Ali's apology: Is Telugu pop culture finally ready to introspect on misogyny?

The comedian is in trouble, ever since he compared actor Anushka to a "hot jalebi" with "extraordinary thighs"
Ali's apology: Is Telugu pop culture finally ready to introspect on misogyny?
Ali's apology: Is Telugu pop culture finally ready to introspect on misogyny?
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After much controversy over Telugu comedian Ali's comment on actor Anushka, both he and his wife have responded to the criticism and said that the reactions were uncalled for.

The comedian is in trouble, ever since he compared the actor to a "hot jalebi" with "extraordinary thighs" and said, "Anushka looks like a hot Jalebi who everybody likes to eat."

Speaking on stage, at an event, the comedian also told the anchor of the event Suma, "Anushka has really remarkable thighs. Ever since I saw her in Billa (where Anushka appeared in a bikini), I became her fan.”

Following this, the comedian faced a severe backlash on Facebook and twitter as people called out his 'sexist' remarks.

A common view that resonated among the criticism was how 'misogyny unfortunately passes off as humour' and asked the comedian to get more imaginative.

Speaking to TV9 in a 40-minute interview, he apologizes for his comments while adding that he said everything in good sport and did not mean to offend anyone.

Throughout the interview, the actor used various sentences to defend himself from "No actress takes my comments seriously," "Adult jokes are a norm now," "I'm going to stop talking at audio functions," and "social media twists my comments."

The same interview also has a clip featuring Ali’s wife, Zubeida who says that "My husband only knows how to make people laugh and that it is the only intention that he has wherever he goes. He was born to make people laugh and please don't misunderstand him."

No stranger to controversy

This is not the first time that the comedian is in trouble over his comments as he had earlier compared actor Samantha's 'midriff to the Vijaywada's Benz circle'

However, the actor reacted saying "I know in what sense Ali has said that and I totally understand how he is being dragged into the controversies. In fact he is my best friend in the sets of Son Of Satyamurthy and I have no qualms about his comments(sic)."

In July this year, Annapurna Sunkara, a post-graduate in Human Resources management and living in Baltimore, uploaded a 12-minute video asking simple but profound questions, that triggered off a massive online debate over sexism and misogyny in Telugu films.

In the video, she describes comedian Ali as a pest and a “pervert” who belongs in jail for some remarks he has made.

Many people responded with their own videos countering the questions she has raised, with one of their key responses stating that movies were only for the purpose of 'entertainment'.

Annapurna earlier spoke to The News Minute and said that she stood by her video and that "movies should have a minimum social responsibility" as  they have a great influence on people.

The video got so viral, that it caught the attention of the people mentioned, including Ali who hasn't taken it too well.

"She is not only talking bad about me, but against the whole film industry. It is in very bad taste, so I am proceeding legally. It is not right talking bad about me and our industry, from a foreign location. She should come here and prove everything or face legal action,” an irate Ali told Deccan Chronicle.

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