Randeep Hooda prides himself on his sense of humour. He loves to be seen as a humorous entity, though back when we were close, I hardly found his humour funny.I have known two of his actress-girlfriends very closely. They both revealed one reason for breaking up with him: disrespect towards women.
I am sure Ms Mayawati would also agree. Randeep neither has a sense of humour nor does he seem to respect women much. But he is not alone in these deficiencies. Almost the entire film industry suffers from it. A few years ago I was shocked when a prominent producer had described a major heroine as a ‘raand’(whore). This is the language they use for entertainment among their friends. Abuse equals applause in the entertainment industry.
Randeep is in serious trouble because the lady he is seen talking so crudely about is also a powerful Dalit leader. This slur(quite literally since Mr Hooda doesn’t seem to in his senses while making it) is likely to have far-reaching repercussions.
My question to this fine actor is, what were you thinking while taking such a nasty dig at a woman of Mayawati’s stature, or for that matter, any woman? Why talk like some roadside Romeo who has nothing better to do than entertain himself by poking fun at women below their belts?
Some of Randeep’s friends are hoping that this “joke” would go away after making news for a day or two. I hope it doesn’t .We need to sort out gender dynamics at a time when women are expected to dress and behave in a particular way for their allegations of violation to be taken seriously by our courts.
What did Ms Mayawati do or not do for such a nasty joke to be cracked at her expense? Or maybe just being a powerful woman makes some men insecure about her?
