Why we shouldn't suffer Ameesha Patel till she gets well
Since the time Ameesha Patel made her debut in 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' alongside Hrithik Roshan, she has seemed pretty flavourless to me. She has lacked the kind of sophistication and a tad bit of intelligence that we expect from actors. Not that there aren't many like Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, but there are many actors who make sense and carry themselves well in public. At times, I appreciate Deepika Padukone for this, for she doesn't speak unnecessarily. Her fake smile mixed with a fake blush could sometimes be annoying, but it is way better than speaking nonsense.
Ameesha, whose career has gone down the drains, has got some limelight through her recent Twitter war against a former Bigg Boss contestant Kushal Tandon. Kushal tweeted saying he saw Ameesha not rising while the national anthem was being played at a PVR in Juhu before a movie screening and wondered what the actor was trying to prove. Ameesha's comeback was not just downright rude, but also nonsensical at many levels!
Legally, it is a citizen's choice whether or not to stand up during the national anthem. However, every citizen is expected to respect it and not involve in any activity that, by signs or visible representation, attempts to incite hatred or disrespect to the national anthem. Ameesha, according to Kushal, was fiddling with her phone during the national anthem when everyone around her were standing. But that is not my concern. What I'm concerned about is the way she chose to retort!
Whoever that so called kushal Tandon is is a a real jackass n invades privacy of women
— ameesha patel (@ameesha_patel) October 26, 2015Ameesha, who started her rant on Twitter saying Kushal invaded the privacy of women, confuses me. I don't understand how Kushal did that! Any woman who uses the "I am a woman, I am always a victim, I have physical reasons" mantra to gain sympathy and try to cover up a mistake should stop it once and for all, for this will never help in attaining equality many are striving for!
Women we all need to slap kushal. I had the monthly girly problem. Getting up wud have caused a blood flow on the theatre ground
— ameesha patel (@ameesha_patel) October 26, 2015Ameesha refers to periods as a "monthly girly problem", and that, as the reason for not standing up during the national anthem. I guess the term menstruation is alien to the actor and comes from the archaic mindset that shuns openly speaking about a very natural and healthy bodily process like menstruation, thus unknowingly influencing at least some of her fans to think in the same direction.
On one side we have feminists and equalists who are trying their best to break taboos and set up a culture where periods, and many other issues like pre-martial sex and sexuality, needn't be matters of shame for anyone, and then there is Ameesha Patel!
She goes on to abuse Kushal and calls for violence. She resorts to shaming him saying he couldn't "even" win the Bigg Boss season he was a part of. She also says neither her friends nor herself could recognise Kushal and that he tweeted against her to garner some attention. This coming from anyone, and all the more from celebrities like Ameesha, is unacceptable. I cannot consider the possibility that she abused Kushal because she's a woman and a celebrity, thinking this automatically gave her a privilege of being on a pedestal. I sincerely hope she was not aping Pooja Misrra.
Assholes like kushal who invade the privacy of a woman n their problems need 2 b slapped.idiot culdnt even win big boss
— ameesha patel (@ameesha_patel) October 26, 2015Her rant continues to the level where she says, "Men who force women to speak about their 'intimate girly problems' are jerks", thereby letting progressive mindset die a slow death. Not giving Twitter or Twitterati a second to breathe, Ameesha tweets again, this time with terrible grammar mistakes:
Obviously kushal had no mothers n sisters or any steady girlfriend so he doesn't know when to open his durty mouth n respect girly intimacy
— ameesha patel (@ameesha_patel) October 26, 2015What I want to tell Ameesha and some such women I (sadly) personally know is this:
Being a woman is not a weakness. Yes, we do live in a patriarchal, misogynistic society, but things are not that bad either. There are millions of strong women around the world and in our country, and many men (to your surprise), who are fighting day and night, arguing with people like you, and trying to break stereotypes and taboos associated with women and to bring an end to misogyny, body-shaming, pseudo-feminism and many other issues you haven't even heard of.
When you are in a position to influence people, however small the number, think thrice before putting out regressive thoughts on social media. You might be happy the way you're but understand there are many women who suffer because of the way you think and act! Get well soon!