Would Akshay Be Okay, If Someone Said That To Nitara: Mallika Dua On Why She’s Had Enough!

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While we were just starting to think that #MeToo has done its job, another ugly incident has surfaced in the aftermath, forcing us to wonder and ponder everything that is wrong with our society. If you have even been the least attentive, you know what I’m talking about- the Mallika Dua-Akshay Kumar row.

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The one that saw Mallika and father, Vindo Dua asking pertinent questions about workplace behaviour and the same one that had them trolled and bashed by ‘fans’ who have little, if not no knowledge of comedy. Even more when the Vinod Dua’s post was removed overnight.

Yes, Mallika did defend her father, sighting Facebook as the culprit but nothing takes away from the fact that a father had to see what he saw and was later questioned for his intention. But you know what? Mallika has had enough!

In a special column for The Quint, Mallika Dua has penned her final words over the ruckus that the row has created and it is a thought-provoking read. Addressing the elephant in the room, she started by saying, 

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Koi doubt matt rakhna 💋🌶🍫

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“I’ve had the good fortune of being virtually puked on by Akshay Kumar’s hooligan-ish fans for over 24 hours. It seemed less like fans supporting their idol and more like a bunch of men scramming.

“Itna mazaak toh chalta hai”.”

In a bid to drive the point home, Mallika then raised and answered brow-raising but important questions that are vital to the heated discussion. She said,

“Was it the single most vile act of inappropriate behaviour? No.
Was it enough to make one uncomfortable? Yes.”

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“Which is what happened in this case. My father, who watched the leaked video, was left seething at the sight and sound of his daughter being subject to this idea of humour and banter by her colleague at her workplace. Even while I ignored it,” she added.

Not just that. She even opened about the questions people have been littering her social media with- ‘why now?’ And if the outrage is because she was ‘fired.’ 

“No Sherlock, that would make for a great K-serial, but that’s not the story. It was Star Plus that decided to replace us, not Akshay Kumar. Our contracts were not with Akshay Kumar. I could’ve leveraged my social media following to outrage right then, but I saw no reason to. Professional partnerships end all the time and this, if anything, was a mutual separation. Shit happens.
When he said “Mallika ji, aap bell bajaao, main aapko bajaata hoon”, in my head I went “WTF was that!” and that was all the time I had to process this.
Well, this shit makes us uncomfortable AF and we hate it. However, we are not the emotional fools most take us to be. I refuse to act on impulse and jeopardise my career for a race of crass alpha males with licences to make us cringe. It amounts to committing suicide just because every second person in the world is an asshole or not crossing the road because accidents happen. So yes, we are 100% complicit in letting it pass, sometimes for our own sake.

In case you’re not in the know, leaked video is from the initial days of the shoot.

The comic went after people who thought she didn’t have the right to express her angst just because she plays sexually explicit characters like Tinder aunty

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“Go ahead and protect your fragile, sexist and convenient morality nonetheless, but don’t you dare, tell us that we don’t have the right to address issues because we play sexually unabashed characters.”

Before concluding Mallika said and echoed the sentiments of all the sane-minded people out there, men and women included. 

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Ebony and Ivory and Traffuck #Hellfie

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“I fully understand that there are varying intensities of inappropriate workplace behaviour and while this is probably at the bottom of the pyramid for some, it still ought to be addressed because, why not?”

Yes, why the hell not? Mallika Dua or not, no woman should be forced and coerced into silence just because she is speaking about an unpopular opinion that might upset the men of the patriarchal world. I’m not making it a feminism movement against sexism but, isn’t it already, essentially one?

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