A star in her own right

In the two and a half years since Devendra Fadnavis assumed office as Maharashtra’s chief minister, his wife, Amruta Fadnavis, has become a name to reckon with. While many politicians’ wives have been part of sober charity functions, perhaps none have taken on the challenge of pursuing their professional goals, something that Amruta has changed with her recent music video in which she stars with Amitabh Bachchan.

An independent working woman, Amruta works as a banker in a private bank. When she finds some time off from her day job, she pursues her singing. Amruta crooned for a Bollywood flick, Jai Gangaajal earlier this year. She even walked down the ramp at the New York Fashion Week for the students of the Chasa Institute of Design and Technology, a college for the economically backward in Pune. Her video with the Big B, then, comes as a natural progression of a talented lady, furthering her ambitions.

However, it has become something of a talking point online. While she has faced some flak from the Twitterati over the move, Amruta has also been highly praised for standing on her own feet, and effectively stepping out of the shadow of a powerful husband.

Actress and director, Divya Khosla Kumar, who has maintained a strong image as a filmmaker, besides being Bhushan Kumar’s wife, praises Amruta unconditionally for pursuing her own interests. “This is a moment for applause in a country like India, where women are often looked at through the lens of their husband’s identity. I think that Amruta — or any woman for that matter — should be judged as individuals. Shooting this video or making her own music, makes her an admirable individual in her own right.” Divya adds that no one spouse should overshadow the other in any way. “In any relationship, one individual is often in the limelight more that the other. That doesn’t make what the other person is doing matter less.”

Actress and model Tara Sharma Saluja, who hosts The Tara Sharma Show on TV, says that the secret to success is mutual trust and support. She also cites the encouraging relationship she shares with her husband, the highly successful media businessman, Roopak Saluja. “I’ve known Amruta to be a career-oriented, admirable woman. So I only find it natural for her to pursue her dreams. When I created The Tara Sharma Show, I had the full support of my husband, and I support him in his ventures as well. I am sure that that is the case for Amruta and Devendra Fadnavis as well,” she explains with a smile.

Tara also feels that a woman pursuing her own dreams should not be looked at as an anomaly, but as just a part of life. “I think that we need to get to the point where it is so obvious that a woman will pursue her own dreams, that it doesn’t become a talking point at all when we see a woman going after what they want from life,” she adds.

Columnist and interior designer Nisha JamVwal, however, has her reservations about the effusive praise that’s being showered on Amruta for the video and her singing career. “I would feel much more inspired by her if she took steps towards quality free education of slum children, or helping clean up our beaches,” she says.

However, Nisha goes on to add that she’s hopeful this is a step in the right direction. “I think that she has made a good start, and I would always appreciate someone coming out of her husband’s shadow to do something constructive — perhaps this is a first step. I, for one, would definitely be up for helping her with any move for the betterment of this city,” she explains.

This clearly shows that we are heading towards progressive India and it is a great inspiration for all of us. It is a great thing that she is doing so much and none of us should make an issue and fuss about this.
— Divya Palat

It is very inspiring for other women. In spite of being a chief minister’s wife, she is coming forward and pursuing her ambitions and dreams and this is really motivating for all of us.
— Aditi Govitrikar

—With inputs from Yogita Chainani