A video clip featuring actor Swara Bhasker using cuss words on comedian Abish Mathew’s chat show, while talking about a child she worked in a TV commercial with had created a huge stir on social media some time back. Swara has now reacted to the incident, saying that the words were used “jokingly” and “self- deprecatingly.”
Speaking to IANS, Swara said that she has never ‘abused children or any co-actor.’ “I was on a comedy show, narrating a funny incident about my first experience shooting for an advertisement. In that partly exaggerated and satirical narration, where I was using a comedic, adult and self-deprecating tone, I used certain swear words,” she added.
Admitting that her choice of words was ill-advised, Swara said that the issue blew out of proportion. “The whole controversy was clearly targeted and constructed. I am definitely not trying to justify swearing. Those were an ill-advised choice of words but they were not seriously used. It was said jokingly and self-deprecatingly. Stand-up comedians do it all the time without anyone blinking an eyelid,” she told IANS.
Swara also said that the quip that children are evil was obviously meant as a joke. “I have never abused children or any co-actor and I have always treated kids with the care, affection and the responsible conduct they deserve. I actually like children.”
On the show, when asked about whether she started out with films or advertisements, Swara said, “My first project was a film that never got released. After some 5,000 rejections I was offered an ad in Southern languages. It was an advertisement for a soap and I was dreaming about bathing in the aroma of Lux.”
The actor then went on to narrate the actual experience. “When I reach the sets, I see a 4-year-old kid waiting, who addressed me as ‘aunty.’ I said to myself ‘Career shuru bhi nahi huyi abhi aur is chu**ye ne aunty bol diya (My career hasn’t even started and he refers to me as aunty.)’”
Swara then said that while shooting the child badly wanted to use the washroom and she requested that he be excused. “I felt pity on this kameena bachcha and I requested that he be excused. But to my shock he had already peed in the bathtub. I went home and scrubbed myself with phenyl,” Swara laughed.
As the video went viral, Twitter ripped her apart. Most of the Twitter handles criticising Swara for her language used in the video were right-wing trolls who’ve had a bone to pick with the opinionated actor.
(Inputs: IANS)
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