Gouri Kishan says journalist was ‘appalled’ she called him out; he doubles down and says ‘should I ask her about Trump?’
On Thursday, a video of actor Gouri Kishan from the press meet of Others went viral. A male journalist, a YouTuber named Karthik, had asked her director, Abin Hariharan and co-star Aditya Madhavan about her weight, prompting her to call him out for sexism. Even as the YouTuber doubled down on his stance, the actor spoke about how he was ‘appalled’ she had called him out for body-shaming.
Gouri Kishan says YouTuber ‘appalled’ she called him out
Gouri explained to ANI what happened at the press conference, stating that Aditya was asked about picking her up in romantic sequences and Abin about casting her with a hero who was well-built. She pointed out that the conversation around her weight was the implication that she was ‘out of shape and short’.
What’s more, she says, after he was called out, the YouTuber went on to defend his questions about her weight. “And nobody was listening to me. He kept saying, I never called you fat, I just asked your weight. Why do you want to know my weight? I play a doctor in the movie, very pivotal to the story, it’s a medical thriller. So many of the plot points happen through my character. They don’t want to know all of that,” said Gouri.
Gouri also said that the YouTuber was appalled that she spoke up, and the film’s team was ready to let it go, apart from not speaking up for her in the moment. “For them, for some people, women are just there and shouldn’t have an opinion. They were appalled by the fact that I was speaking out. Being a woman, you don’t get to speak out. The fact that nobody spoke up, everybody was ready to let it go. And that’s normalising it,” she added.
The actor ended her statement to the news agency by stating, “What I do with my body is my choice and I have that agency. This has to stop; it’s really not okay. This can open up to lot of health issues, self-esteem, things we worked so hard to build. Sustaining in an industry like that and being a woman is just that much harder.”
YouTuber says ‘should I ask her about Trump or Modi?’
Karthik spoke to Times Now and reiterated his stance. He denied that his question had anything to do with body shaming, claiming that it was ‘normal’ to ask a female actor about her weight. “It’s normal to ask an actress about her weight, height and age. Should I ask her about George Bush, Donald Trump, or Modi, or otherwise?” He also denied that it was any form of harassment.
Gouri called him out for his statement, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Goes on to show that some people just never learn. It’s unfortunate that one’s own ignorance and age-old chauvinism can so easily define their personality. How much lower can one stoop?”
She also released a press note after her statement, which explained yet again why it wasn’t okay to comment on people’s appearances. She also wrote, “I also want to be clear – this is not an invitation to target or harass the individual involved.” Instead, she asked everyone to move forward with ‘empathy, sensitivity, and respect’. She also thanked those who spoke out in her defence.
