Cult reality show Bigg Boss has already completed 13 seasons in India with the 14th season already in running. And if there’s something that has remained absolutely constant in the show since the time it first aired on TV, then it is not the house, not the host, but actually, rampant sexism would be the answer.
The last season of Bigg Boss i.e. season 13 was proof enough. However, we don’t need to go that far given that the latest episode of Bigg Boss 14 would more than suffice to illustrate and throw light on the constant sexism in the Bigg Boss house. All of this unfolded in last night’s episode after Jasmin Bhasin raised an issue with housemate Eijaz Khan. During a task where contestants were asked to raise whatever problems they had with the fellow housemates, Jasmin tried bringing it to host Salman Khan’s attention that she was ‘physically intimidated’ by Eijaz in a task.
The actor explained how Eijaz got really aggressive during the immunity task and came super close to her face so as to intimidate her. “Hum task karte hai, kheencha-taani sab karte hai, but humein pata hota hai kaunsi line cross nahi karni hai (We do tasks, we all push and pull, but we know which line not to cross),” she said while raising her complaint to Salman.
. @KhanEijaz ke task mein use kiye gaye tactic se hui @jasminbhasin naraaz. Kisko karenge @BeingSalmanKhan support?
— COLORS (@ColorsTV) October 18, 2020
Jaaniye aaj raat 9 baje on #WeekendKaVaar.
Catch it before TV on @VootSelect #BB14 #BiggBoss #BiggBoss2020 #BiggBoss14 pic.twitter.com/DlkD9CqiIF
She further added, “Mujhe inki ek glimpse dikhi ki yeh physically intimidate kar sakte hai ek aurat ko, uske itna kareeb aake (I saw a glimpse of his personality, wherein he can physically intimidate a woman, by coming so close to her).”
Shockingly, while Eijaz accepted that he did that, he also casually brushed it aside by saying that it was a part of his “psychological tactic” to win the task. Not satisfied with the weak explanation, Jasmin countered it by saying, “Toh agar yeh unka game tactic bhi tha, yeh unki personality ka woh roop dikhata hai ki woh game mein ek aurat ko physically intimidate kar denge, woh line cross kar denge jahaan a woman would get uncomfortable (Even if it was a tactic for the game, it shows his personality that he would physically intimidate a woman for the sake of a game and cross a line to make her feel uncomfortable).”
And while one would expect host Salman to at least ask Eijaz to apologise for his misconduct, he too dismissed the allegation by referring to it as a misunderstanding. In fact, he went to the extent of asking Jasmin to have avoided that intimidation by taking a step back. His suggestion mostly revolved around the idea that if someone is physically intimidating you and being passive-aggressive, then the best way to deal with it is to take a step back, and not make a scene out of it. Errrr, what about accountability Salman?
But then again, we aren’t really surprised. This is not the first time, Salman has defended a problematic contestant or something quite clearly sexist on the show. This also takes us back to season 13 where Sidharth Shukla was constantly supported by the BB makers and host Salman despite his aggression and misbehaviour with women.
But seriously, why are these men not being schooled for physically intimidating women or anyone for that matter? Why are women asked to take a step back and to avoid it all? Isn’t this kinda similar to how when women are raped in India, rapists get causally excused with the “men will be men” discourse?
Featured Image: Twitter
