News of the day: We’re all livid over what Yasir Hussain said at the Hum Awards this weekend and rightfully so. When introducing Ahsan Khan on stage, Yasir proceeded to applaud the actor’s game-changing performance in Udaari by saying the following words: “Itna khoobsurat rapist, kaash mein bhi bacha hota (What a handsome rapist; I wish I was a child as well).
Take a second to let that sink in if you haven’t already been outraged at the comedian/actor’s callousness.
Yasir probably realized his mistake when the internet started breaking over his comments, which is why he immediately released a video in which he apologized for his comments, but the damage has been done and it cannot be taken back with an apology on social media.
Something Haute got in touch with Ahsan Khan himself to see what the actor thought of Yasir’s statements. Â “I’m very, very disappointed in Yasir’s tasteless comment. I really do not want to associate myself with this cheap joke in any way,” shared Ahsan when we spoke over the phone. “But what are you going to say to all those people who actually laughed at this joke? There’s a problem with our mentality and that’s what we need to work on.”
But as angry as Ahsan is about Yasir’s comment, he says that we should always give people another chance and allow a margin of error. “He’s given an apology and I think we should give him a chance. Sometimes people say things in the spur of the moment and there’s a lot of pressure on stars when they’re standing on such a huge stage and speaking to so many people. I do want to say that he doesn’t need to apologize to me though; he needs to apologize to the society because I’m speaking on their behalf.”
Ahsan concluded that while Yasir’s comment is disappointing, it does not overshadow the work the Udaari team has already done. “One statement doesn’t change anything. We’ve brought the issue of child abuse to the limelight and I personally will work on bringing such social issues forward.”
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