Short story: The mysterious watchman aka Chowkidar

March 24, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The Secretary, Chairman and few committee members of the Bharat Housing Society were sitting in front of the desk inside their club house. They had an important task at hand today – to interview a candidate for the post of their security guard or, as some people prefer to address, watchman for their society.

Their need was urgent. The previous security guard had turned out to be a failure. There wasn’t a flaw as far as competency in his job was concerned. He had an impeccable reputation when he had joined.

His downfall came about when once, in broad daylight, few thieves entered an apartment in Bharat Society and robbed goods worth lakhs from an apartment. The guard couldn’t catch them. It was later found through the CCTV footage that it was he who let them escape. Needless to say, he got his cut for it.

He was, obviously, sacked and a hunt for a new security guard commenced. They finally found a candidate worthy enough in the form of Joginder Sodhi who was sitting opposite the Secretary and others right now.

Sodhi previously worked as a guard at a small bungalow in their town. His boss left the town after he was transferred by his company to another place. He gave a very positive feedback about Sodhi. He was all praise for his work ethics, ability and monumental dedication.

The team of the society was impressed after speaking to him at length. He also had a strong as well as a pleasing personality and immense confidence.

But they were also surprised to see how Sodhi keeps harping about his work and ability as a chowkidar. That’s what he loved to call himself. He also promised that no theft will take place during his tenure and he will turn out to be much better than the previous chowkidar.

Sodhi was selected without much delay. He was happy and why not? He had graduated to being a chowkidar of a small bungalow to a reputed housing society like Bharat.

After a few days in the job, Sodhi was once seen speaking animatedly with three men who stayed on the third floor – Saurav, Mohit and Sujay. They were businessmen who stayed on rent. They ran a textile business. Other than this, not much was known about them. The Secretary didn’t like the new chowkidar mingling with the trio. He somehow found them shady ever since they arrived there to stay few weeks ago.

The next morning at 6 am the Secretary, while coming down the stairs for his early morning walk, saw the door of the apartment of the Sharmas, on fourth floor, open. It struck him only after few seconds that Sharmas are out on a vacation. So how come their door was open?

As he entered the house he was shocked to see their cupboard open and a lot of valuables stolen. He ran down and saw that the apartment of the three businessmen Saurav, Mohit and Sujay locked. They were too lazy to wake up before 9 am. Where have they left so early?

The Secretary went to Sodhi’s chamber in a hurry but to his shock he was missing too. He instantly recalled how Sodhi had become friends with the businessmen trio. Another theft and another chowkidar turned out to be a thief.

Dejected, the Secretary called the chairman and they both decided to head to the police station. As they just stepped out of their compound they saw Saurav, Mohit and Sujay being dragged by a man. The man was none other than Sodhi.

Sodhi narrated how he went after the trio after he found their behaviour fishy. He caught them red handed, roughed them up singlehandedly and brought them to the society to let the secretary and others handle. Sodhi had proven himself. He became a hero among the entire society.

Some chowkidars do stay true to their word. If you felt the story would end in another fashion, you know whom to blame for it.

By: Keyur Seta

Also read: Short story: The Release of my first feature film

Badla Review

March 9, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

In my review of Kahaani (2012), (read it HERE) I had said that there is a dearth of high quality, edge-of-the-seat mystery thrillers in mainstream Hindi cinema and the Vidya Balan starrer filled the void. The next thriller I loved after that film to that extent is Badla. It took seven long years!

Interestingly, both are directed by Sujoy Ghosh and released on the same date: 9 March.

Badla is the official remake of the Spanish movie The Invisible Guest (2016). The story revolves around Naina Sethi (Taapsee Pannu). She is a business tycoon staying in London with her husband and daughter. She is accused of killing Arjun (Tony Luke), with whom she had had an extra-marital affair, in a hotel room far away from London.

Naina’s lawyer sends senior advocate Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) to fight her case. She pleads innocent. According to her, a blackmailer had demanded a large amount of money from her and called her and Arjun to the hotel. But someone killed Arjun and knocked her unconscious. Gupta wonders if he should believe Naina’s version.

The film takes place inside a house in the form of the meeting between Naina and Gupta in a span of three hours. The story keeps going in flashback. The most important ingredient in a mystery thriller is to keep the audience glued. Badla does that exceedingly well. The makers have given the screenplay credit to the writer of the original film Oriol Paulo.

