There are a lot of regressive concepts that Bollywood films have promoted over the years but one of our pet peeves is the idea that men and women can’t be friends. Remember this infamous dialogue from Salman Khan’s Maine Pyaar Kiya — Ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte (A boy and a girl can never be just friends). Really?
Even today, people use this statement to taint friendship between a man and woman and recently Salman Khan and Shehnaaz Gill became the victim of it. Allow us to give you a little context—earlier this week, Shehnaaz attended an Eid bash hosted by Salman Khan’s sister Arpita Khan. The Bigg Boss 13 actress was snapped hugging and kissing Salman and the Dabangg star also escorted the actress to her car.
This camaraderie between Salman and Shehnaaz became a talking point on social media and netizens trolled them for being friendly. NGL, we have a lot to say about this!
Over the last year, Salman has been a constant support for Shehnaaz after the unfortunate demise of Sidharth Shukla. The two have been spotted at various shows and their friendship is every bit beautiful. According to the grapevine, Shehnaaz is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. To question two people on their friendship just because they are from the opposite gender is not just regressive but also disrespectful. After everything that Shehnaaz has gone through in the last few months, it is almost cruel to troll her for being close to a friend.
Unlike what mainstream Bollywood movies, books, and Instagram reels would like you to believe, platonic friendships can and do exist between men and women. We live in a world that promotes the idea that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but the truth is we are only humans who just want love and kindness in life. This narrative is incredibly problematic and it is about time that we retire this thought.
Friendship is about being there for each other through thick and thin, celebrating each other and simply caring for each other. That’s the reason why we have always admired Salman and Shehnaaz’s bond.
So dear trolls, maybe it is about time you let go of negativity and stop questioning Shehnaaz and Salman’s friendship. Ek ladka aur ek ladki dost ho sakte hain!
Feature Image Credit: Instagram
