Celebrity Baiting: Decoding The Controversial Questions Asked To Riteish Deshmukh And Other Celebrities

Star-studded events are a dime a dozen in Mumbai. And if you’re a regular media witness at these, primarily trailer launches, there is always one embarrassing question that is asked during the press round. What could be the reason for these inane questions? Is it because the person asking such questions is intellectually innocent? Is it a lack of understanding of what kind of questions should be asked? Or, most probably, a way of riling up the celebrity into giving a controversial reply? It could be a potent mix of all three.

The most recent addition to the Hall of Fame of such questions took place at Netflix’s Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa event, where a journalist asked Riteish Deshmukh whether he would invite his close friends Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt to the reality show, referencing their past legal troubles and saying they had “a lot of experience of lock-up”. If this wasn’t enough, the journalist also asked how he would punish them.

If you see the video, you can notice Riteish’s eyebrows go up at the mention of the two superstars, understanding that the question could be leading into tricky territory. Visibly irritated, he replied, “Sabse pehle mujhe nahin lagta hai ki aapke sawal ka jawab deke main usko koi dignity dena chahunga” (First of all, I don’t think I’d like to dignify your question by answering it). The actor further clarified that his role on Lock Upp is limited to hosting the show and interacting with contestants. He explained that it is not his responsibility to decide who participates in the reality series. A reply which was both a shutdown of the question and also a strategic reply.

However, this interaction could have gone in different directions. One scenario could have been Riteish laughing at the reporter’s question, which could have been taken lightly by the two superstars, or could have been taken as an insult. Point is, it’s a minefield out there when it comes to certain situations.

Of course, we live in times when famous figures do an about-turn to their own statements—the most recent case in point being Mukesh Khanna starring as Shaktimaan in an ad with comedian Samay Raina, someone whom he has vehemently criticised in the past. So, was that put aside for commercial purposes? No doubt, the ad is brilliant, and of course, the fact that the two of them could be brought together. But increasingly, it is seeming as if a joke is funny depending upon who is laughing at it, who takes offence, and who is revisiting it a few months later.

That being said, we shall be back very soon with yet another embarrassing question being asked at another celebrity-studded event soon enough. Keep watching this space for more.