Twinkle Khanna | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

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Twinkle Khanna is an Indian author, newspaper columnist, film producer, former film actress and interior designer. Her first book Mrs Funnybones sold over one hundred thousand copies, making her India's highest-selling female writer of 2015.
She repeated the success with her second book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, which also went on to sell over 100,000 copies by August 2017. She won the Crossword Book Award 2016 for Mrs Funnybones. Salaam Noni Appa, a story from the anthology has been adapted into a play directed by Lillette Dubey.
She is currently producing a film, Pad Man, based on the life of Muruganatham Arunachalam, this time with a strong focus on dispelling taboos around menstruation, a topic that has never been explored in cinema before.
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[@Dr.Vinnie]

I also wanna applaud the women who raised their hand when Twinkle asked who all were on their period that day.

[@iamgroot2810]

Vinnie Sachdeva Yes they need to be appreciated.

[@kalawatieroop2616]

I agree parents should be more open with girls and boys because ,i do hope that i will have an more open conversation.

[@shruteethapa1225]

exactly only one women did, all the others were shy., imigine the people in the village.,

[@imliimchen6032]

Before watching this video....I was like....she is so lucky to have akshay as her husband......but I realized ...akki is more luckier 😍😍👍

[@eclecticme7]

its all well scripted..two greedy ppl got each other...akshay is a third grade guy who flirted with lots of women...

[@eclecticme7]

all she does is make fun of other successful ppl with zero achievements of her own..

[@vinaymanoj8715]

@@eclecticme7 ur the fool who is making fun of twinkle ..lol....

[@nepabegum8602]

True I didn’t know she is so good in English

[@KushagraaDubeyy]

They both are lucky mainly because they hold Canadian Passports !

[@aminamehboob6180]

She is so inspiring. Fluent and articulating her ideas precisely and humorously. Her ideas are so beautiful as well. As a Pakistani, not a single part of me is hating her like we are thought of to hate Indians. Support the truth and respect it no matter what.

[@ashutoshsharmash]

Indians and Pakistanis hating each other has only benefitted the British.... Imagine if the British werent successful in dividing us... If we werent left to the machinations of two British educated men- Jinnah and Nehru... If we combined our resources instead of fighting each other.... We would have been the world's largest economy and the greatest military might the world has ever seen by now. Our history and birth began as a since civilization, the Harrapan civilization.

[@arvindupadhyay6877]

Amina, one always hate or appreciates the thought or perspective of others. People generally mistook it for a person, group, society, religion, country or for that matter any entity.

[@SA-nr6yo]

@@ashutoshsharmash oh my god, my dear Indian brother... Where have you been all my life... Yehi toh mein soch thi hun for the last twenty years. Brilliant year you must come from a very good family line & why aren't you in Modis place.

[@ashutoshsharmash]

@@SA-nr6yoThank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot to know that I'm not alone in my thinking and I'm joined by like minded people from across the border. The rot, unfortunately, lies on both sides my friend. On both sides. If I am to be completely honest, not as an Indian, but as an independent observer, as free of bias as I can be, the Pakistani establishment, especially the Pakistani military through various coups and destabilizations of the Pakistani democratic process, has done more to damage the relations between the two countries, than Modi could ever do. Its almost as if peace doesn't bode well for their future.

[@priyankabhatt4259]

@@ashutoshsharmash n

[@meranag]

She is intelligent that's why she didn't stay in the industry for long

[@Arya-cs7kj]

I don't agree. It is after her film's failure 'Mela' ,she realised acting is not her passion.

[@ajaxjaiswal3442]

True dat😂😂

[@mahekpujara2843]

Because she did not want to

[@hasnainrazabawany4489]

Hahaha joke After so many flops

[@ChitranjanBaghiofficial]

because she is intelligent

[@shreejilpv2537]

I loved how she stayed on topic, gave only brief replies to questions about personal life and Bollywood. It was very informative. She was articulate, funny and confident. More power to her 👍👍👍

[@runumukherjee9645]

Put all mother india song in you tbr

[@basundharachoudhury3634]

When i first checked the video duration of 41 mins, I was like "I'll just watch 5-10mins of it" but I couldn't stop myself from playing the entire video, it was so gripping and really eloquently answered! More power to you, Twinkle!

[@ManishKalauni]

Basundhara Choudhury 😁

[@sandeepsankarregan8410]

Beauty with brain that kept you going..

[@anugrahadeborah6362]

Sameeee

[@soniac6366]

Twinkle is an intellectual lady her scholarly intelligence is evident from her quick response to the questions asked.

