‘My Body, His Eyes’: Why Singer Sunitha Upadrasta’s Stance on Bodily Autonomy Has Enraged Women’s Rights Activists

Telugu singer and dubbing star Sunitha Upadrasta has been accused of trivialising feminism after a recent interview in Hyderabad, published this week, in which she linked the slogan ‘my body, my right’ to ‘his eyes, his right’, prompting a fierce backlash from women’s rights activists and social media users.

The row began when Sunitha Upadrasta sat down with entertainment outlet Gulte to discuss gender equality and feminism. In the wide-ranging chat, she argued that what she called ‘modern feminism’ had lost its way, insisting that smoking or wearing revealing clothes should not be treated as symbols of liberation. Her comments might have passed as just another conservative take on culture, but one phrase in particular lit the fuse.

Sunitha told Gulte that, in her view, some women wrongly see smoking as an act of emancipation. ‘Women think the cigarette light is their torch for freedom,’ she said, calling it ‘the stupidest thing in the world’ to equate cigarette smoking with equality. She went on to claim that, health-wise, ‘if a man smokes, he might lose just minutes, but a woman will lose hours of her life’, and dismissed many current debates on equality as a ‘waste of time’.

She added that the idea of freedom being expressed primarily through clothing was ‘foolish’, saying that feminism for her was about having her opinions valued as much as a man’s and being treated well, rather than about what a woman wears.

‘My Body, My Right’ Comment Puts Sunitha Upadrasta Under Fire

The real storm arrived when the interview turned to bodily autonomy, and Sunitha Upadrasta responded directly to the phrase ‘my body, my right’. She replied: ‘My body, my right. And his eyes, his right. When women say it, then it’s his right too. In my opinion, it doesn’t come under freedom.’

She then appeared to put the onus for safety on women’s choices, saying: ‘Wear whatever you want, as long as you’re safe. If you think nobody will judge you or look at you, wear it. It’s easier to keep myself safe than to change how someone else views me. It’s not our culture. I don’t mind if you think I’m old school.’

The remarks were quickly clipped and shared across social media platforms, where users accused the singer of reducing decades of feminist organising to questions of skirts and cigarettes. Critics argued that ‘my body, my right’ has long been tied to reproductive rights, consent and protection from violence, not simply fashion preferences.

One X user, posting in Telugu, wrote: ‘It’s our fault for assuming those with beautiful faces and voices would have common sense too.’ Another comment that gained traction was more blunt, saying: ‘When I say my body my right, I am not violating anyone you dumbf**k!!!’

The thrust of the anger was simple enough. For many women, hearing ‘his eyes, his right’ felt like a neat slogan for the very problem they are battling, the idea that men’s gaze and impulses are somehow inevitable and must be accommodated.

Celebeat cannot independently verify every social media post reacting to the clip, so readers should treat individual reactions with some caution, but the volume and tone of the criticism online has been hard to miss.

Activists Say Sunitha Upadrasta Is Blaming Women For Harassment

Beyond the profanity and memes, several users tried to unpack why Sunitha Upadrasta’s logic struck them as dangerous. Many pushed back against the suggestion that modest dress equates to safety, pointing out that harassment cuts across class, age and clothing.

One user asked pointedly: ‘What guarantee does the society give to women who don’t parade the idea of “my body, my choice” and who dress pretty modestly that harassment be it verbal or physical won’t happen to them. The harassments are going to happen either way even if you dress modestly or not so why.’

Another critic argued that equating women’s bodily autonomy with men’s lack of self-control ‘reflects a mindset that views women’s choices through the lens of male validation’. Several women also noted that they can tell the difference between someone simply looking at them and someone staring in a threatening or obsessive way, and that the issue is not ‘eyes’ in the abstract but persistent, unwanted attention and harassment.

Rights advocates online accused Sunitha of effectively endorsing a familiar playbook, urging women to adapt to male behaviour rather than insisting on change from men and institutions. The idea that it is ‘easier’ to keep oneself safe than to demand accountability struck many as quietly chilling, particularly in a country where conversations about consent, marital rape and public safety are far from settled.

Sunitha, for her part, did try in the same interview to draw a line between her views on clothing and the wider struggle for equality. She stressed that she was not denying the difficulties women face and said feminism should focus on equal respect and recognition, not lifestyle choices like smoking. Yet that nuance, to the extent it was there, struggled to compete with the viral soundbite.

A Revered Voice Collides With A New Feminist Generation

Part of what has made the controversy around Sunitha Upadrasta so fraught is her standing in Telugu entertainment. Now 48, she began her playback career with the 1995 film Gulabi and has been a prominent vocalist ever since, lending her voice to countless songs and becoming a familiar presence on television. As a dubbing artist and a judge on the long-running music reality show Padutha Theeyaga, she has often been presented as a mentor figure.

For many fans, watching a beloved singer speak so confidently while, in their view, missing the point of ‘my body, my right’ has been jarring. Others, however, appear to agree with her more conservative stance, seeing it as a defence of ‘culture’ against what they regard as Westernised feminism. The split is generational, ideological, and, frankly, a bit raw.

The interview has underscored how the language of feminism is being contested in India’s regional entertainment industries, not only in Delhi and Mumbai but in Hyderabad’s own cultural circles. When celebrities like Sunitha Upadrasta weigh in, even clumsily, they are not talking into a void. Their words land on an audience that is already arguing among itself about autonomy, safety and what liberation should look like in everyday life.

Whether Sunitha chooses to clarify or double down on her ‘his eyes, his right’ line will shape how long this particular flashpoint lingers. For now, the clip continues to circulate, and the debate over who gets to define feminism shows no sign of quietening down.