Dolly Javed Breaks Silence On Why She Said Kushal Tandon Reminded Her Of Her Estranged Father: ‘He Doesn’t Respect Women’ | FPJ Exclusive

Dolly Javed has finally opened up about the statement that sparked widespread discussion after her stint on Alliance, where she found herself at loggerheads with actor Kushal Tandon. During the reality show, Dolly had remarked that Kushal reminded her of her estranged father - a comment that drew criticism from many viewers. For the unversed, Dolly has previously spoken about her difficult childhood and revealed that her father left the family for another woman, making his absence a deeply traumatic part of her life. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, Dolly explained the context behind her statement, recalled feeling disrespected by Kushal, and shared why his behaviour brought back painful memories.

Explaining why she compared Kushal to her estranged father, Dolly said that it had nothing to do with their personal relationship but everything to do with the way she felt he perceived women. “I’m so glad that you’ve asked me that question because a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, you cannot say that Kushal reminded you of your dad,’ blah, blah, blah. Of course I can say that. And exactly what reminded me of my dad was the way he sees women. The way he used to speak to me, I felt he had this mindset that, ‘She’s just a girl, so I don’t even have to address what she’s saying.’ The first time we had an argument and I went to confront him, I very normally asked him why he had said those things, and he just walked out. He could have handled that more maturely but I could see it in his eyes that he did not even see me as an equal person. That’s why he didn’t want to have that conversation with me. On top of that, he called me ‘Airi Gairi, Natthu Gairi’ and kept walking away repeatedly. That shows you don’t even consider the other person to be on the same level. In that way, I really felt that, yes, he doesn’t respect women, basically. That was a flashback for me.”

Dolly further recalled how Kushal’s alleged behaviour left her feeling hurt and insignificant, adding that she believed he would have behaved differently with contestants who came from influential backgrounds. “I was extremely angry. I knew for a fact that he would never speak the same way with Rivva Kishan or Mini Mathur because he knows who they are and who they’re connected to. I also felt very low. I felt like nothing. I felt like, just because I’m not a big personality and I don’t have somebody with huge influence or powerful connections, you cannot treat me that way. You cannot treat anybody as lesser. Nobody is lower, nobody is higher, especially on a reality show. And I also kept thinking, ‘Why are you showing your real self so openly? At least fake it a little for the cameras; it would be better for you.’”

Dolly maintained that, for her, the comparison with her father stemmed from the emotions Kushal’s conduct triggered, saying it reminded her of the same sense of dismissal and disrespect she had experienced in the past.