Two years after the Koffee with Karan controversy, Hardik Pandya has opened up on the topic again. The all-rounder spoke his heart out and about how his life changed overnight dramatically post the episode. For the uninitiated, for his statement and views on women, Pandya was called a "misogynist" and a "racist". The episode received immense backlash and finally had to be taken down from the streaming platform. Pandya and KL Rahul also faced suspension from the cricket team for a brief period and also had to issue apology.
Pandya opens up on controversy
"I really didn't know what 'misogynistic' meant. At first, I laughed thinking it was some word being used to make fun of me. Then a friend said, it means "someone who strongly dislikes women". How can I dislike women? Mom, didi (sister), bhabhi (sister-in-law), Natasa - they're all women. I adore them. My home is all about women. We are, because they are. For the first time, I wasn't in control of my own life. Everything around me started to crumble. I had to lock myself up. If not for my family, I'd have lost a great deal of everything. They were and continue to remain the backbone - the women in my family," Pandya told Times of India.
KL Rahul, who had attended the episode along with Hardik, was also reprimanded for his statements. He had later clarified, "It was hard as I am not used to people disliking me. For the first one week or 10 days, I couldn't help but doubt myself, doubt my own character. The hardest thing was to know whether actually you are a bad person, when so much has been written about you. I was quite honestly scared to step out as I wasn't ready. If somebody would ask questions, I didn't know what I would answer. I would go for practice, come back home and be on my Playstation (video game) as I wasn't simply ready to face people," he had told India Today.
