The ongoing controversy on the comments made by KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya on Koffee with Karan has a new update.
According to Mumbai Mirror, Karan Johar, who has been silent on the entire fiasco, was seen reacting in his typical way at a party in Bandra, Mumbai. "Whenever the topic came, he simply said, "Oh, god!", and that he certainly did not expect the fallout to be so huge," reported Mirror.
In my opinion, isn't it time that Karan Johar should "start making sense" and probably issue an apology or say something on this highly sensitive matter that involved him in a large part. On January 6, Karan Johar tweeted: "A first for koffee!!!!! CRICKET!!!! With these young forces I had a blast!!!! They hit it out of the park! Tonight!!! @hotstartweets @klrahul11 @hardikpandya7 @StarWorldIndia"
In an interview with Anupama Chopra, Karan Johar said: "I have no problem with like a girl dancing, that's not an item number. An item song is when she is objectified and when there are men lusting for her like 'Chikni Chameli'. I don't think I would ever do that again. It's never gonna happen in a Dharma Productions film and I will make sure of it. You've got to kind of make sure that you don't because eventually we are a very impressionable medium."
Well, where was Karan Johar's "concern" now? If you are an impressionable medium, you shouldn't have aired those sections as Hardik Pandya was doing nothing different, isn't it? Nikhil Naz tweeted: "Why blame Hardik alone, I thought Karan Johar as host was equally culpable for relishing the locker room jokes and goading his guests even as their misogyny was on full display."
Pandya & Rahul suspended and Karan Johar hasn't issued even one shred of apology or even some remorse at what transpired at his show. Whatever was said, was under his banner. What an asshole.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) January 11, 2019
A befitting thrashing. Why r we quiet on Karan Johar? Isn't it his endorsement to Hardik Pandya's misogynistic expressions that he didn't edit the objectionable part from his show? I hold him equally answerable and would seek his unequivocal apology from the women of my country.
— Uma Kant Kachru (@ukkachru) January 16, 2019
For those unaware, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been suspended by BCCI pending inquiry into their misogynistic comments during the Koffee With Karan show.
Here are the statements he made:
"I like to watch and observe how they move. I'm little from the Black side so I need to see how they move."
"At a party my parents asked me acha tera wala (women) kaun sa hai (Which are your women)? I said yeh, yeh, yeh (pointing out women) and they were like waah proud of you beta."
"When I lost my virginity, I came home and said, Main karke aaya hai aaj (I did it today)".
The viewers called these statements 'sexist and misogynistic'. Broadcaster Star TV also pulled down the episode from its online streaming platform, Hotstar.
Pandya responded to the BCCI's show-cause notice by saying: "I made an appearance on the chat show where I have made certain statements without realising that these could be disrespectful and offend sensitivities of viewers for which I am sincerely regretful."
"I would like to assure you that there was no malice or any sort of ill-intent on my part to offend anyone or portray any section of the society in bad light. I made these statements in the flow of the show and had not comprehended the extent to which my statements would be found offensive," he added.