Will Smith in India to atone for thappad?

Excited cries of ‘Will, Will, Will Smith…’ rent the air when the Hollywood actor and winner of the Oscar for Best Actor, 2022, Will Smith, was spotted at the VIP hangar of the corporate aviation private jet terminal in Kalina early on Saturday morning.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, black basketball shorts and shod in Jordans, Smith waved at fans gathered outside for a glimpse. This was the 53-year-old actor’s first public appearance after the infamous Slapgate episode at the Oscars last month.

Online videos showed the actor sporting a wide smile and willingly posing for pictures with security personnel and other staff, on request, with nary a look of impatience or annoyance crossing his face even once. In fact, it was the onlookers who seemed to be pushing it with their excited heckling. They too were rewarded with a distant wave and smile by the star.

The actor has chosen to remain away from the spotlight after storming the Academy Awards stage last month when comedian Chris Rock joked about the cropped cut sported by Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett, a result of her battle with alopecia. Smith later issued an apology to Rock, stating that he had been “way out of line and wrong”.

However, the denizens of this land, which is home to both ‘Thappad’ (the film) and ‘show the other cheek’ school of thought, were not about to let sleeping slaps lie lightly. Twitterati were at their slap-happy best.

One user wrote, “Yaha kiske kaan kholne aaya hai bhai (Whose ears will he open here?)” Another said, “Trying to find work in Bollywood now, After getting rejected by Hollywood?”

JonSmith@Jon_Smi45 asked: Who is getting slapped in Mumbai?

Shubhank Chandra@shubhankchandr observed: He’s eyeing Filmfare now.

(Smith has now been barred from attending the Oscars or any event held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences till 2032.)

Welcoming Smith, comedian Vir Das wrote, “Will Smith is in India? Good. He can learn to stop slapping comedians with his hands and start slapping them with legal cases."

Published on: Saturday, April 23, 2022, 10:51 PM IST