In a society, where women are struggling to live a safe life with dignity, it is heartbreaking how our so-called heroes of Bollywood have left no stone unturned in objectifying women. Whether it is about the portrayal of women characters in the movie or problematic statements made during interviews or #MeToo, the Bollywood industry has always failed women!
Be it our leading actors of today or yesteryears – be it Akshay Kumar or Ranveer Singh or late Rishi Kapoor – they have made multiple statements on different occasions that give us a glimpse of their regressive and sexist mindset. Here’s a quick list of the celebrities and their statements that left us disappointed.
1. Ranveer Singh
Labeled by our media as a feminist husband, Ranveer Singh has made some really absurd comments about Bollywood actresses. During a chat show, Ranveer could be heard saying how he was floored by Kareena Kapoor Khan’s beauty when she would come to a club for swimming. Now there are various ways one can appreciate someone’s beauty and here is what Ranveer chose to say:
“I went from child to boy”, he says in the clip while describing his feelings to see Kareena swim. In the same interview, Ranveer blatantly asked Anushka Sharma if she wants to get her a** pinched.
His absurd words left Anushka visibly shocked and she hit him back telling him – “Don’t talk to me like that.” Sadly, it was Ranveer Singh’s attempt to be funny! We don’t think anyone in the right mind will find it funny!!!
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2. Akshay Kumar
Though now famous for doing women-centric films like Padman and Toilet, Akshay Kumar had also made misogynistic statements. A famous comedian Mallika Dua slammed Akshay for making sexist remarks to her on Star Plus’s television show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. In one of the episodes, Akshay while talking to Mallika Dua said,
“Aap bell bajao, main aap ko bajata hun (You ring the bell, I will bang you)”
Now, is this the kind of humour we expect from an influential celebrity like Akshay Kumar? Additionally, Akshay Kumar’s Houselfull movie series is just another reminder of how this superhero doesn’t understand the impact of his misogynist movies on society. The Housefull series is full of sexist dialogues and crass jokes. We feel Akshay Kumar could do much better!
3. Salman Khan
No one can deny that Salman Khan is one of the most influential celebrities of our time. Still, he made careless statements about women from time to time. While promoting his movie, Sultan, he compared his exhaustion from a physically demanding shooting sequence to the film to that of a “raped woman”. Describing a difficult day, he said,
“I felt like a raped woman at the end of the day on set.”
He did receive criticism on social media for making such insensitive remarks about rape victims.
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4. Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt has often said how he has forbidden her daughter Trishala Dutt from joining the film industry even though she wanted to be an actor. In an interview, he mentioned how he wanted to break elder daughter Trishala’s legs when she mentioned her desire of becoming a Bollywood actress.
“If somebody says give me the reason, I am going to show my finger because she is my daughter. If you want the reason, my father (Sunil Dutt) never wanted any female from my family to join the film industry. Not because the film industry is a bad place for women, not because the film industry is taboo in the country, only because it’s a huge struggle for women. Being the oldest in the family I can’t give up that legacy.”
Hmm, stopping your daughter from pursuing her dreams – how regressive is that?
5. Shah Rukh Khan
We know many would be shocked to see SRK’s name on this list. But he has his share of blunders with his inappropriate statements about women. During a book launch honouring women authors, SRK made arguably one of the most indecent remarks against women in general by saying,
“This may be politically incorrect, but actually when I speak to a woman, I’d like her to be lying down.”
6. Tiger Shroff
In an interview, Tiger Shroff compared his co-stars to padding. Yes, padding! During an interview, when Tiger Shroff was asked about his equation with the female leads of Student Of The Year 2, the actor said:
“I don’t get involved with the casting at all. I don’t really care about the padding around me. It’s the script and my character that matter.”
His sexist remark invited a lot of backlash for the actor over social media.
7. Govinda
While speaking about how he handles intimate scenes on screen, Govinda explained, “I flirt with my heroines so that they are comfortable when we do intimate scenes.”It is sad how an actor could have such an attitude toward her female colleagues and feels okay sharing his problematic solution with the media.
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8. Late Rishi Kapoor
Late Rishi Kapoor once made a statement during the Women’s World Cup. He demanded that if the women cricket team wins he wants them to repeat Sourav Ganguly’s The Lords Ground act on the balcony. He was talking about the time when the cricketer removed his shirt after India defeated England in 2002 at the West series final.
Check out the tweet below.
“Waiting for a repeat of Sourav Ganguly’s act on the balcony of The Lords Ground, London, when India beat England 2002 at West series final! YO.”
It is so sad how even influential celebrities, who have such a huge fan following, make disappointing sexist and misogynistic statements. We hope our youngsters hold these celebrities more accountable for making regressive statements about women.