Tamil comedian Robo Shankar has found himself in the middle of controversy after he made distasteful remarks about actor Hansika Motwani at a promotional event of the movie Partner in Chennai a few days ago. Robo Shankar was invited on stage to say a few words, when he made objectifying remarks about Hansika’s appearance, calling her a wax doll and comparing her to maida flour. A journalist named Ottran Dorai, who was present there, called out Shankar’s comments and said that such people should not be allowed to speak at events.
Elaborating on filming with Hansika, Robo Shankar made an extremely problematic speech, saying that there was a scene in the film where he had to stroke her leg below the knee, which she refused to do. “The director and I even fell at her feet to let touch at least her toe but she refused,” Shankar said. He also went on to claim that Hansika said that only Aadhi, the hero of the film, can act intimately with her. He followed this with a lewd explanation, saying that was when he realised what it means to be the hero in a film.
Ottran Dorai criticised Shankar’s comments and said that such people must not be given a platform to speak. “Hansika Motwani is the only woman on the stage. He has crossed his lines with those comments. Please do not put such men on the stage or ensure that those who speak do not cross any boundaries. You can speak such things within your own four walls, not in public. People make such comments and wonder why others make derogatory comments about women actors on social media. Actors like him [Shankar] pave the way for such comments,” he said.
John Vijay, another actor in Partner who was a part of the event, apologised on behalf of the team. “He explained what happened while filming a scene and maybe did not explain it properly. But, we apologise on behalf of the team,” he said.