Vidya Balan has cemented herself as one of the versatile actresses in the Hindi film industry. Time and again, the gorgeous and graceful lady has wowed audiences with the way she perfectly embodies her characters, from ‘Reshma’ in The Dirty Picture to ‘Begum Jaan’ in Begum Jaan. Along with her acting mettle, Vidya often leaves audiences stunned with her clear and straightforward manner of voicing her opinions. However, a resurfaced interview clip is now rubbing netizens the wrong way, as they accuse Vidya of subtly victim-blaming with her remarks.
Vidya Balan claims she has never been asked out in a sleazy way because of her strong boundaries in a resurfaced clip
Recently, a resurfaced clip of Vidya Balan having a candid chat with senior actor, Anupam Kher on his eponymous show, The Anupam Kher Show, was posted on Reddit. In it, the actress asserted that people’s behaviour towards you depended on your boundaries. Expressing her pride in never having been asked out in a ‘sleazy manner’ even for a coffee, Vidya stated:
“People will treat you the way you want to be treated. Toh mene humesha apne around I think ek boundary banaye rakhi thi, and I say this with a great amount of pride that no one has even asked me for a coffee in a sleazy manner in all these years.”
Vidya further noted that if she had ever stepped out for a coffee with a coworker, it had always been of her own volition. She emphasised that none of her interactions had stemmed from being asked out in a sleazy manner. Anupam Kher agreed with her statements and said she had never gone out with anyone because they asked, “Aaj shaam ko kya kar rahi ho?” Vidya reaffirmed the same and added:
“I think we dictate how people behave with us.”
Netizens call out Vidya Balan for putting forth ‘delusional’ views and subtly victim-blaming
Vidya Balan’s remarks may have appealed to Anupam Kher, but they fell flat with netizens. Several Redditors took to the comment section of the post to call out the actress for subtly blaming victims and putting forth ‘delusional views.’ One user penned, “No one can stop a sleazy predator from being sleazy. Not even a woman in a burqa,” while another wrote, “Basically, same point like those who say ‘She was asking for it.’ Issko ek aur Padma Shri Award, ya fir Jab We Met mein Geet ne Station Master ko offer kiye hue chutte de do koi!” Yet another netizen commented, “Basically victim blaming ‘no one has asked me out in a sleazy manner.’ Not true in all cases.”
Watch the video here.
When Vidya Balan recalled a harrowing casting couch-like incident
Vidya Balan’s comments seem even stranger, given her later reports of being approached by a filmmaker with unwholesome intentions. In an interview with Humans of Bombay, Vidya Balan once stated that she had always been fortunate never to face a casting couch situation. However, she came very close to having such an ordeal in her days as a struggling actor. The actress revealed that while she was in Chennai, she had been cast in an advertisement, and the director wanted to meet her in person.
Vidya and the filmmaker initially met in a coffee shop, but the director kept insisting that they go to his hotel room. The actress obliged but left the door open as she entered the room, foiling his plans. In Vidya’s words:
“I didn’t understand because I was alone. But I did a very smart thing. When we went to the room, I left the door open. And then he knew the only way for him was out.”
What do you think about Vidya Balan’s remarks and netizens’ reaction to the same?
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