The film also scores high in the dialogues, characterization and the technical aspects.

In addition you are kept guessing continuously. We are given a couple of hints in between about the main mystery, but not enough to become a spoiler. Such thrillers tend to become lukewarm in the second half. It doesn’t quite happen here, although the length could have been reduced slightly post-interval.

The revelation of the main mystery in the end does give you a jolt even if you have almost guessed it. The problem is that it appears a bit far-fetched which might not go with a section of the audience. It worked for me though.

The performances are first rate. Taapsee Pannu has added another feather in her cap after this act. She succeeds in the difficult task of keeping you guessing about her intentions. Amitabh Bachchan also lives up to his image and switches between being intense and funny with remarkable ease.

Taapsee and Bachchan share an impressive chemistry of a different kind. The mind games played by the two keeps you hooked and, at times, in splits.

Despite the presence of the two main characters, Amrita Singh comes out as a winner all the way. Debutant Tony Luke appears at ease despite being around experienced actors. He is a talent to watch out for. Manav Kaul gets noticed despite limited screen time.

Overall: Badla succeeds in satisfying the thriller lover in you. The film has taken a decent opening at the box office. It stands a good chance of earning respectable collections over the days.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Producers: Red Chillies Entertainment and Azure Entertainment

Writers: Oriol Paulo, Sujoy Ghosh and Raj Vasant

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke

Genre: Mystery thriller

Runtime: 120 minutes

Pulwama row: Why the climax of Border is more relevant today

February 28, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The Pulwama terrorist attack on 14 February, which killed at least 40 Indian police personnel, has triggered tensions between India and Pakistan yet again. The tragedy of the incident has increased manifolds after the disgusting behaviour of television news anchors and the countless hate-mongering social media posts.

The news anchors sitting inside the security and comfort of their air-conditioned studios have been literally demanding a war on Pakistan ever since Pulwama incident happened. A large number of the audiences watching such ‘shows’ in equally secure homes have been demanding the same and sharing posts that give an idea as if life is just a movie or a video game for them.

Of all the social media posts and memes that are shared post Pulwama attack, the prominent ones are from the Hindi film Border (1997) by J P Dutta. It is the ultimate war film that keeps lingering in the minds of the masses of India whenever a war-like situation erupts.

Short videos of scenes from the film start getting shared on social media and What’s App. Some of the prominent ones are Sunny Deol’s character’s passion to win the war, his famous Mathuradas moment, Jackie Shroff, as the Indian Air Force officer, blowing up enemies from the sky and the song ‘Hindustan,’ to name a few.

But the most defining moment of the film is its last six minutes, which somehow doesn’t pop up in people’s minds. I am yet to come across a single post or video about that portion of the film. I am sure some of you might still not be able to recall it.

The film ends with the song ‘Mere Dushman, Mere Bhai,’ which shows the horrors of war. The lyrics and its visuals make it loud and clear that war can only be ugly and devastating. The family members of soldiers are seen devastated by the loss of a son, father or brother. Something we can’t imagine while ‘demanding’ a war without the danger of losing a loved one.

Here is one example of the heart-penetrating lines of Javed Akhtar:

Hum Apne Apne Kheton Mein Gehun Ki Jagah Chawal Ki Jagah Yeh Bandooke Kyun Bote Hain
Jab Dono Hi Ki Galiyon Mein Kuchh Bhooke Bachche Rote Hain

No doubt, today Border is considered quite jingoistic, loud and, at times, silly. But we have forgotten that it actually ends by giving a message that war is never the answer and nobody gains from it. I wonder how such a profound message got lost over time. Or maybe we are conditioned to conveniently forget it?

In one of the scenes of the songs, Deol is seen saluting a dead Pakistani soldier. The frame freezes with the flags of both India and Pakistan on the screen.

I get a jolt when I compare this with the posts about ‘wiping out’ the entire Pakistan and that too by people whom I used to consider sane all these years.

By: Keyur Seta

Watch the song:

When I was shocked by 5 Kashmiri kids…

February 19, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The recent terrorist attack at Pulwama which killed at least 40 police personnel and the never ending discussions about it have brought back memories of my Kashmir visit, of course not in a good way.

