Gouri Kishan.
Credit: Instagram/@gourigkofficial
Actress Gouri Kishan, who predominantly worked in the Southern industry, became the talk of the town after a verbal spat with a journalist during the promotion of her upcoming movie in Chennai went viral on social media.
The visuals of her argument with a journalist are spreading like wildfire on social media, with netizens hailing her bravery. The issue began when a journalist questioned Gouri's co-actor, Aditya Madhavan, about her weight, specifically concerning scenes where he had to lift her during the movie promotions.
Although Gouri initially let this comment pass without making a fuss, she later became visibly irked at the post-screening. There, she lashed out at a journalist for asking another indecent question unrelated to the upcoming movie.
It was after the press screening of the film that Gouri expressed her discomfort regarding the objectionable questions. The journalist, however, aggressively defended his stance by raising his voice and attempting to justify his questions. This reaction led Gouri to immediately challenge the appropriateness and connection of his query to the film.
Looking visibly upset, Gouri questioned the journalist, "How does my weight concern you? How is it relevant to this movie? Every woman has a different body type. I will let my talent speak. I’ve only done character-driven films so far. I don’t need your validation."
As the moment began to heat up, fellow journalists took the plunge and said the inquiry was "light-hearted," to which Gouri schooled them and said, "I did not find it funny. Stop normalizing body-shaming. It was a question about me; I have the right to have an opinion."
Gouri also expressed her frustration that questions about her work were overlooked in favour of comments about her appearance.
She said, "I haven’t been asked a single question about my character or preparation for the role. But everyone wants to know about my weight." She went on and described the question as "stupid" and pointed out the objectification of female actors, noting that she was the only woman present and was being targeted. She also questioned him about whether he would ask a male actor about his weight.
Gouri told the reporter, "You are objectifying a female actor," and added, "This is not journalism, you are a disgrace to your profession."
Soon, the video went viral, with the netizens hailing Gouri for addressing and handling the issue head-on. The controversy further fueled up with the support of singer Chinmayi Sripada.
She appreciated Gouri's courage and wrote on X, "Gouri did an amazing job. The moment you call out a disrespectful and unnecessary question, there’s shouting and pushback. So proud that someone so young stood her ground. No male actor gets asked about his weight."
On the other hand, actor Aditya Madhavan later addressed criticism of his silence. He said, "My silence didn’t mean I approve of body-shaming anyone. I froze because it caught me off guard—it's my debut. I wish I’d stepped in sooner. She didn’t deserve that. No one does. Everyone deserves respect. I apologize once again." Soon, the video went viral, with the netizens hailing Gouri for addressing and handling the issue directly.
Netizens have been actively lending their support to Gouri for calling out a sexist question. Aditya Madhavan and Gouri Kishan's film 'Others' releases today in theaters.