Shark Tank India's Namita Thapar's powerful call for sisterhood at Cannes Film Festival 2024

Namita Thapar, known for her role as a judge on Shark Tank India 3, recently made a sensational debut at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival. Thapar, the Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, is not only a successful businesswoman but also an inspiration to many women. She uses her platform to address important issues, and her recent post highlighted one such topic—sisterhood and the need for women to support each other.
In her recent post on LinkedIn, Namita Thapar shared her reflections on her Cannes experience and candidly addressed the issue of women tearing each other down. She drew from her own experiences at Cannes to highlight the unfair scrutiny faced by female celebrities, emphasizing the importance of sisterhood. Thapar wrote, “Bitchy Babes or Sisterhood? ‘Babe, Namz, you are looking gorgeous. You are truly the sweetest, let’s have lunch soon.’ She turns, moves to another friend & exclaims ‘Don’t you think Nams has got Botox & a nose job done? Success has really gone to that girl’s head!’ How many times has this happened to us, women? When we hear women, our ‘friends’ gossip maliciously about us? I saw this in abundance at Cannes.”
Thapar continued, “Movie stars in their late 40’s & 50’s trolled on their red carpet looks & asked to take fashion & beauty advice from stars in their 20’s??!! One particular older Indian superstar I met, who has such a sweet soul that reflects in her eyes & smile, you can feel her aura radiate with it… mercilessly trolled for her red carpet looks. Seriously?!”
She added, “The saddest part is when most of these trollers are women! Any woman in her 40’s like me can attest to how our body goes downhill (literally) in every way with every passing year, especially post-40. Knowing this & having seen the biological trauma that her aunt, mom, older sister has gone through, how can a woman be so bitchy & pull down another woman?”
Thapar concluded her powerful message with a call for change: “SISTERHOOD - when women strongly support & celebrate each other! Every statistic around women in our country is pathetic... sad... workforce participation, health, rape, you name it.” She urged her followers to imagine the good that could come if women “rally the troops and come together as a community to help each other, admire each other, be compassionate to each other, just be kind.”
Her words serve as a reminder to shift the narrative from gossip to empowerment, from "bitching" to "pitching" for one another. She asked women to think before speaking ill of others and to consider how they would feel if they heard the same about themselves. Thapar’s message sparked online conversations about the need for women to champion each other in all aspects of life, resonating deeply with her followers and prompting a call to action.
For those unfamiliar, Namita Thapar isn't the first Shark from Shark Tank India to attend the Cannes Film Festival. Aman Gupta, made history when he and his wife, Piya, attended the festival in 2023 as the first Indian entrepreneur to represent the nation at this esteemed global event.

Namita Thapar has garnered attention as one of the Sharks on Shark Tank India, becoming popular for her memorable one-liners like "Isme meri expertise nahi hai (I don't have expertise in this)." Her participation in the show has elevated her profile and influence.
The third season of Shark Tank India premiered on January 22, featuring new judges Azhar Iqubal, Ronnie Screwvala, Radhika Gupta, Deepinder Goyal, Varun Dua, and Ritesh Agarwal. Returning judges included Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, Aman Gupta, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, and Amit Jain, continuing to inspire and entertain audiences with their business acumen and insights.