[@satyavrattiwari7810]

14:15 "generation zzz you are up all night and snooze through reality " is so hysterical 😂😂

[@HameshaSobti]

Questions are longer than her answers . It's very nice to hear her quick and to-the-point answers. That way a lot of questions were asked and answered. Thanks Twinkle. 👏👏👏

[@atreyeeghosh7851]

""""Failure is my role model. ...""""".amazing words

[@tasty_tshaika9806]

I never seen this side of her. Always thought that she was an ordinary film actress but she just came out of closet. Truly amazing. I have a lot of respect for her. Addressing such a critical issue at this level is truly commendable. Heads off to you. You are truly a twinkle not little but big star on the sky. You are my favorite from now on. Remarkable!!!!

[@akhilpandey1717]

OMG what was that... Is she worked in Bollywood? brilliant mind ... I am in love with her now her wittiness to response makes it more practical.. kudos to her bringing such topic on table...love it.

[@versatiletheone2835]

There is temple in India....Kamakhya Temple ...Where the mensuration is worship. and it is believed to be holier than all 4 dhams virtues combined .. What an irony when in same India women's had to go through such a problems.

[@kharkhuadexor]

And in the very state where kamakhya temple is situated(Assam), the start of menstruation is celebrated almost like a wedding. It is not something kept as a secret here but instead is celebrated with rituals and feast. Just wanted to point that out too 😊

[@kharkhuadexor]

@s w Oh really..good to know. I didn't know actually, because even though I grew up with a lot of non assamese people I never saw such celebration among them. And I have seen instances when they actually hide or shy away from revealing that. Some even don't reveal it to their male family members like father. Good to know it is not like that everywhere.

[@kharkhuadexor]

@s w Yes they should. Where are you from anyways?

[@Onirban1637]

Wow. I'm really interested in going there. Could u be more specific about the location of this Temple?

[@versatiletheone2835]

@@Onirban1637 its in gwalior.. there is a specific month to visit this temple, which i dont quite remember. The temple is one of shaktipeeth, that are spread across India, rekated to the story of SATI(Devi Parwati).

[@djshelin]

wow twinkle was bang on with every question ....

[@oasisofknowledge1298]

We often looked at Twinkle as an great actress but never thought that she would be so proficient in English, writer and a brilliant woman.... We're proud of you... Very Inspiring

[@SameerSharma-gh8mg]

She comes from a rich background that's why she is fluent and has knowledge. Its the same question as why people from Tamil nadu are fluent and articulative in Tamil language and north Indians are not ?

[@ThePreityEffect]

she was an awful actress. what are you talking about??? she had a few big flops and then gave it up.

[@aidahm8275]

The fact that she can speak so eloquently and confidently off script is a sign of a great public speaker

[@senamit202]

Twinkle is an intelligent and bold lady. It takes guts to discuss a topic that has been taboo in society for ages.

[@BilalKhan-xu3kt]

She speaks so fluently though she elaborate it very clearly

[@1La2La3La4La]

She is so intelligent and at the same time, really beautiful, considering her age!

[@ruchitirpude4360]

Very smart & intelligent woman she is .. 😍 also her sense of humour. . Icing on the cake was Malala was in the audience 😍😍

[@SaurabhSiaag]

@Surendra K May I ask why?

[@ayeshaqadeer9495]

@@SaurabhSiaag yes British agent

[@sumanarvind]

You are a real 🌟 !!! I am in real awe with you .... The way you comprehend and equal smart answers which appears so effortless coming out of you.... Where have you been Mrs funnybones! Salute !

[@HussainAli-up1gp]

I wasn't expecting the tremendous kind of potential she is having with her you are very intelligent & hitting the core basic issues of problems faced in the society. I am having a huge respect for you Twnikle for doing this kind of work & understanding of how the world behaves like & what is the right medium to portray the information to masses.Thank you for sharing information & giving me this knowledge. Respect from Pakistan !!!

[@neeharikakanakarao7475]

Brilliant answers to every point.👏 I never know that Twinkle had a great ideas on the current world. I wish her the best for her coming projects. May she be successful as an author👍

[@helendhanaraj9629]

She is the daughter of the great Rajesh Khanna and Dimple. She was very bright even in school. I have seen her while she was in a boarding school in Panchgani and seen her active in all the school activities.

[@neeharikakanakarao7475]

@@helendhanaraj9629 oh u seen her when she's in school?! Wow. Anyways thanks

[@siddharthsingh8782]

I am in love with her and with the woman who unconditionally raised her hand on being asked about menstruation. This is a video worth watching in Lockdown as it can be a big change in society cause we all now have time to look upon how we look over things.

