YouTuber RS Karthik Apologises To Actor Gouri Kishan For His Fat-Shaming Comment
At a recent press conference for her new film, Gouri Kishan was asked about her weight.
After facing severe backlash for this inappropriate question to Tamil actor Gouri Kishan, YouTuber RS Karthik finally apologised on Sunday. He apologised by stating that his question was asked in jest and was misunderstood. “I apologise if she was offended,” he said.
At a recent press conference in Chennai for her new film Others, actor Gouri Kishan found herself fielding a question that had nothing to do with her performance. When Karthik asked her co-star Aditya Madhavan if it was “difficult to lift her because of her weight,” Gouri intervened, calling out the remark as “irrelevant and disrespectful.” Gouri responded to Karthik's apology, critiquing his statement. "An apology without accountability isn’t an apology at all. Especially when it’s brushed off with “she misunderstood the question — it was just a fun one,” or worse — “I didn’t body-shame anyone,” she wrote
The fraternity had voiced their support for Gouri Kishan, with the likes of singer Chinmayi, Radhika, Pa Ranjith, Sarathkumar, and C Prem Kumar standing by her. In a dignified response to all the social media chatter and the controversy that followed, actor Gouri Kishan explained her stand in a press note.
She wrote, “I wish I had been asked questions about the film-the work I was there for. I cannot help but wonder if they would ask a male actor the same, in the same aggressive tone. am grateful for being able to stand my ground in a difficult situation, it was important not only for myself but for anyone who has faced the same. This is not new but still prevalent-normalising body shaming in jest, while perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards. I hope this will be a reminder to anyone who has felt this way that we are allowed to speak up.”
Instead of attacking the individual, she also used the note to remind everyone that it was unfair to be targeting the individual. She said, “I also want to be clear — this is not an invitation to target or harass the individual involved. Let's use this moment instead to move forward with greater empathy, sensitivity, and respect on all sides.”
Karthik had earlier refused to apologise for his comment, instead asking Gouri to apologise for terming his question stupid and unnecessary.