In the last few months, India has been shaken by the crimes in Kathua and Unnao. While the horrors of those crimes were gruesome enough, the way it was handled by the Indian media has further scarred the nation. But things didn’t stop there as stories of moral policing, insensitive comments from politicians and more hate crimes kept coming in. And while the families and the country are still recovering, it looks like Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut have moved on already.
In a video that has recently surfaced online, Jim Sarbh can be seen making a rape joke at Cannes and Kangana Ranaut appreciating the hilarity of it with equal insensitivity.
“I’d rather be raped by 12 prostitutes than touch alcohol and the Punjabi says ‘Me too, I didn’t know that was an option’.”
By the looks of it, Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut were attending a party at Cannes when he made the joke. Although the entire joke isn’t available, his punchline goes something like, “I’d rather be raped by 12 prostitutes than touch alcohol and the Punjabi says ‘Me too, I didn’t know that was an option'”. And Kangana, along with the rest of the audience, found it so funny that they couldn’t stop themselves from laughing.
Jim Sarbh has recently made headlines due to his roles in ‘Neerja’ and ‘Padmaavat’. On the other hand, Kangana has wowed the audiences with her roles in ‘Queen’ and turned heads with her fashion statements at Cannes. However, once the cameras are off, this is the unfortunate reality. And the reason why their guffaws hurt even more is because they’re role models for many fans and are representing Bollywood on an international platform.
Watch the video here:
Once the video went viral, fans got angry and condemned Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut for their actions.
1. That’s true.
Dear Jim Sarbh/ Kangana Ranaut
Rape jokes are not funny. Rape is NOT a joke. If you tell or laugh at jokes about rape you are a part of the problem. https://t.co/Pk5bSB9zCr— YellowGlassDragon (@karishmau) May 15, 2018
2. We expect too much from them.
https://twitter.com/dhruveshshahz16/status/997106187177836544
3. Their hypocrisy is very apparent.
Jim Sarbh making a rape joke and Kangana laughing on it only proves how most Bollywood actors are feminists just on the social media. Same goes for Sonam posting pic as to how she supports Salman.
Lesson: Don't take them too seriously.— Aman (@cadence99) May 15, 2018
Considering how angry fans were, Jim Sarbh quickly came up with an explanation. Speaking exclusively to Bollywood Life he said,
Although Jim was cracking a joke, it was a rape joke and that by no means is okay. I understand what free speech means and support it with enthusiasm. However, when people tell you to stop making rape jokes, they don’t tell you so to hinder your free speech. But it seems extremely hypocritical when advocates of justice and change are found belittling the cause. What Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut did borders the same. And both, responsibility and the effort to right the wrong are need of the hour.