‘Your Body Screams’—Mallika Dua To Women Who Ignore Their Stress Limits

There’s an unmissable brazenness to Mallika Dua—the kind that makes you laugh while slyly nudging you to question the absurdities around you. With her razor-sharp humour, disarming honesty, and talent for turning mundane frustrations into viral gold, she has carved a unique space in India’s comedy landscape. Remember "makeup didi", the over-enthusiastic salon aunty who became an overnight sensation? But Mallika is more than just punchlines. Whether she’s calling out sexism, normalising conversations around mental health, or simply ranting about Delhi’s "aunty network", her comedy is as much about rebellion as it is about relief.

True to her unfiltered style, the actor and comedienne joined Shaili Chopra on The Rulebreaker Show for a candid conversation. The duo spoke on the chaos of online spaces, the limits to their engagement, and the art of setting boundaries. Dua also explored the journey of personal growth, the evolving definitions of identity, self-awareness, and much more.

Mallika Dua On The Rulebreaker Show

As a sharp-witted voice on social media, Mallika Dua is no stranger to the flood of opinions that dominate online spaces. She pointed out, "I think there's just so much online, right? Like enough men are saying that women are too into their masculinity and too many women saying that you've just kept us like this for too long. Sure, we need each other, each one for themselves first and whatever it takes to get there."

In her signature style, she added, "Yeah, we definitely need to change the rules there," a statement that directly ties into the show’s theme, highlighting the need to challenge and reevaluate societal expectations rather than blindly accepting them.

Dua also touched upon how the rigid definitions of gender roles are evolving. "There's been a shift in what was considered a traditional gender role. Has there been? I mean, yeah, there is. At least the syllabus for women has been updated. Others are catching on or struggling too."

She further explained, "I would say what's happened is that now it's not like this is the provider, this is the nurturer, and that's it. This is the body that we're going to operate in."

A key takeaway from the conversation was her emphasis on self-awareness. She spoke about self-awareness, not just as a concept, but as an ongoing dialogue with herself. She revealed how tuning into her own thoughts and emotions has become second nature, especially in understanding the way her body responds to stress. "I talk to myself a lot more, yeah, and my body for sure. If you don't, then your body screams, and I have very low immunity, so I just keep falling sick. That's the way my body talks to me."

In a world that glorifies pushing through exhaustion, her words serve as a reminder that the body keeps score. Ignoring inner struggles doesn’t make them go away, they just show up in other ways, forcing us to pay attention.

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Dua’s conversation on The Rulebreaker Show highlighted the need to challenge norms, focus on self-awareness, along with much more that’s yet to be unveiled. Stay tuned for the full episode, and take a sneak peek at our upcoming guests here.

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