Actress Ridhi Dogra has shared a detailed note on modern relationships, marriage, and feminism, prompted by the ongoing discussions around the deaths of Twisha Sharma and Deepika Nagar. In the post, she urged young men and women to stop romanticising marriage and abandon expectations of fairytale outcomes.

What Ridhi Dogra Said

Dogra opened her note by acknowledging the shifting social landscape: 'It's a changing world. Over the past few years a lot of heart wrenching incidents have happened to boys and girls after marriage... no one is guiding us to understand the change in social and psychological conditions.'

She directed her message at both genders, urging 'young girls and boys' to 'please stop romanticizing marriage' in 2026. 'The age of your parents and the world they grew up in has expired,' she wrote, adding that women today have legal protections, employment opportunities, and financial independence that earlier generations did not.

Her Message to Young Women

Dogra noted that women no longer need marriage for survival. 'Girls don't need marriage for survival. For companionship — yes. But not for dependency,' she wrote. She cautioned women against expecting partners to transform into idealised figures post-marriage: 'Pls don't expect your boyfriends to become Mr Prince Charming after marriage. They are human too and are figuring this new world out.'

She urged women to 'educate yourself, live for yourself' and to 'please stand up for yourself' rather than waiting for others to do so.

Her Message to Young Men

Dogra also addressed men directly, noting that societal norms have shifted and what was once expected of women in marriage no longer holds. 'Boys should know that girls will not do what you ask them to blindly. Because laws etc has empowered them,' she wrote. She acknowledged that navigating these changes is newer and harder for men who grew up watching older models of masculinity.

On Feminism and Equality

The actress offered her view on feminism, stating that 'true feminism is just equality. That's it. Nothing more and nothing less.' She said that when she speaks for women, she also speaks for men, and that mental health advocacy applies to both genders equally. 'Feminism was never about putting men down,' she wrote, adding that its origins in loud, angry protest were a feature of every revolution's beginning, not its present form.

She concluded with a call for marriages built on 'love and respect,' urging couples to 'marry a person you love as a person' and to maintain the union as one between two individuals — 'never more.'

The Cases That Prompted the Discussion

Twisha Sharma was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on 12 May 2025. Her family has alleged dowry harassment and cruelty against Samarth Singh and his mother. A post-mortem conducted at AIIMS Bhopal revealed suicide, with marks on her neck consistent with hanging by a belt. The case has triggered widespread demands for an independent probe.

Separately, Deepika Nagar, a 24-year-old woman, died on 17 May after allegedly jumping from the terrace of her marital home, following reported daily demands for additional dowry and sustained mental cruelty. Police arrested her father-in-law, Manoj, and her husband, Ritik, on 18 May after her family filed a complaint alleging dowry harassment and torture. Both cases have intensified national conversations around dowry violence and the pressures placed on women within marriage.

As investigations continue and public anger grows, voices from across civil society — including the entertainment industry — are weighing in on the deeper social conditions that enable such tragedies.