Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 28 (ANI): Actor Ruchi Gujjar recently turned heads at the Cannes Film Festival, sparking a conversation with her choice of ensemble. For the festival, Ruchi chose a traditional Rajasthani outfit, which comprised a vibrant pink lehenga with intricate embroidery.

She completed the look with traditional jewellery, bangles, and a dramatic ghoonghat (veil), that kept her face partly covered.

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Ruchi Gujjar, who has now returned back to India, addressed the media in Jaipur and explained the significance of her look.

During the interaction, Ruchi explained that her attire at Cannes was intended to convey a powerful social message. She utilised the international platform to raise her voice against the 'ghoonghat' tradition, a practice that remains prevalent in rural India to this day.

'I hail from the rural region of Rajasthan, and I have witnessed women there being compelled to maintain the ghoonghat,' she stated.

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'I do not associate the ghoonghat with any specific social class or caste; it is every woman's right to step out from behind any form of veil. While other nations have imposed bans on such veiling practices, I appeal to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put an end to the ghoonghat tradition in our country as well. Women deserve the right to equality, dignity, and the freedom to live uninhibitedly within society,' she added.

Commenting on her attire, Ruchi shared, 'While the ghoonghat is regarded as a symbol of dignity and tradition, women require safety and security alongside that dignity. Today, newspapers and social media platforms are inundated with reports of violence against women and sexual assault. Does this imply that the veil must now be worn by everyone--from a three-year-old child to an elderly woman--simply for the sake of self-protection? The very purpose for which the veil was originally intended has effectively ceased to exist.' (ANI)