It is absolutely uncomfortable to watch what our 'starry' celebs do on the widely followed reality shows. What is even more disheartening is the tone they adopt and the behaviour they display the moment they assume the position of the jury/judge/mentor.  And this is allowed to happen, in the prime time TV slots, in the name entertainment, in the name of being real or under the pretext of following the "format of the show"! The case in point being Neha Dhupia and Nikhil Chinapa.

Dhupia was even trolled for what she chose to say (and, of course, for how she said it. It's her choice after all, no complains there! We are only surprised at the irony that followed!)  But it did not go down well with her fans, for sure, who came in hundreds and thousands to attack Neha verbally on social media platforms.

Here's how it all unfolded when a male contestant declared that he slapped his girlfriend for cheating on him (allegedly) with five other boys. He also categorically stressed that while he was being loyal in that relationship,the girl went around with five boys. Upon discovering this, the guy confessed that he slapped her. To this confession, Neha Dhupia lost her cool (quite evidently) and maintained that its the choice the girl made, presumably because the guy lacked in something, and he had no business slapping the girl!

Soon, the video went viral and Neha Dhupia received more brickbats than bouquet for what she must have thought a very heroic thing to do, many believed. Her brave (read: aggressive and rude) front notwithstanding, netizens called Neha a Fake Feminist. Even the otherwise charming Nikhil Chinapa, who has always impressed us with his spontaneity, verbal dexterity and wit, as a host, was absolutely cringeworthy to look at when he started hurling abuses at the aforementioned contestant. Those who watched the show, did not take long to dish out memes in quick succession on Twitter.

Recently, Neha issued a response to the trolls stating how these messages have affected her family. She wrote: : “Roadies is a show that I have been a part of for five years and enjoyed every bit of it. It takes me all over India and gives me the opportunity to team up with absolute rock stars from all parts of the country. What I do not like or accept is what is happening for more than two weeks now! Recently during one of the episodes that aired, I took a stand against violence."

“A guy talked about his partner who cheated on him (allegedly) and in retaliation, he hit her by his own admission. What the girl did is a choice she made which is a moral choice regardless of someone, man or woman... adultery is a moral choice. Cheating is not something I stand for, and it is unfortunate that I have been misrepresented for the same... but what I do stand for is women’s safety.”

“Sadly, as a reaction to my opinion, I have been subjected to weeks of vitriol. One of my posts had over 56k comments! Yet I was silent but now people close to me who have nothing to do with this — my family, my friends, my co-workers and even my dad’s personal WhatsApp are being flooded with abuses and harassment. My daughter’s page is nothing less than a barrage of abuses and this is not acceptable to me,” Neha added.

“What a man or a woman does in a relationship is their choice and moral choices are always ambiguous. But no matter what they are, they cannot lead to physical abuse. I stand by the fact that NO MATTER WHAT ... physical abuse or assault is not acceptable. Obviously, a man’s physical strength is a lot more than a girl's, and gender-based violence against women is a huge problem in our country and across the world... I urge people, whether a man or woman, to educate themselves about domestic violence... If you’re a victim of abuse, please stand up for yourself. You are not alone,” she concluded.

Now the whole episode begs some important questions. Why did Neha in her response chose to say that only girls should stay away from this contestant? If he is a dangerous guy to deal with (arguably), he could be equally aggressive while dealing with guys as well, right!

Also, why did Nikhil keep on shouting his lungs out, lashing out at the contestant stating" Who the f**k are you to expect anything from the girl? This could have been countered with who the f**k are these judges to expect young boys/girls to subscribe to only their views and think exactly in the same fashion  in which they think! Who the f**k has given these celebs that right? (the format of the show? really!)

Here's our counter-argument to Neha's statement. 

Firstly, Neha's response barely explains the obnoxious tone she had adopted while dealing with the contestant. What the guy was made to do while explaining the accounts of the event was nothing short of public humiliation. Remember, he was dealing with 4 or 5 people at the same time who were shooting sharp verbal arrows at him. The only individuals who did not lose their balance and dignity are Ranvijay and Raftar. (While Ranvijay has always been his dignified self, Raftar concluded the episode by handling the situation really well!)

The others came across as absolute bullies who looked in haste to march forth with a (fake) feminism baton in their hands. Will Neha ever take responsibility for being a nasty bully? Is mental disintegration/ harassment the only name of the game on Roadies? Really!!

Nikhil Chinapa was even more horrible to look at. He charged at the guy and was even heard saying cuss words, which were obviously bleeped out. Now, isn't these cuss word contradictory in the context?After all, he chose to speak for the dignity of one woman at the expense of another (man/woman), ironical!

Why did Neha not raise her voice for hurling this abuse at the man and tell Nikhil that he too was crossing the proverbial laxman rekha? And the channel aired all this tamasha for the sake of the TRPs and the money that comes along! While we understand that MTV Roadies is not Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, but basic dignity would not hurt anyone. And mind you, physical abuse is not the only abuse one should stand against. Verbal abuse should be as regarded and abhorred. The so-called judges gleefully indulged in the same!

What is even more ironical is the fact that while Neha is bothered by all the trolls directed at her family, how could she not take into account the possible humiliation and the troll these contestants must be facing in their lives, post such episodes are aired! What must such episodes be doing to their social, psychological and even to their professional standing. Of course, moral choices are ambiguous and we must stand in solidarity for any kind of assault  on women. But Neha, truth be told,  the choices you make as a celebrity as indeed as a judge in terms of the words you choose to utter, the stance you assume and posturing you maintain also count as much,  if not more!

Why did you fail to consider the need to convey the same message you have mentioned in your response to trolls now. Neha you could have shown same respectability on the show itself, perhaps in a more 'informative' if not in an enlightening tone! Wouldn't that message with its in depth-clarification have gone a long way even if the format of the show dictates otherwise ! Alas, THE CHOICE WAS YOURS Neha! And you certainly made one as your fans could see.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2020 05:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).