Ujjala Padukone: I'm paranoid of my daughters driving or stepping out alone

The horrific Bengaluru molestation incident has shaken the whole nation. Many Bollywood celebrities have opened up and expressed their anger over the incident blaming the small mentality of men for such incidents. Deepika Padukone’s mother, Ujjala Padukone too condemned the issue and further said that something like this would have never happened had the perpetrators feared the law. She said, “Girls have every right to live their lives the way they choose to, just like the boys; to wear what they want, go where they want, just like the boys. Nobody should tell them what to wear and where to go. But I feel boys' parents have greater responsibility. They need to teach their sons to respect the women. In India, women have a basic respect for men, why can't boys be taught to respect women? The mindset has to change for that." (Also read: Aamir Khan opens up about the Bengaluru molestation incident) Talking about how she worries about the safety of her daughters, Deepika and Anisha, Ujjala further added, “As a mother, I'm paranoid of my daughters driving or stepping out alone in vulnerable areas. It is so contradictory when in their respective careers, my husband and I keep telling them to reach out to the skies. Recently, I was in Morocco with my younger daughter for her golf tournament. I had to step out into the night to get something for her and I was scared. But I was assured that women are 200 per cent safe in that traditional country. I wonder why can't women be safe any time of the day in our nation. I feel it all boils down to administration. If those men (in Bengaluru) were scared of the law and the cops, they would never have dared to indulge in such atrocities. If the laws, cops and politicians could instil faith in people, such things would never happen." (Also read: Akshay Kumar on Bengaluru molestation incident: I feel ashamed to call myself a human today)