Actor Lakshmi Manchu recently called out a reporter during an interview with Great Andhra for repeatedly questioning her choice of clothing. The reporter suggested that the 47-year-old’s move to Mumbai had changed the way she dresses, to which Lakshmi responded by pointing out that she had lived in America before returning to Hyderabad and then relocating to Mumbai. She explained that she has worked hard to look the way she does and feels confident dressing as she pleases.

But the reporter persisted, bringing up her age and the fact that she’s a mother, implying that such choices naturally invite criticism. Lakshmi then responded with a question of her own: “Would you ask a man the same question? How dare you! How dare you ask me that question? Would you say, Mahesh Babu, you are 50 now, why are you going shirtless? Then, how do you ask a woman the same thing? People learn from what you have asked me here today. As a journalist, be more responsible in the position you take.”

She went on to highlight the double standards faced by women in the industry, saying, “I know a superstar’s ex-wife who’s still in the industry. After her divorce, the films she was once offered were taken away because they feel her ex-husband might feel bad. She is waiting for good work. A man will never face that; his life will never change. But as a woman, no one gives us freedom; we have to take it on our own.” While she didn’t name the actor, many online speculated she was referring to Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who was previously married to actor Naga Chaitanya.