Actor Sathish recently courted controversy when he passed objectionable comments about the choice of clothes of his co-stars Dharsha Gupta and Sunny Leone at the audio launch of his upcoming movie Oh My Ghost. While speaking at the event, he took a dig at Dharsha’s outfit by comparing it with Sunny Leone’s. The latter was wearing a saree while Dharsha was seen in a crop top and lehenga. “Sunny Leone has come all the way from Bombay to Tamil Nadu, and look at how beautifully she has dressed for the event. On the other hand, we have a girl from Coimbatore, Dharsha Gupta. I am just pointing out how superbly she (Sunny) is dressed according to our culture,” Sathish was seen saying in a clip from the event that has now gone viral.
Several people on social media, including singer Chinmayi Sripada, called Sathish out for his sexist comments. Many users said that the actor shaming women for their clothing choices under the garb of respecting our ‘culture’ was in poor taste. Highlighting the contradictory nature of his statement, a section of users pointed to how Sathish himself had worn a T-shirt and trousers to the event. A few users also expressed disappointment in seeing the audience cheering for Sathish and applauding him in the video.
Criticising Sathish, Chinamyi tweeted on Wednesday, November 9, “To actually point at a woman and ask for mass heckling of a woman who doesn’t dress according to ‘culture’ — when will this behaviour from men stop? It's not funny.” Commenting below the video, sex educator Swati Jagdish ,who goes by the name Maya's Amma on social media, questioned, “Is this supposed to be comedy?”
I mean - To actually *point* at a woman and ask for mass heckling of a crowd by a man on a woman who doesn’t dress according to culture.
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) November 9, 2022
When will this behaviour from men stop?
Its not funny. pic.twitter.com/HIoC0LM8cM
Swati Jagdish and Chinmayi's comments on Instagram
Following the backlash, Sathish uploaded a video on Thursday with a clarification. However, there was no apology, the video had the actor only attempting to justify his words. The video has since been taken down. Sathish stated that he made the comment based on a conversation he had had with Dharsha before stepping on the dais. He said that Darsha was eager to see what Sunny Leone would wear to the event and was surprised when she turned up in a saree. He also claimed that it was Dharsha who encouraged him to speak about her choice of clothes on the stage. He claimed to understand why his statement had been criticised by celebrities like Chinmayi, but assured the viewers that he was only making fun of his friends. He went on to say that he has also spoken up on important issues like the ill-effects of smoking and drinking and requested fans to pay attention to those messages too.
Dharsha responded to Sathish’s video saying that she does not appreciate him for blaming her for his comments. In contrast to Sathish’s claims, Darsha wrote that she did not ask him to pass such comments against her on stage. “Why would I encourage anyone to talk badly about me on stage? I was hurt by the comments that day but I overlooked it,” the rough translation of her tweet read.
Sathish is this good way to turn on me, that I asked u to tell like this in stage? It's very strange. Yaaravathu enna pathi, stage neenga asingama pesunganu solluvangala?? Enakum annaiku avlo hurt uh tha irunthuchu, but na atha perusa kaatikala. But ipo ipadi solrathu, not good.
— ❤️Dharsha❤️ (@DharshaGupta) November 10, 2022
Much like his speech from the audio launch, the clarification video also received backlash from social media users. While his co-stars Dharsha and Sunny Leone may not have taken offence to the misogynistic comments, social media users objected to women’s clothing choices becoming the butt of jokes. Sathish’s justification bears strong resemblance to the discussion that actor Andrea’s interview in 2017 had sparked.
In Andrea’s interview with the Tamil YouTube channel Fully Filmy, a popular male anchor said that like many other men, he too had ogled at and lusted after Andrea. When the anchor was slammed for objectifying the actor and for his unprofessional behaviour, some fans had argued that Andrea did not share the feeling and had approved of the interview.
Sathish’s comment at the audio launch is hardly the standalone instance that he claims it to be. Male stars have passed objectionable remarks on women’s clothing both on and off the screen, only for it to be overlooked as ‘comedy’. At least one section of netizens have now come to realise that the objectification of women, especially those in the film industry, needs to be called out and not normalised.
Anchors and journalists often make insensitive and invasive remarks about women actors and treat them as objects to be lusted after, seldom discussing their work. Normalising such an attitude often gives interviewers the impression that they have the right to keep asking such questions. A case in point is the vulgar question posed by Telugu journalist Suresh Kondeti during the promotion of the 2022 film DJ Tillu. Suresh asked Siddhu Jonnalagadda, who played the male lead, whether he had counted the birthmarks on the body of his co-star Neha Shetty in real life, as suggested in the film’s trailer.
Additionally, the questions posed to male actors are in stark contrast to what their female counterparts are asked. Female actors are prodded with questions ranging from their experience working with male stars, to their styling, what they carry in their bag, their skin care routine. Interviewers are also keen to know how they strike a balance between their marital and work life. However, such questions are rarely asked to male actors.