Mukesh Khanna slammed on social media for comments about #MeToo movement
Mumbai: Veteran Mukesh Khanna, best known for playing superhero Shaktimaan and Bhishma Pitamaha in the television series "Mahabharata", has been criticized for his statement that the #MeToo movement began when women stepped out of their homes and started working.
The #MeToo movement started in Hollywood in 2017 after many women from the entertainment industry called out various powerful men for sexually harassing them, drawing focus on workplace safety.
A year later, it gathered momentum in Bollywood when actor Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Following this, many women in the Indian film industry came out to speak against the culture of a toxic work environment.
In a video clip from an interview given to a news channel, Khanna claimed that #MeToo movement happened because women tried "walking shoulder to shoulder with men".
"Men and women are different. The job of a woman is to take care of the house, pardon me as I say certain things. The problem of #MeToo began when women started working. Today, women talk about walking shoulder-to-shoulder with men," Khanna said.
The 62-year-old actor said both men and women have their own set of responsibilities.
"People talk about women's lib (liberation), but let me tell you that's where the problem begins. The first person who suffers is the child because he doesn't have a mother (around him at home), he sits and watches TV with his nanny all day.
"It all began when women started saying that they want to do what men do. No, a man is a man and a woman is a woman," he said.
Khanna's comments were met with sharp criticism from social media users.
A Twitter user said he regrets idolizing Khanna and called him a 'misogynist'.
"This man worked in 'Mahabharat' serial which had many female characters, his serial 'Shaktimaan' had Geeta Vishwas a female character.
"My mother is also a working woman and I proudly say that I am proud of my mother. I regret that I idealized him once. He's a misogynist," he said.
Another Twitter user, who has been an ardent fan of Khanna's popular show "Shaktimaan", expressed his disappointment over the actor's comments.
"Painfully realizing the fact that much precious time from my childhood went wasted on watching shaktiman serial," the user said.
"Shocking. Didn't expect this from Mr. Khanna. What is wrong with him. It's so unfortunate hearing this from such a senior actor who has been an Idol for many. Women too like men can choose a profession of their own choice Metoo is all about abuse of power irrespective of profession," read a tweet.
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Transport vehicle-bike collision in Shivamogga: Two medical students killed on spot
Shivamogga: In an accident reported from Circuit House Circle here, two medical students were killed in a head-on collision between their motorbike and a milk transport vehicle on Wednesday morning.
The riders, Aditya of Udupi and Sandeep of Honnali, are said to have been 3rd Year MBBS students. They reportedly sustained severe injuries in the accident and died on the spot. The bodies have been moved to the mortuary of the McGann Hospital for a post-mortem test.
Due to the impact of the collision, the milk packets in the transport vehicle burst open, with the milk spilling out on the street.
Traffic Police (West), under whose jurisdiction the accident occurred, are investigating the matter.
