If social media can make someone an overnight star, it can also break someone's wheel of fortune when it starts circulating half-truths and false news about anyone. Bollywood celebrities are no stranger to facing the wrath of online trolling when their statements are taken out of context. And Akshay Kumar happens to be the latest celebrity whose light-hearted statement from a seven-year-old interview was dugged up by some online users who probably wanted to tarnish the superstar's image.
In his 2012 interview, when Akshay was asked about his co-star Sonakshi Sinha, who had faced body-shaming at the beginning of her acting career, he had said that being a pure Punjabi, he likes his heroines to be chubby.
"..Sonakshi is a wonderful actress who has her own style of acting. She has an absolutely different figure – a typical, Indian figure and not size zero. Khaate peete gharane ki lagti hai. I am a pure Punjabi. I like heroines who are hari bhari. Chusa hua aam na lage.." read Akshay's statement from the interview.
People started calling Akshay's statement as highly misogynistic and objectification of a woman. However, Sonakshi slammed the trolls for unnecessarily creating an issue out of nothing. She said that the person who was being referred to didn't have a problem at all, then why should others make an issue of it.
"Firstly, let me start by saying that trolls really have nothing better to do in life, so this is what they resort to. People have to understand that I was heavily body shamed at the start of my career, in spite of having lost 30 kilos, and what Akshay said was probably in response to something on the same lines. They also have to understand that I have a great friendship and working equation with him, so he was talking about a friend and not a random person. If anything, he was being a gentleman and defending me with no intention of "objectifying" anyone. And if I, the person being referred to, has absolutely no problem with what was said, I don't think anyone else should either. People need to start utilising their time better rather than digging up stupid things and making an issue of it," Sonakshi Sinha told Hindustan Times.
When Sonakshi was asked whether it harm's one's image if their old interviews or statements get misconstrued and go viral on social media, she said, "Absolutely! Once it's out there, it's out there. And everyone has an opinion on everything. As celebrities, I think being responsible with what you say or post online is a better bet."
And now that Sonakshi has cleared the air about Akshay not being a misogynist but a gentleman, trolls can now find a place to hide their faces.