[@inder19852000]

Oh my God, she is so intelligent and articulate

[@zodiacmanan]

Love this talk... .she speaks with clarity, with contextual knowledge and humility. Should serve as an example to so many.

[@TJSPARKLE]

My school gave us pads. Never felt grateful about it until now! My period kept me off school because of the pain

[@vinaypatil5959]

Twinkle , you are brave girl . You deserve real appreciation.

[@AbdulHafeez-my3pd]

Twinkle is very intelligent. I am very impressed by her intellectual talks.

[@suchetaganguly4639]

A lady,I admire for her courage ,articulate views and terrific wit. All her books were bestsellers

[@sunaynajaimini]

Amazing and articulate. What a gem!

[@divyanaik1222]

Disposal of pads is also a big question in the rural areas

[@bossdeman]

I have more respect for Akshay knowing the kind of woman he chose. Beauty and brains.

[@pkhn]

Oh please! He latched onto her after messing with so many other women who were much better in every way just because of her father's name and money. It was no fairytale love story.

[@vickymyloveesikaesika5130]

She is so talented! best of luck to you mam...God bless you with good health and bright future ahead

[@mazumdar2379]

Maternally, she is the granddaughter of famous clothing industry from Gujarat (kohinoor Mills/kohinoor cotton saris) ... So we often observe that intelligence is a genetic factor too

[@utv1503]

wow...i m also gujarati..

[@reeko9278]

She spoke so well.. waiting to watch this movie..hope it lives up to expectations!

[@Riyanshsi]

wow great speech by twinkle... feeling india proud jai hind

[@ankitaroy2307]

Twinkle you make lndians feel proud for you dear .Brilliant keep it up

[@amritajagtap8106]

Amazing conversation.... specially When she answered about Charity & profit from her movie

[@786MAKEADIFFERENCE]

Really admire this presenation and Twinkle Khanna's amazing simplicity and clarity . Society consists of women and men and Humankind would be quickly non-existent so all matters of real concern are dependent on both men and women taking positive action instead of letting crooked people become professional politicians to misrepresent the general populace.. Twinkle Khanna .... GOD BLESS YOU !!!!! ..... YOU SHOULD BE THE NEXT LEADER OF INDIA ..... WE SIMPLE FOLKS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD TO A MORE PEACEFUL AND LOVING WORLD .

[@vivizhimomi9178]

Wow .. I'm so glad I came across this today even though a year late. Gives me the wings to fly .

[@viriezovizo705]

Didn't expect to see a familiar name. Great video.

[@blissslhingboizou6594]

I love her completely from this video 😍😍😍👌👌

[@ajaxjaiswal3442]

18:46 there she is, Malala Yousafzai!

[@sudipm7]

Am I the only one who noticed Malala in the audience? :D

[@blessypaul5254]

me too .. but weren't sure about its her ..

[@akhilpandey1717]

me too

[@getsandy2007]

Absolutely right, she was there

[@sugarplum2212]

Shes a student at Oxford so it could be her

[@avirajsinhmahida3094]

me too!!!

[@architectMd]

Twinkle has an international recognition, is very intelligent, lovely personality, great experienced and has a dynamic spirit to resolve women’s issues to reflect internationally and put into modern hygienic lifestyle with an awareness on economical and affordability for women’s issues which has world of scopes to be developed. Keep it up Twinkle!

[@ThePreityEffect]

she does not actually have international recognition. NOBODY knows here outside of india. sorry. I live in the USA- no one would know her or find her appealing.

[@vikrant9726]

I'm feeling soooo lucky To watch my one of the favorite actress.... At Oxford.... 👌 Giving a really valuable speech

[@purplecloudproductions2498]

One of the finest Oxford union talks

[@Kaplan20]

Stumbled onto this video by accident but I am so impressed by how articulate Twinkle Khanna is with, her views and opinions. Its a fresh change from the so-called feminist of Hollywood who are just using the platform to further their own ambition and career.