Ever since I can remember, I Kashmir has been referred to as the heaven on earth. Its visuals in numerous movies or any other television shows were enticing enough for me to visit it someday. The day finally arrived for me and my family at the end of November in 2017.

The beauty of the place marked its arrival well before we reached in the form of the breath-taking visuals from the plane from Delhi to Srinagar. Our first destination was Gulmarg. It was freezing at that time of the year. We were welcomed with snow-covered regions at the outskirts of Gulmarg. It was my first ever experience of snow.

Just hanging around the town was a therapy in itself (except when the monkeys decide to trouble you). The Gondola ride was like travelling to space; it just kept going higher and higher. The visuals at (what is called) Phase 1 looked more like the visuals of Switzerland in various Yash Chopra movies.

Similarly, our stay in the next destination, Srinagar was also pleasant, especially in the boathouse at Dal Lake. We had a short visit to Pahalgam as well, which was equally scenic.

But it was by the time we reached Pahalgam that I started having an unpleasant feeling over there. It was the day-to-day situation in Kashmir that I found inversely proportional to its natural beauty. The tension between the Indian Army-CRPF and the locals was evident.

Our driver-cum-guide provided us with plenty of information on the clashes between both sides, including the numerous stone-pelting incidents and its details. Along with soaking in the beauty of the place, this harsh reality also kept playing behind my mind.

The person sitting next to me in the plane while returning was a soldier. He narrated how they are on guard 24/7 throughout the year in extreme conditions. It showed that there are unhappy faces on both the sides.

My unpleasant feeling for the situation in Kashmir turned into shock during our last day in Pahalgam. After eating breakfast, I was taking a stroll on the streets of the town. I saw a group of small kids who must be around 7-8 years old. They were looking cute, so I decided to click their picture. They thought I am taking a video and excitedly started shouting, ‘Azaadi azaadi.’ I was speechless and somehow managed to click the picture after they were almost done.

Pahalgam in Kashmir — Faces are coloured to protect identity

I know there are separatists demanding an independent Kashmir and they have been teaching the same to the kids since their birth. But to see its result live in front of me was too much to bear.

By: Keyur Seta

Also read: The Kashmiri girl who waited for her father to return

Amol Palekar’s fight for freedom of expression goes back to the Emergency

February 11, 2019 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

The country witnessed a brutal attack on freedom of expression yesterday when veteran actor and filmmaker Amol Palekar was interrupted from sharing his views at an event at the NGMA (National Gallery of Modern Art) in Mumbai.

The Chhoti Si Baat actor was politely voicing his dissent on the decision of the Ministry of Culture to scrap the advisory committees of local artists at the NGMA’s branches in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

However, he was repeatedly interrupted in his speech by the NGMA director Anita Rupavataram and the curator of the show and ex-chairman of the organization Suhas Bahulikar. They urged him to stick to the topic, which was about the work of the renowned artist Prabhakar Barwe. But Palekar stood firm and voiced his opinion as much as he could saying that his comments are related to the NGMA itself.

Read about the whole incident by clicking HERE.

Watch the whole incident in the video below:

The incident was enough to trigger continuous reactions of the citizens on social media. Palekar has been receiving support for his right to express himself while those who tried to supress his voice have been heavily condemned. The most common sentiment shared is that if a veteran artist can be supressed of freedom of expression, what to think of common people like us?

But amid this, Palekar is also accused of being ‘selectively’ against the current BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government, as is evident from various comments on social media. These people seriously need to take a look at his past activism.

Palekar, like many other actors, started off with theatre in his younger days. Apart from honing his acting skills, he also used the medium to mark his protest against the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress party.

I had the good fortune of interviewing Palekar last year for the web portal Cinestaan.com where I currently work. He was speaking while remembering his friend and fellow actor Hemu Adhikari, who had passed away a day before.

Palekar and Adhikari were a part of the parallel theatre movement then. During the conversation, Palekar shared how they used to stage thespian Badal Sircar’s Juloos, which was their way of protesting against the Emergency.

“One of the most cherished moments of my career in theatre was when we did Badal Sircar’s Juloos. It was produced by Bahuroopi, which was Hemu’s group. And I was the guest director. It was during the Emergency that we thought of doing this. That was our little protest against the Emergency,” he had said.

