Recently, while promoting her film Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, Rakul Preet Singh weighed in on the topic of infidelity. The actor admitted that a “one-time mistake” can be forgiven. Her comments received backlash on social media. Now, actor Shweta Tripathi has come to her defence, arguing that emotions are far more complex than society often allows, and adding that people should have the freedom to share their experiences without being judged.
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Shweta spoke about her views on infidelity and defended Rakul Preet Singh. She urged audiences to be mature enough to engage with differing opinions without attacking those who express them.
Shweta Tripathi talks about infidelity in relationship
Reacting to the conversation around infidelity, Shweta said it is important to understand the reasons behind people’s actions rather than immediately passing judgement. She said, “I think not just about infidelity, I think it’s important to understand why what happens. There’s nothing right and wrong. Emotions are not black and white and grey. Emotions are colourful, deep. It depends on relationship to relationship. Now there are so many people who are okay with it and so many who are not okay with it. Now does that make it okay?”
She further stated that one should not apply society’s filters and should instead focus on what they want. She emphasised that human beings make mistakes and learn from them.
She added, “So it all depends on what you want from your life and what you want from a particular relationship. It’s some people’s convenience and I know some people who have multiple partners. In fact, in this play (Externals), Insia has multiple partners. Now does that make her a bad girl? Toh I think good aur bad ke dayre se bahar nikalte hain aur samajhne ki koshish karte hain. Nobody is born evil. Maybe someone’s parents used to fight, so your relationship doesn’t depend only on your mind. A lot of external factors define it. So let’s not be hard on each other. Let’s not have a report card that this is wrong or right. Let’s explore more and be present for each other.”
Shweta Tripathi defends Rakul Preet Singh
Shweta then spoke about Rakul’s remark on cheating in relationships and said, “If Rakul or someone else has said anything which is not according to the norm, I think we should give them space as well. Because it’s not easy to come out and speak the truth. Kya hoga ki agar main kuch bolungi which is not according to the society’s norm, aap toh chadh jaaoge naa….ki isne aise bola, vaise bola. So public, again, yeh moral responsibility humpe mat thopiye please (What happens is that if I say something that isn’t in line with society’s norms, people will immediately jump on me, saying, ‘She said this, she said that.’ So, once again, please don’t impose this moral responsibility on us).
She added, “We are sharing our life experiences. If someone is saying something different, they should be applauded. But as an audience, there’s a responsibility to be mature about these things. Aap mat agree karo naa. Tumhe kaun keh raha hai jaake infidelity karo yaa naa karo. Kyunki fir kya hoga naa ki fir hum chup hojaayenge (You don’t have to agree with it. No one is telling you to go and be unfaithful or not be unfaithful. Because what will happen then is that we will simply stop speaking our minds), and do we want to live in a society where we have to be so careful about saying something?”
Shweta admitted that at times she does not feel like going on a podcast because one mistake could lead to trolling. “Toh hum aapne pair pe kulhadi kyun maare? Hum human beings hain, hum galti karenge and it’s all right. Tum galtiyon pe itna mat chadho yaar. Ab actors ke liye moral compass aajata hai ki yeh galat hai ya voh ethical nahi hai (So why would we deliberately put ourselves in that position? We’re human beings—we’ll make mistakes, and that’s perfectly alright. People shouldn’t be so quick to jump on every mistake. Nowadays, actors are expected to serve as moral compasses, with everything they say or do being judged on whether it’s right, wrong, or ethical)…. let’s celebrate emotions.”
What did Rakul Preet Singh say?
During an episode of The Bombay Journey on YouTube, Sara Ali Khan, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rakul discussed infidelity and whether cheating in a relationship can ever be justified.
When asked whether cheating can ever be acceptable in a relationship, Rakul firmly said that it was not. Sara Ali Khan agreed and added that while the least a person can do after such a mistake is apologise, it still does not make the act acceptable. Ayushmann, however, offered a different perspective, saying that every marriage has its own dynamics and rules. He suggested that if an apology is sincere and genuine, there could be room for forgiveness depending on the individuals involved.
Following this, Rakul said, “It also depends on what is the extent… What is the extent? If cheating is a habit…” Before Rakul could complete her thought, Sara interrupted her and asked whether cheating just once could be considered okay. Rakul said she was not okay with it.
Rakul added, “But if somebody can have a slip, life is too long to not forgive for one mistake… This doesn’t apply to my personal relationship. Please note.”