[@ajaygupta3713]

Today I want to thank Rajesh Khanna

[@sristi2]

And Dimple Kapadia as well bro

[@ajaygupta3713]

@@sristi2 hoo i forget 🙈🤣 we don't follow asexual reproduction 😆😷😵

[@sristi2]

@@ajaygupta3713 well , its not about following any specific way ( as if you' ve a choice ) , FYI , Our body and species is not adapted to Asexual reproduction it's the way evolution has taken place , as far as humans reproduction is on the table . Lol😂😂😂😂😂

[@ajaygupta3713]

@@sristi2 yehh right I said this in humor 😇

[@sristi2]

@@ajaygupta3713 I know 😂😂😂 , just thought to make my point clear 😂😂 LMAO , No offence taken bruh !! Cool 🤘😂

[@satishshinde2638]

*PAD MAN:* Even today, most of so many mothers or mothers-in-law hesitate to speak openly on that subject with daughter or daughter in-law. This problem is not only in India! also in Bangladesh, Pakistan and many countries around world. *_Every man and woman must support this subject and also this movie._*

[@sripriyaprabhu5052]

I think only in South Asian countries .

[@thirumaleshkumar856]

excellent speech by Twinkle, I encourage such kind of speeches.

[@karishmamcgregor1553]

Fantastic talk and for a great cause as well. Like how quietly Malala is sat in the front - was really hoping she would ask a question. Glad to see men finally stand up to ask their question.

[@shambhavisingh1709]

"If God can accept sweat, they can also accept my blood ". Wowww 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@anshuljain8515]

Great talk. It is really good to see someone intelligent and passionate like her talk about important issues in our country. I love the fact that they are not only talking about issues but also talking about efficient solutions as well.

[@shilpa8675]

Lovely to hear her speech and the every answer she gave....loads of feathers to lady with confidence

[@kribinapathak2987]

I have started becoming twinkle khanna fan .. i like her intellectuals

[@somyabisaria3274]

I like the fact..she is focused on grammar not on fake accent. 👍

[@sully7214]

Wow what a talk - I didn’t even realise it was 41 minutes long! She speaks so eloquently, and I loved watching Padman with my 9-year old sister :)

[@dansharmin09]

Her answer to the religious aspect was simply brilliant.

[@ravindranranganathan6717]

Twinkle, I was reduced to tears, moved by your wonderful and genuine script. Hats off. Please keep it up, now that we expect more such novel idea and concept.

[@dinkurborah6037]

Respect to Twinkle . Her arguments are very much valid.

[@janinemmoots]

👍 well spoken, smart and funny, ❤️ Twinkle. Akshay is very lucky to have you.

[@fanoffakshaykumarakki1024]

but i thing twinkl lucky akshay uske hai

[@surajkumargupta1251]

Brilliant job done by twinkle to spread awareness there is need to have such a movie where people fascinates by 2 things one is cricket and other is movie as cricket have already you give Bollywood too.

[@wethepeople1996]

There are two awesome ppl in this video. One Is Twinkle And other is the Cameraman 😊

[@Charu25-i5z]

She is intelligent, straight talker and no nonsense.. Akki is so lucky!Eloquent!

[@mohammedashfaq3734]

Malala was in the audience. I wonder why this Nobel prize winner didn't ask any questions especially since she's a champion of feminism.

[@balakuntalamsridhar5789]

Malala is mature beyond her years. She knows when to draw attention to herself and when to work behind scenes.

[@tanmayeeapte2125]

Mohammed Ashfaq where is malala?

[@prathameshpatil1061]

Did she ever spoke about abductuction and forceful conversion of hindu girls in pakistan

[@erichhere]

@@prathameshpatil1061 She is a coward

[@parighapatil]

Omg. She bowled me drastically on the very first ball within min of the session. I m in awe of Sushmita Sen fr hr excellent knowledge n grip over English n now Twinkle joins the list.She nailed the session elegantly being articulate throughout. Luckily hr Bollywood career didnt takeoff or she hrself wudnt know hr talent n it wud hv just swiped off unconsciously. Another example of "WHATEVER HAPPENS,HAPPENS FOR THE BEST".Good job Twinkle. KEEP IT UP N ALL THE BEST.

[@shivanidhawan4423]

Loved how she speaks so boldly😘😘😘

[@getsandy2007]

This shows how articulate she is and the sense of humour she has..

[@MrPhilipPaul]

Twinkle, Well done!

[@SAMANTHAPERKINS]

Very illuminating conversation. Kudos to the lady for bringing this sensitive topic to a prestigious institution like Oxford. But I can't help feel sorry for the Mike guy. Man he had a workout throughout the event. 😆😂🤗

[@shubhangifulmali5847]

Whenever I talk about sex and menstruations they called me characterless woman. I was social worker, I had to left this coz people in the village didn't like to talk about.

[@maseehm1]

This is wonderful. Thanks for YouTubing it. I didn’t know that my favorite actor, Dimple’s daughter is a writer. How wonderful.

