Women are already powerful, just need equal opportunities: Shah Rukh Khan

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan believes the term "empowering women" is inaccurate as women are already powerful and all they need is an equal playing field.

"We keep talking about empowering the ladies, which is a misnomer according to me. It's like saying 'save the planet.' You don't save the planet, the planet saves you, it is looking after you.

"Similarly when we say, 'empower women', there is nothing like empowering them. They are more powerful than us. All we need to do is, genuinely give all the ladies an even playing field.

That's all they are asking for," Shah Rukh says. He and Anushka Sharma turned showstoppers for designer Manish Malhotra's collection, for the 2017 edition of Shabana Azmi's Mijwan charity fashion show, last night.

The 51-year-old actor believes the world is dominated by men. "It's an unfair world. It's a man's world. We have taken this for granted for too long. We need to offer them an even playing field. And Mijwan in it's own fantastic way is doing the same thing. When learning is given to a woman it goes further and wider than a man. Women take it to the children, the society and everyone else."

Azmi, who was present at the event, praised Shah Rukh for giving women more space even in his films. "Shah Rukh Khan acted in a film where he insisted on giving Deepika Padukone the credit title above him. At that time I had said, 'it's wonderful but what would be more wonderful if he did a women-centric film in which he had a smaller part'. He went ahead and did 'Dear Zindagi'."