Actress Pia Bajpai, who featured last year in a short film titled "The Virgins" and will next be seen in a bold role in "Mirza Juuliet", believes modern men do not bother as much about marrying a virgin girl as society does.
Pia told IANS here: "I think modern boys do not bother about the virginity of a girl... The society does. And that is why the surgery (hymen repair to restore virginity) happens in small towns. In fact, my short film 'The Virgins' talks about that subject.
"Of course, there are some men who look out for only virgin girls for marriage, but mostly it is their family, which means our earlier generation."
Elaborating on this, she said: "In today's time, we all have relationships before marriage where physical intimacy happens. How does that matter to a person, especially in an arranged marriage... That if the girl is a virgin at the first meeting? What does that prove of a girl? I, as a girl, do not encourage that, but yes I know that it is a social taboo and I think such practice should be stopped."
Hailing from Delhi, Pia says her journey in Bollywood has been a struggle, but her instinct has helped her in being strong.
"From the day, I left my house, from getting a job as a voiceover artiste to working in the south Indian film industry, getting my first Bollywood film 'Laal Rang'... It is a continuous struggle. But all I knew was that I will make it."
She faced nepotism in Bollywood, but she feels "at the end of the day, your talent will help you to survive".
In "Mirza Juuliet", Pia is paired with Darshan Kumar.
"My character's name is Juuliet, who has grown up with her brothers and so she uses abusive words with ease and does not have any girly, shy nature. However, she never falls in love and does not know about sex life. It is a very interesting character," she said.
Directed by Rajesh Ram Singh, the film is releasing on April 7.