Journalism Lost Its Ground: Khushbu Sundar Puts Weight Behind Gouri Kishan Over Body Shaming Incident

BJP leader Khushbu Sundar has extended support to actress Gouri Kishan who is center of a controversy after engaging in a heated debate with a journalist for asking a bodyshaming question.

In a post on X, the Tamil Nadu BJP Vice President said, "Journalism has lost its ground. The so called journos take journalism to the gutters. How much a woman weighs is none of their business. And asking the hero about it?? What a shame! Kudos to the young #GowriShankar who stood her ground and gave it back. Are the same men ok if we women, actors, turn around and ask the same question about the women in their families? Respect is never a one way traffic. Learn to give respect if you expect to be respected."

A promotional event for the upcoming film Others turned contentious on Thursday when actress Gouri Kishan confronted journalists over what she termed a sexist and body-shaming question.

The dispute arose at a Chennai press meet when a journalist asked Ms. Kishan's male co-star about her weight. The actress interjected as the film's director began to respond, challenging the relevance of the question to the movie.

"How does my weight concern you? How is it relevant to this movie?" Ms. Kishan asserted during the ensuing exchange. "I will let my talent speak. I have done only character-driven films so far. I do not need your validation."

The situation escalated when Kishan posed the same question about weight to the journalist. Members of the media present retorted that they were not public figures on camera. When other journalists attempted to frame the original question as light-hearted, the actress rejected the justification.

"I did not find it funny. Stop normalising body-shaming," she stated. "It was a question about me; I have the right to have an opinion."

Kishan further expressed her disappointment that the discussion had focused on her appearance rather than her work. "I have not been asked a single question about the character I play in the film, or how I prepared for the role," she noted, questioning why female actors are subjected to such lines of questioning while their male counterparts are not.