“This is for girls who stay up all night, this is for you who is willing to fight.
For hidden fears, hurt, pain and tears, under the smiles, laughs, and giggles we hear.
Let your hair down, straight or curls, you’re beautiful because you fight like a girl.
For girls who wear short skirts, and their heart on their sleeve, for girls who know how difficult it is to believe. The girls who scream and cry to the pillows and tell them their goals, for girls who have a secret, but can’t tell a soul.
Let your eyes be your diamonds, make them your pearls, you’re beautiful because you fight like a girl. For girls who have made mistakes and have regrets galore, for girls that may not win, but always get up from the floor.
The girls who take life as comes, the girl who have broken the code, for the girls who hope, that they’ll get better somewhere down the road.
Let your steps be a dance and jump and do the swirl, you’re beautiful because you fight like a girl.
For the girls who love with all their heart, although sometimes gets broke, to girls who think it’s over, to real girls, all girls, who have tears to soak.
You throw, you pick up and fall. But just tell the world I’m beautiful because I fight like a girl.”

This wasn’t written by an ace poet or a famous author or a novelist. It was Shah Rukh Khan. This poem happens to be an ode from SRK’s side to women. And what an ode, I dare say!

It’s not like Bollywood doesn’t have feminists or men who haven’t spoken about women in good taste, but to find someone who has gone to lengths to speak and act against gender disparity is a rare find.

Let’s get the facts straight first: SRK doesn’t want to be called a feminist; if feminism means aiming to be equal to men, SRK said that he feels women are aiming too low. Men might make a case for this statement, but if you equate the actor’s actions with his words, it becomes quite apparent that he works for equality in every step. Even his relationship with Gauri and his respect for her wife speaks volumes of the way he functions and what he thinks about women.

“Equality doesn’t mean you lose your chivalry,” he had said in an interview with Femina earlier this year. The very fact that he believes that being chivalrous doesn’t make you any less of a man just as it doesn’t make you any less of a woman to accept chivalry is enough to make you see his perspective on equality.

That’s where SRK clicks for me. He’s the king of romance, the heart of many hearts, the ‘M’ of the mush and what not. He’s candy (apologies for objectifying). But he’s also a shameless, fierce champion of feminism, despite not wanting to be associated with the word. “I’ll behead Aryan and AbRam if they ever disrespect women,” he had said. I mean, threatening to kill your kids, even if it’s said in a light hearted manner, is something.

And that is not all. Starting 2013, he ensured that the female lead’s name came before his own in all his films. He’s kept the promise so far. For many, this might be a very inconsequential step. But isn’t it the little gestures that work towards changing a mindset?

Money runs the world, and his take on the pay disparity, especially in Bollywood, is another reason that makes this man a champion in my eyes. “Market forces dictate our payment in the film industry because they define the result at the turnstiles. When we ask for equal pay, a lot of pressure is put on women actors to sell the movie on their own steam. I know that women actors work five times harder and get paid 10 times less than men. In my own small way, I have asked for their names to appear before mine in credit roll,” he had said in the same Femina interview. “These are insignificant things in comparison to what needs to be done, but having said that, when I see women working in Bollywood, or other industries, I feel there is a certain movement of equality,” he had said. Thank the lord for bestowing him with some brains. He knows he’s taking a small step towards change. But there is work still to be done, he knows that too.

Let me tell you another thing, another inconsequential-to-many thing. While the country fights or debates over what should happen to those from the LGBT community, SRK champions their cause as well. He doesn’t need to go to parades or stand in marches supporting the movement, but when he takes jokes about him being gay sportingly, he’s subtly telling the world that there’s nothing wrong with it. He’s okay with being in the spotlight when it comes to sexuality, and that’s fantastic. Not just for feminism but for all genders alike.

As I conclude this piece, I’d like to point out that I might not be his biggest fan, but I do adore him for the little steps he’s taken. He’s made me and many other women like me believe that the Indian film fraternity has someone who openly advocates the idea of gender equality and of women being awesome!

Damn right, I adore you SRK.