In fact, Palekar, Adhikari and the rest of members even showed the guts of performing their anti-Emergency play in the drama competition held by the state government itself. “We used to get this kick by performing it in the annual state drama competition, which is organized and funded by the government. It was our personal kick that we wanted to perform it there. We were very clear in our minds,” he had said.

Palekar also added that their first performance of Juloos was also attended by underground opposition leaders like Mrinal Gore and others. “It was a proud moment for us that we were able to do this in theatre as our expression and fight against censorship and any kind of curtailment of freedom,” said Palekar.

This piece of information is also enough to create laughing stock of the Congress leaders who have come out in support of Palekar for their own political gains. They too are clearly unaware of their own history.

You can read the whole interview by clicking HERE.

By: Keyur Seta

Bhaai: Vyakti Kee Valli Part 2 Review

February 8, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Director Mahesh Manjrekar’s Bhaai: Vyakti Kee Valli, the biopic on the legendary artist Purushottam Laxman Deshpande aka Pu La Deshpande, is released in two parts in a span of about a month. It is not often that you see this in India. Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra (2011) and Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) are the only recent names to emerge in memory.

The Purvardha or the first part concentrated on the happy-go-lucky Deshpande’s (Sagar Deshmukh) commencement as a literary figure, theatre personality, music composer and his second marriage with Sunita Bai (Iravati Harshe).

The Uttarardha or the second part is about the events that take place in his life after he becomes not only an established artist but also an icon of Maharashtra. Hence, aspects like his social work (with Baba Amte) and political stints also get a mention here.

To put it simply, the second part of Bhaai continues the good work of its predecessor. This doesn’t come as a surprise after having enjoyed the first part. The journey picks up from the time Deshpande starts his one act play Batatyachi Chaal, which later goes onto become historic.

Just like the first part, we are presented with a compilation of important and relevant events revolving around the protagonist in a thoroughly light-hearted manner. Of course, the second part has more emotional moments, especially since it covers Deshpande’s ailing health that led to his death. But the feel and mood remains the same.

In an important sequence, fellow literary great Vijay Tendulkar is seen urging Deshpande to start mirroring the stark realities of society in his work. But he politely refuses saying he just wants to make people happy. This ideology of his is seen in the narrative of the film again.

Deshpande’s relationship with his close ones is one of the highlights of the film. His unusual yet strong bond with his wife Sunita is one of the most sensible portrayals of a married couple in a long time. His friendship with fellow artists like G D Madgulkar, Vasant Kanetkar, Bhimsen Joshi and Kumargandharva reaches another level during the classical mehfil. The opening credits song ‘Indrayani Kathi,’ written by Deshpande and sung by Joshi, is also a pleasure to the ears.

Also read: Bhaai: Vyakti Kee Valli Part 1 Review

The film also touches the sensitive political side of Pu La’s story. After supporting the Janata Party during its opposition to the Emergency, Deshpande warns of speaking against them after they gain power in case they turn out to be the same as the previous government. Later, Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray (Sarang Sathaye) gets offended when Pu La criticizes one of his statements despite accepting an award from his government.

The execution of the aforementioned incidents is sensible and mature and at the same time doesn’t let the film move out of the entertaining zone.

One might argue or feel that any story should have a definite aim for the protagonist, which is missing here. But such conventional storytelling isn’t possible in this story simply because Pu La never planned anything in life and just went with the flow, one incident at a time.

The narrative does threaten to suffer at one point in the second half, especially when the character Barkya (Girish Kulkarni) turns up and displays his antics. This is the only questionable moment in the film.

The main cast continues its good work from the first part. Sagar Deshmukh shows the same consistency while exploring the latter period of Deshpande’s life. He once again thoroughly lives the character. The same goes for Iravati Harshe’s mature and high quality act as his wife.

Shubhangi Damle also gets a good amount of footage as the older Sunita Bai and she is phenomenal. Vijay Kenkre also does justice to the older Deshpande. Sarang Sathaye stays firm in your memory with his convincing act as Thackeray despite having just two scenes.

