Singer Sona Mohapatra criticised Farhan Akhtar and Salman Khan for not protesting against #MeToo accused filmmaker Sajid Khan‘s appearance on the reality show Bigg Boss. The singer has been vocal in her commentary about sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, and had accused singer Kailash Kher of inappropriate behaviour during the #MeToo movement. She had also slammed Indian Idol for allowing composer Anu Malik to appear as a judge on the show, following serious accusations of misconduct.
In a couple of tweets on Wednesday, she wrote, “Whitewashing his own toxic masculinity for eons with #BeingHuman despite being anything but; yes my old foe in twitter wars; #SalmanKhan . Continues the whitewashing in the BRO-HOOD. #SajidKhan . (Btw his gifting watches/food truck/surgeries is only more virtue signalling).”
Of course,we still haven’t heard from the star voice for women causes in #Bollywood whose MARD claim’s to ‘instill gender values in young men’ & who was also shameless enough to become @unwomenindia Ambassador for South Asia (?!) ; Mr #FarhanAkhtar. #SajidKhan not young enough? https://t.co/nLtGyHzor8
— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) October 12, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, she added, “Of course, we still haven’t heard from the star voice for women causes in #Bollywood whose MARD claim’s to ‘instill gender values in young men’ & who was also shameless enough to become @unwomenindia Ambassador for South Asia (?!) ; Mr #FarhanAkhtar. #SajidKhan not young enough?”
Farhan and Sajid are cousins. Meanwhile, Salman made no references about Sajid’s alleged misconduct on Bigg Boss, a show that he has hosted for years, and instead spoke in passing about setbacks that the filmmaker had endured in recent years. This isn’t the first time that Sona has addressed Farhan directly about this issue. In an earlier tweet, she had written, “Dear @FarOutAkhtar, you front an organisation called MARD. This man & the many others are known to you personally. Speak up, Stand Up only when it’s convenient or pays to virtue signal for ‘our cause’ not now? Charity begins at home.”
Sajid Khan was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and abuse. He was given a one-year ban by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees. The body said in a statement earlier this week that he should be allowed to ‘earn his living’ by appearing on Bigg Boss, since he had served his punishment.
Farhan had commented about Sajid’s alleged misconduct in a conversation with journalist Barkha Dutt in 2018. He’d said, “Everytime something like this has happened in the public domain, I’ve been very vocal with my opinion. When it came to someone within my family, I felt silence on that front would be very, very hypocritical.”
