WE NEED TO ASK WHY ONLY KANGANA IS BEING QUESTIONED ON HRITHIK

I happened to read ace singer Sona Mohapatra’s message to Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut yesterday.

“Dear Kangana, I have always cheered loudly, in private & in public for you. Long, long before you turned queen et all but your current run across the airwaves regurgitating personal details of your love life over & over again, washing dirty linen in public & more so as part of a professional PR campaign before your film release is in bad taste. No two ways about it. Also, it does a big dis-service to the cause of feminism & fair play… Wish you well & wish you would rise above this muck & make your point through actions & your work. Your success doesn't need this tabloid trail. Your well thought out & superbly worded open letters of the past, fearless interviews addressing larger issues, taking a stand, taking legal recourse are welcome. The current 'circus', not,” she said in an open letter to Ranaut on Facebook.

You can read the full thing here:

Mohapatra conclusion to the letter, however, was the most important thing according to me:

“P.S To the so called 'journos' hankering after this masala & asking those thaka hua questions.”

Mohapatra hit where it really should be hurting. Kangana and Hrithik had a fallout over a year ago. Now, while everything that Mohapatra said in her open letter to Kangana does make sense to a certain extent, considering the latter’s movie, Simran, is up for release on September 15, women should be really appreciative of how she concluded her letter.

Media reports have quoted Kangana as saying that her interview before a movie release invites attacks. And sure as it does. But what’s more interesting is to look at how media is pursuing it. Is it Kangana’s PR firm that is asking the media houses to ask questions around Hrithik? We don’t know. Either way, it shows why and how our society is impaired. Pointing out flaws in a relationship and questioning a woman for its failure is as normal as having a cup of tea in the morning. One wonders why Hrithik Roshan hasn’t been asked about the episode yet, considering he’s the one (reportedly) who was been threatening to press charges against her.

Pointing out flaws in a relationship and questioning a woman for its failure is as normal as having a cup of tea in the morning.

The thing with Kangana is that she has grit, and she has the courage to respond to every salvo that is thrown at her. But does that mean we, as media persons, throw unwanted and unrelated questions at her? If you think it’s a PR stunt for a movie, then maybe, you can stick to asking questions just about the film. Maybe go to the extent of asking if she's single, but why question her on Hrithik if you are not ready to deal with the responses.

The anchor in a particular interview might be asking Kangana to pause, think and then respond. The actress hits back with all that she’s got. It puts forth the larger problem about why a woman is still considered incomplete without a man. Kangana’s love life and previous relationships are anybody’s game to play, but can someone care to ask Hrithik about his ‘failed relationship’ with his ex-wife? One dare not.

Kangana, I want to believe, is having a great laugh right now. Because she knows she’s not the only one who is dealing with questions about her ‘past relationship’. Take Rekha for example. The legendary actress is still fodder for gossip when she lands up in a function which is also attended by Amitabh Bachchan. For the uninitiated, the two superstars are said to have been in a relationship which went sour. Rekha remained single and Bachchan married his current wife, Jaya.

It puts forth the larger problem about why a woman is still considered incomplete without a man. Kangana’s love life and previous relationships are anybody’s game to play, but can someone care to ask Hrithik about his ‘failed relationship’ with his ex-wife? One dare not.

Katrina Kaif and Deepika Paudkone keep getting talked about their ‘failed’ relationship with Ranbir Kapoor. Going west, Jennifer Aniston is still the point of question when it comes to Brad Pitt. So much so that when Brad reportedly apologised to Aniston for being a terrible partner, it was Aniston who "shed tears and let out years of angst". This is not me gloating, but there are reports citing it. Who’s to say the it wasn’t Brad who was crying? Or who’s to say that Brad didn’t beg for forgiveness? Nobody really knows, except that it’s anybody’s guess that the woman (Aniston here) "let out years of angst and sadness".

Sensitive, humane things need to be handled sensitively and humanely. There are no words about it. In the rut for TRPs and most viewers, one must not forget and judge why and how a woman is the way she is. That’s for her to decide. Or if at all you have to question a woman on her relationships that went sour, make sure you question the man in the picture also. That might give you a better, holistic picture and maybe a lesson in gender quality, eh?