Falaq Naaz, Himmanshoo A. Malhotra’s co-star from the show Shankar Jaikishan 3 in 1 was the latest guest on his show, Share and Grow Spotlight. The two reminisced about the show and talked fondly about their experience.

One of the incredibly heart-breaking parts from their conversation was when Falaq detailed the last time she ever saw her father. Her descriptive narration brought tears to their eyes.

Falaq spoke about her childhood, which was full of turmoil, but she never let it bring her down. Himmanshoo said, ‘Her chirpy and vivacious voice can make a corpse feel excited. Even in this age and time, society still believes that women are inferior to men. This conversation touched a nerve and I empathised with Falaq as I heard her speaking about this extremely vital issue. I believe that an empowered woman is a force to be reckoned with, and this is visible in Falaq’s case.’

When Falaq detailed her childhood and family background, Himmanshoo said, ‘What I found interesting is that how throughout her childhood it was re-iterated that women are “weak”. However with a strong female presence, her mother, she chose to shoot down all the naysayers and rise like a phoenix among the ashes.’

He added, ‘Her rise to fame was incredibly inspirational as she has worked exceptionally hard to reach this level. From a small town girl, she was a dancer and then subsequently started acting. Her fond memories about competing at IFTI and then dancing in front of choreographer Saroj Khan were extremely touching. A woman like Saroj Khan empowered these two young girls to come to Mumbai and supported them to make something out of themselves. What if everyone empowered women rather than bring them down? I believe that our country would grow at a faster rate if all the women in our country were given the freedom to follow their heart.’

‘This episode opened up my eyes and showed me a different aspect of Falaq’s life. She is a fighter and I am proud to be considered her friend,’ he concluded.