Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 5 : Actor Rasika Dugal has spoken candidly about patriarchal expectations surrounding women’s appearance, saying society needs to be more mindful of the way it comments on women’s bodies and looks.
In a candid conversation with ANI, Dugal said, “People tend to comment on women's physicality a lot. And I think we need to change that a bit. I think we need to be a little mindful of that.”
Reflecting on how such comments have become part of everyday conversations, the actor said, “How many times have we heard in life throughout, you know, that, first of all, as soon as you start a discussion about a woman, first of all, people will comment about her physicality. You have become so thin and I have become so fat.”
Dugal also acknowledged that women can unknowingly participate in the same pattern of conversation. “Even in social life, I mean, you and I would probably be doing it also. I mean, we have to check ourselves on that,” she said.
Calling it a reflection of patriarchal thinking, Dugal added, “You know, it is, I think, a sign of a patriarchal society that you tend to do that. That you think that women have to be a certain way.”
She further spoke about the pressure women face to maintain a particular appearance, saying, “And there's a lot of pressure on women, as all of us know. To, you know, be turned out a certain way. To sort of always have to look young.”
According to Dugal, these expectations are deeply embedded in the conversations women grow up hearing. “All that is our conversations that we've heard around ourselves while growing up in a patriarchal society,” she said.
The 41-year-old actor's comments come amid the growing popularity of her character Beena Tripathi in 'Mirzapur'.
Beena exists in a world dominated by men, power struggles and rigid expectations around women. Within that environment, her character is not simply defined by victimhood or by the role of a conventional woman in a powerful family.
Beena is trapped within an oppressive family structure and faces domestic abuse, but she also uses her understanding of the people around her to navigate the dangerous world she inhabits. The character is surrounded by expectations about what a woman should be, even as she attempts to negotiate power on her own terms.
Dugal has also spoken about how the visual construction of Beena is integral to her performance. She said she appreciates roles that do not require too much time spent on hair and makeup, but stressed that such work can be an important part of character creation.
“I'm very happy to find roles which I don't have to spend too much time doing hair and makeup. But because it just takes so much time off your head,” she said.
However, she clarified that hair and makeup in cinema are not simply about vanity.
“But also, I mean, you know, hair and makeup while working in film, which people don't really understand and realise so much, is a part of the character,” Dugal said.
“You can use it very interestingly to make a character work. It's not that we do things for vanity. There are very interesting tweaks that we do with hair and makeup to sort of make a character,” she added.

For Dugal, Beena's distinctive hair is a key part of that transformation.
“Like Beena's hair. It's a pain to wear that wig for so many hours. But it really sort of does something. I actually feel Beena Tripathi when I have that hair,” she said.
Dugal's Beena Tripathi is among the returning characters in 'Mirzapur: The Movie', which continues the franchise's story on the big screen. The film brings together several of its popular characters, including Kaleen Bhaiya, Munna Bhaiya and Guddu Pandit.
At the centre of the film is the race for the Mirzapur throne, with new contenders entering the conflict and changing the dynamics between the characters.
Presented by Amazon MGM Studios and Excel Entertainment, 'Mirzapur: The Movie' is directed by Gurmmeet Singh, written by Puneet Krishna and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment. Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani serve as co-producers.
'Mirzapur: The Movie' released in theatres on September 4, 2026.