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Writer Kanika Dhillon lashes out at Jai Mummy Di writer-director Navjot Gulati over sexist tweet
Updated on: 14 June, 2021 12:00 PM IST |
Writer Kanika Dhillon enjoys a lot of goodwill in the Hindi film industry for her path-breaking stories which enable empowering performances by leading heroines. From ‘Manmarziyaan’, ‘Kedarnath’, ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’, ‘Guilty’ and now ‘Haseen Dillruba’, Kanika has been redefining the perception of the modern Indian woman through her vision.
Which is why many celebrated the writer acquiring top billing credits when the trailer of ‘Haseen Dillruba’ was unveiled last week. However, ‘Jai Mummy Di’ and ‘Ginny Weds Sunny’ writer Navjot Gulati took to Twitter to post an unsavoury and sexist tweet implying that Kanika’s credit was a result of her marriage to writer-turned-producer Himanshu Sharma, who is the co-producer alongside filmmaker Aanand L Rai for ‘Haseen…’.
The tweet read, “If you want top billing as a Screenwriter in a trailersomething that should be the normYou need to marry into the production house. Once the Writer becomes a family member, is treated like an Actor-Star. Goals”
Soon after Kanika took to the micro-blogging site to respond to Gulati’s tweet saying, “Hi @Navjotalive. I am quite shocked by ur extremely SEXIST - MYSOGINIST and bordering on IDIOTIC comment Neither will I list down my body of work cos ur pea sized brain will not be able to process a successful woman making it on her own! U may hav a brain freeze! Have a good day. And mr . @Navjotalive because of writers like YOU - who display their STUPIDITY on something tht should be Applauded as a welcome step by the writing fraternity- other very deserving writers do not get top Billing as is their right—- shame on u!”
Kanika’s response garnered immense support from the writing fraternity with screenwriters Atika Chohan, Anirudhha Guha, Jai Mehta, Jyoti Kapur Das, filmmakers Vivek Agnihotri, Shaailesh R Singh, Bejoy Nambiar and several film journalists applauding her efforts and achievements in a career spanning over a decade in the industry, while also calling out Gulati and seeking course-correction upon his problematic views.
Kanika was also supported by actor-collaborator Taapsee Pannu stating, “A progressive call to credit a writer turned into a sexist rant by the age old misogyny of crediting a woman’s success to the house she marries in or the man she married. Your righteous call for equal credit can’t be overtaken by the bitterness in u.”
Taapsee’s co-star in and actor Harshvardhan Rane, in a separate tweet, celebrated some of the leading writers and directors of the industry including filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Alankrita Shrivastava, Gauri Shinde, Konkona Sen Sharma, Nandita Das, Juhi Chaturvedi, Anvita Dutt and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh.
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