Overall: Bhaai: Vyakti Kee Valli Purvardha (Part 2) gives an impressive end to the life story of one of Maharashtra’s most loved personalities.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Director: Mahesh Manjrekar

Producers: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Mahesh Manjrekar Movies

Writers: Ganesh Matkari and Ratnakar Matkari

Cast: Sagar Deshmukh, Iravati Harshe, Shubhangi Damle, Vijay Kenkre

Music: Ajit Parab

Genre: Biopic/ Drama

Duration: 130 minutes

Kala Ghoda Festival 2019 Photos

February 3, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

It’s is the first weekend of February, which is reserved for Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. It’s that time of the year when the art enthusiasts in Mumbai gather for the 9 day festival [another Navratri?] that celebrates arts.

And like every year, I am here with a pictorial tour of the festival at South Mumbai.

The Kala Ghoda street is once again filled with a number of art structures of various shapes, sizes and meanings.

Here are they:

Also see: Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2017 Photos

Book Review: Decoding Life Post 8/11

January 28, 2019 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Demonetization will continue to remain a significant event in India’s history even decades from here on. The announcement of the sudden banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 rupee notes and inclusion of the new Rs 2000 notes by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi came as a shock to many.

But it the announcement provides scope for an interesting plot twist. This has been explored in few movies. Now, Demonetization is also used by author Indranil Roy’s latest novel Decoding Life Post 8/11.

The story of the book takes place in Kolkata in 2016. It revolves around the young man Arjun who is about to flee with his girlfriend Meher. However, the sudden announcement of Demonetization destroys their plan.

Arjun is forced to return to the murkey world of his ex-girlfriend Nisha, a friend more than a brother in the form of Sunny and his evil boss Shamim. But that’s not all, Arjun is forced to tackle some unexpected and dangerous challenges.

The name and the description in the end builds an expectation of a thriller revolving around Demonetization. It also gives an idea that the book will most probably be critical of Demonetization.

But that is not exactly the case. Demonetization just plays in the background after the main story is triggered by it. The characters are shown troubled by it but it also turns out to be a boon (can’t reveal more to avoid spoilers). In other words, it maintains a balance and neither criticizes nor applauds.

This doesn’t turn out to be a disappointment, thankfully because of the reading experience. Decoding Life Post 8/11 is a fast paced drama with regular twists and turns. Even for a slow reader like me, it finished fast.

Roy has smartly woven a social issue of a guy mentally harassed for his effeminate ways and a love triangle, with the Demonetization continuing to play in the background. Apart from being a thriller, the book also goes onto the emotional track but without losing the grip.

The author’s language is to-the-point and simple. This surely works in the favour of the reader. However, you can’t help but feel for a more creative narration in some parts where the writing starts becoming similar to a film script.

Also somewhere the local feel of the place the story is set in (parts of West Bengal) is missing a bit.

Overall: Decoding Life Post 8/11 is an interesting dramatic thriller that is also high on emotions.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Author: Indranil Roy

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Pages: 257

Price: Rs 299

Publishers: Leadstart Publishing

Does Thackeray hint at Shiv Sena’s changing relationship with Congress?

January 27, 2019 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Director Abhijit Panse’s Thackeray, the biopic on the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, is garnering various reactions from the audience and critics. But here is an attempt to read between the lines of the film’s content with retrospect to the current political stand of Shiv Sena.

Thackeray shows the supremo’s journey from his early days as a cartoonist. From that time itself he was a staunch opponent of the Congress. As an artist and a politician, Thackeray was never known to mince his words or sketches against anyone, including Congress and its leaders.

But surprisingly, the movie doesn’t feature Thackeray’s hatred for Congress through any of his speeches or conversations. Of course, Shiv Sena’s protest against the then deputy Prime Minister Morarji Desai gets a good footage. But that was a key incident, so that couldn’t have been skipped. Other than that, Thackeray isn’t shown speaking or acting against Congress.

The 1995 Maharashtra Assembly Elections were the first time that Shiv Sena came to power through a coalition with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The mammoth task of the coalition was to defeat Congress for the first time. So, it is obvious that speaking against your main opponent becomes your important task.

But that is not shown in Thackeray. Surprisingly, Shiv Sena’s road to the 1995 State Elections, which was their first major success, is hardly given any importance. Without showing any moment of their journey till the results, we are abruptly shown a scene of Shiv Sena workers celebrating the victory.

