Indian author Chetan Bhagat, whose books have spawned various Bollywood blockbusters like Alia Bhatt-starrer '2 States', was blasted for his disparaging remarks against former reality show contestant Urfi Javed at a recent literary event.
Urfi Javed (now spelled as ‘Uorfi’), notorious for her racy wardrobe choices, was dragged into public discourse when Bhagat made a seemingly flippant remark on how India’s youth were addicted to their phones and how celebrities like Urfi were distracting the youth.
“Ek India ka jawan wo hai jo Kargil pe baith ke desh ki raksha kar raha hai. Ek humara youth hai jo bistaron mein ghus ke Urfi Javed ki photos dekh rha hai [There’s one India where our youth is in Kargil protecting our country and on the other there’s another section of youth who are lying in bed checking out Urfi Javed’s pictures],” he said at that literary event.
But Javed, who’s often criticised for wearing skimpy clothes in public, isn’t impressed. The ‘Splitsvilla 14’ star took to her social media to remind Bhagat about his problematic statement.
“I don’t understand one thing, what was the need to mention my name at a literature festival, I’m not an author, mera koi lena dena nahi [I have nothing to do with the literary fest]. How can you accuse the youth of being distracted by me, when you were like this uncle who sent inappropriate messages to women half your age. You were married back then and have two sons, who was distracting you then?” said Javed in a video on Twitter and Instagram.
She also posted a string of responses to his remarks on Instagram where she called him out for promoting “rape culture. Javed, who has over 3.9 million followers on Instagram alone, schooled him with the sternest of words.
“Blaming a women’s clothes for the behaviour of men is so ‘80s mr @Chetanbhagat. Who was distracting you when you msged girls half your age? Always blame the opposite gender, never accept your shortcomings or faults! People like you are misguiding the youth, not me. Encouraging the men to put the blame on the women or her clothing when they are at fault,” said Javed.
She also posted images of the leaked WhatsApp messages from 2019 when Bhagat seemingly sent suggestive messages to young women and was one of the tainted names attached to India’s growing #MeToo movement, where sexual predators are outed.
Javed also savagely put up newspaper clippings of Bhagat apologising for his wrong conduct.
While Urfi is often criticised for her miniscule wardrobe choices, she has a huge following on social media. Actors like Ranveer Singh and Sunny Leone have publicly owned up on TV shows that they love her sense of flamboyant and crazy fashion choices.
She’s also emblematic of how social media is a beast where fame and notriety isn’t pegged to their work or riveting projects alone. While many may not know what Javed’s latest acting venture is, most are clued in about her daily activities. Her movements are chronicled by Mumbai’s paparazzi with great diligence and gets thousands of likes instantly.
Bhagat’s books, known for their conversational style of writing and Indian middle-class protagonists, are a big hit among Bollywood circles. His books like ‘2 States’ have been adapted as films starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Gulf News sought a comment from Chetan Bhagat, but he’s yet to respond.
