Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda has landed in a controversy irking Netizens, after his old video making a derogatory ‘joke’ on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati surfaced online. Within no time, #ArrestRandeepHooda started trending on the microblogging site.
The 41-second throwback video of Randeep Hooda’s statement at an event organized by a media house in 2012 has gone viral with netizens calling it ‘casteist’, ‘sexist’ and ‘misogynist.’ In the video, Hooda claims of making a ‘dirty joke’ on Mayawati, one of the most notable Dalit leaders of the country.
The video clip starts with Hooda talking about some particular ‘sex position’, after which he goes on crack his alleged ‘dirty joke’. He says once Mayawati was walking down a street with two boys when an inquiring stranger asks whether they were twins. Hooda furthers that Mayawati replies to the stranger: “No, no, one is four and the other is eight”. Here Hooda throws his punch line saying that the stranger said: “I can’t believe someone has been there twice?” Randeep is then seen laughing in the video, the audience also cheers him on.
https://twitter.com/SrishtyRanjan/status/1397147896152166404?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThis derogatory innuendo did not go down well with Netizens, who castigated him as being casteist and sexist and demanded an apology.
Netizens demand arrest of actor Randeep Hooda
Communist leader Kavita Krishnan responded to the video, tweeting: “Not a “joke” @RandeepHooda . You notice no one makes “jokes” saying a male politician is too ugly to f***? You are doing what casteist, misogynist, insecure turds do when confronted with women whose strength they fear: attack the woman as unattractive.”
https://twitter.com/kavita_krishnan/status/1397218001359933443?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwJournalist Dilip Mandal tagged Mumbai police and the office of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, demanding the arrest of the actor. “Outraging modesty of a women is a cognizable offence @MumbaiPolice. Don’t wait, #ArresteRandeepHooda. @OfficeofUT Pl. direct @CPMumbaiPolice to register an FIR & arrest @RandeepHooda. This will set an example. @nitinmeshram_”, Tweeted Mandal.
https://twitter.com/Profdilipmandal/status/1397986789898420224?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwMany other social media users slammed the actor for making a derogatory comments against the Dalit leader.
https://twitter.com/RajLSCollege/status/1397965963266453505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/rohini_sgh/status/1397982542972682243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/ashishkrgautam2/status/1398113080966475777?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwSuprisingly, after all the hate the actor received on social media, Hooda has not responded or issued any apology for the same.
Celebrities in the dock for their casteist remarks
Lately many Bollywood celebrities have been at the receiving end for using castiest slurs. Recently, actress Yuvika Chaudhary, most famously known for her role in Shahrukh Khan starrer Bollywood movie Om Shanti Om, has issued an apology after she found herself in hot water for allegedly using a casteist slur in one of her new video featuring her husband Prince Narula, that kicked up a storm on social media.
Prior to this, Netizens had made similar demands for the arrest of actor Munmun Dutta, most famously known for playing the character of ‘Babita Ji in ‘Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah‘ after Dutta had used the same casteist slur. Heeding to the online backlash, Dutta had immediately removed the concerned part from her video and issued an apology.
Just a few days ago, comedian Abish Mathew’s tweet from 2012 on Mayawati, where he called the Dalit leader ‘ugly’ and had shared offensive sexual innuendos, caused outrage on social media and #Arrest_Abish_Mathew trended on Twitter. The comedian had later apologized in a statement issued on social media. A similar derogatory tweet against the Dalit leader made by Feminism In India CEO Japleen Pasricha had also gone viral recently.
Most of the above mentioned people have had to issue apologies over the casteist, sexist remarks for the fear of SC/ST Act. Mayawati, a prominent Dalit leader, and one of the most successful female politicians in India, is the BSP supremo and casteist, misogynist innuendos thrown against her attract wide criticism on social media.