[@elva136]

Even I wasn't aware of what menstruation was, I panicked when I saw blood and cried the whole day because my mom wasn't in the same city. I thought I had cancer and was gonna die, until she called me and said it's normal.. But still I never got the "talk".. I am thankful that people like Twinkle are taking the initiative to keep the conversation going.. Younger generation girls would be aware of what menstruation is and wouldn't be scared of anything. This is true empowerment for women.

[@arvindupadhyay6877]

Twinkle, I am amazed to hear you.

[@joshikk1690]

So happy that this topic was dealt wonderfully well by you, Ms. Twinkle Khanna. The Q&A session seemed more productive in addressing the varied thoughts of a society as it were. Wishing you success in such impactful endeavors of yours in future, too.

[@sindhusubhashini6519]

Excellent Twinkle. So proud of how you drive change so wonderfully... lots to learn from you

[@onkarsingh5636]

Stunning! TK , a treat to listen to you!

[@shikastormcrow6224]

She's amazing. So on point, brings up so many issues clearly without brushing over any of it/lightening it. Especially love how she addressed the religious aspect of it and gave the example of priests sweating when they're performing yagnas and no one complaining about that/God accepting that. Both funny and so true! I'll defo be thinking of that each time I have the same conflicting dialogue when present in any religious environment/performing religious activities.

[@bijalvyas7282]

Wonderfully explained thank you so much pad women twinkle

[@1000breakwater]

IF YOU PURSUE THIS CAUSE AND ADVANCE CONSIDERABLY, THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER YOU FOREVER. PLEASE KEEP IT UP

[@jeanbruller4974]

Thank you for your deep sense of humanitarianism.

[@ns3352]

Just watched one of Priyanka Chopra's recommended interviews, to which the next recommendation was this video. Having watched both the videos, I'm compelled to wonder how articulate Priyanka and Twinkle are but this woman here clearly outdoes Priyanka in terms of intelligent word-slinging. Every answer is packed with a power response to every kind of question thrown her way - making sense while answering is a rarity amongst the younger generation of movie stars. Watching this meet has been a delight!

[@mansitiwari1827]

Malala was in the audience!😍

[@ShivaaniWadhwa]

18:36

[@friendzforlyf]

I want Twinkle Khanna to be the next Prime Minister of India.. 👍 She'll do a great job..

[@skywalker1296]

So lucky to have met her at the event!

[@junnuravikumar]

Skywalker is that Malala in the room then?

[@skywalker1296]

Invisible Spectator Because not many people know her. Many amazing people keep coming to the Oxford Union everyday, so it is nothing for people to be excited about.

[@skywalker1296]

junnu ravi kumar Yes its Malala

[@skywalker1296]

Invisible Spectator They are just students. even the host is just a 20 year old. You cant expect them to have extraordinary people skills

[@sanjeevanichadha7895]

Twinkle way to go!!

[@parulahlawat4486]

great work. i just want to say thanks

[@misterbean5308]

Great speech and good movie...

[@paromita10]

Thank goodness Twinkle Khanna left Bollywood after a few movies and took to writing film scripts and books. She is too intelligent to just restrict her life to doing “Latkas and Jhatkas” to Hindi movie songs. The world of books and writers has gained a witty and emotive author in the process!!

[@srijangambhir7314]

So well spoken

[@chaitanyapandey9927]

Kudos...I didn't have any idea of this side of Twinkle ji..... Such thorough.....so self made sort. A true citizen

[@meaningoflifewithkavi]

So well spoken witty lady!

[@lirothonger9650]

Omg her composition is so great.

[@riyarobert4103]

She is such a gem... intellectual lady.proudbof u mam

[@kiranmatlani1907]

Thank you Twinkle really a good job. Really put forth the matter so nicely, shows the quality of considerate heart. U have not only felt the pain and difficulty regarding mensuration amongst the lower income group but also taken good steps to resolve them in best possible way.

[@LaviKiranSandhu]

Incredible twinkle awesome answers

[@ivneetkaur9393]

Is it just me who spotted Malala at the earliest and watched the entire video just to hear a question from her?

[@ManishKalauni]

Ivneet kaur raina hehe , I thought she will also give anu speech

[@honda7812]

You expect too much from her

[@missy6361]

This was a great talk.

[@dinesbhunia2021]

She is a philanthropist!! Wow.. what a convincing response to all questions.. specially " Failure is my role model" . Wish, Today's young generation would raise social causes with such convictions.