By Subhash K Jha
Mumbai: With Deepika Padukone slamming a publication (the Times of India) for its cheap cleavage remarks, her Bollywood colleagues have applauded her courage.
The newspaper ran a story and tweeting a photo of Deepika with the caption: ‘OMG: Deepika Padukone’s cleavage show.’
Deepika hit back by saying, “Yes! I am a Woman. I have breasts and a cleavage! You have a problem!!??”
Here is how her Bollywood colleagues are standing by her:
Tapsee Pannu: “I so wish all of us would object to the objectification of women at the right time, and in one collective voice, as Deepika has done because I can assure you all actresses go through this. All that the internet media is bothered about is the number of hits on their pages. And ethics be damned. It’s not just the publication that Deepika has slammed but so many others which publish such compromising pictures. Some of these portals are so thick-skinned nothing affects them.
Dia Mirza: “Deepika has stirred up a hornest’s nest. A section of the media has for years treated women in the entertainment industry disgracefully. TV and internet have mainly led to sensationalism. Some papers use their entertainment pages to objectify women. I know many people who have unsubscribed these publications. The irony of it is that these same publications get paid hefty amount of money from us for sponsored stories. It was about time someone reacted.It will be interesting to see if there will actually be a change in the attitude of that section in the media which thrives on objectifying celebrity women. I am very proud of Deepika.”
Gauhar Khan: “This is the general outlook of a section of the media today. They sensationalize even at the cost of the actors and their own dignity. It makes my blood boil. I am glad Deepika gave back as good as she got. I went through a similar experience with a tv channel recently and I didn’t let it go either. Just because we are public figures doesn’t mean we should allow any kind of behaviour.”
Malaika Arora: “Way to go, girl. She said it exactly the way it should be. Put the yellow journalists in their place.”
Richa Chaddha: “The paparazzi is forever covering us at events…or should I say, uncovering us? They zoom in on private parts of a woman’s body. Youtube is filled with sick videos of alleged ‘wardrobe malfunctions’. About time someone took a stand. Actors are public figure,not public property.”
Nimrat Kaur: “The fearlessness and intolerance for such pepper-spray worthy reportage is what all of us should display. Only Deepika has dared to show us what role models are made of..This is an extremely important message being sent out om behalf of thousands of women who get humiliated daily in one way or another.”
Reema Kagti: “It’s good that Deepika stood up for herself. A section of the media has hit an all-time low. The way the Shweta Prasad case was handled last week made that quite apparent.”
Celina Jaitley: “Passing a comment on a woman’s cleavage is absolutely disgusting. It falls under the category of sexual harassment.I am so glad Deepika stood up against it.”
Swara Bhaskar: “I say, “Good ON her. It’s great and inspiring to see women stand up for their own bodies and dignity. More power to her.”
