” he said.
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He admitted that such conversations are difficult for parents, but said they have become necessary because society does not exist in an ideal world.
“But we do not live in an ideal world. But what can we do as citizens other than talking to our children?” he asked.
Importantly, Prithviraj stressed that conversations about safety cannot be directed only at girls. According to him, boys need to be part of these conversations with equal seriousness.
“Make no mistake, the conversation should not just be with your girl children. It should be equally and vociferously with boys as well,” he said.
He went on to place a greater responsibility on men, saying, “If there’s an extra ounce of responsibility on any side, it is with us, the men. We are the ones who should carry the torch to make sure that this conversation is spoken about.”
Prithviraj also spoke about justice and the difficult questions raised by Daayra. He said there are no two sides when it comes to justice, even though the system can sometimes make people lose hope because of delays.
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“You really can’t take a side. The side is just that of justice,” he said, adding that the delivery of justice can be “so cumbersome, so slow and so drawn out” that people can understandably lose hope.
He said he hoped for a time when justice would be delivered “faster” and more coherently, without people having to wait for years.
At the same event, Prithviraj also reflected on his journey from Malayalam cinema to Bollywood and the experience of sharing screen space with some of India’s biggest names.
While working alongside Bollywood stars such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, he said he does not necessarily feel intimidated because his own career has given him the privilege of working with some of Malayalam cinema’s most celebrated performers.
Having grown up watching legends such as Mohanlal, Mammootty, Thilakan and Nedumudi Venu, Prithviraj said that getting the opportunity to work alongside such performers early in his career gave him a strong sense of grounding as an actor.