One of the highlights of Thackeray’s career was his fiery speeches at Shivaji Park, which were keenly awaited by his supporters as well as opponents. But strangely, the film doesn’t feature any of his speeches. Most of his speeches always targeted Congress. Was this the reason to omit it?

One might argue that the makers wanted to play safe. But it is not possible to buy this argument for a film that openly speaks about the party’s role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Now, let us see why such soft stand against Congress gets more interesting. Since recent times, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who is also the film’s producer and story writer, has been showering praises at Congress, the Gandhi family and its President Rahul Gandhi, of all people.

Less than a week ago, Raut said, “Rahul Gandhi has always been mocked. But we cannot forget the sacrifices made by the Gandhi family for the country. If you do not agree with his policies, then criticise him, but do not make personal attacks. Personally, I am against this type of politics. He has never given false promises.” (Read the whole statement HERE)

Priyanka Gandhi’s decision to enter active politics few days ago met with sarcastic jibes from the opposition. But Raut had other views. Speaking about the decision, he said, “It’s a good decision by Rahul Gandhi. The people of India have always had a relationship with the Gandhi family. Indira Gandhi’s legacy will always remain strong in this country, Congress will benefit from this.” (Read the whole statement HERE).

The praise for Rahul started last year when Congress lost the Gujarat state elections to BJP after giving a tough fight. Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna hailed Rahul for being ‘Baazigar’ (indicating that he lost elections but won hearts). These are just few examples though.

For those not in the know, Shiv Sena has been throwing a volley of attacks against BJP, their ally both in state and centre, in recent years. In words one would only use for the opponents.

I have come across people and articles claiming that it was Congress that provided massive secret support to Shiv Sena during its early days so that the latter would help wipe out communists from Mumbai (then Bombay). But Shiv Sena leaders have never been comfortable with this question.

However, Thackeray, the film, shows no qualms in showing this relationship between Shiv Sena and Congress.

So, is the party paying back to the Congress for their initial help going by the recent heavy praise? Or is it just to score brownie points against your ally-cum-enemy BJP? And did we see a glimpse of it in the movie?

By: Keyur Seta

Hardik Pandya comments: We are channelizing our anger in the wrong direction

January 14, 2019 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Let me get this straight. The motto of this article is not to defend Hardik Pandya or the comments made by him on Koffee With Karan. I personally found them not only disgusting but also worrying; thinking how many more people would be out there with such cheap mindset towards women.

But there are few things that I find too weird, which hardly have been pointed out ever since the controversy erupted.

1. K L Rahul is needlessly punished for no fault of his. It was Pandya who made all the misogynistic comments on the show. Rahul is no way responsible for what his partner on the show said. On a lighter note, he has become the Fardeen Khan of No Entry (2005).

2. If it is bad to make such comments, it should also be equally offensive to laugh and enjoy them. This is exactly what Karan Johar did as a host. But nobody is lashing out against him. How enjoying such comments is not offensive but just being a co-guest is?

3. Most importantly, some of our politicians and people from the government have openly verbally attacked women through the most disgusting statements you can come across. However, they are spared of such 24/7 hatred and innumerable articles.

Hardik Pandya on Koffee With Karan episode

Actually, they should receive more backslash since they have been given the responsibility to govern and protect us. How people don’t get so offended or worried when an elected representative makes such statements is beyond me.

Have a look at the following statements and decide for yourself:

“I am also a goonda. I will shoot you guys if a Trinamool Congress worker is ever attacked. If you have the guts, then stop me. If you insult the mothers and daughters of Trinamool workers, I won’t spare you. I will let loose my boys in your homes and they will commit rape.” – TMC leader Tapas Pal slamming the CPI.

“If they (girls) want freedom, why don’t they just roam around naked?” – Haryana Chief Minister from BJP Manohar Lal Khattar

“Boys are boys. Mistakes happen.” – Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on increasing number of rapes

“She is 100% ‘tunch maal.’” – Congress leader Digvijay Singh on a female party member

“Have you ever seen a girlfriend worth Rs 50 crore?”- India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi while describing the late Sunanda Pushkar

“These days it has become a fashion to have a girlfriend or boyfriend. A girl should go out only with her brother or husband.” – Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi

Ask yourself, was there even 20% of outrage for any of these comments like it has been for Pandya’s? Are a cricketer’s comments more worrying or the ones made by people who are responsible for women safety?

By: Keyur Seta