India, May 25 -- There was a time when Indian women had to fight tooth and nail merely to be seen in public life. Journalism, cinema, politics, literature, television - every field was guarded by gatekeepers who rarely allowed women to occupy space without scrutiny. It took extraordinary determination for women to rise above ridicule and establish themselves as institutions in their own right. That is why it feels deeply unfortunate when two accomplished women from two entirely different generations and professions are suddenly positioned against each other in a controversy that never needed to exist in the first place.

The recent remarks made by Mrinal Pande regarding Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes 2026 have triggered widespread criti...