Despite massive outcry from Tamil industry insiders, media and fans, Leo actor Mansoor Ali Khan remains adamant and outright unapologetic about having said anything indecent or derogatory against his co-star and actor Trisha Krishnan.
In the light of a lot of public support coming in favour of the actress from the likes of Megastar Chiranjeevi and Nithiin, who have publicly condemned Khan's awful comments over 'wanting to take Trisha to the bedroom' while filming for Leo, the actor spoke to the media at a press meet today, where he staunchly refused to apologise and instead requested a chance to explain the context of his statements.
Addressing the media, Khan spoke in his defense stating that the media was putting him under an unfair trial and further gloated about how the coverage around this issue has only brought undue attention to him and his words. The actor threatened to sue the Nadigar Sangam (Chennai-based South Indian Artistes' Association) for not having offered him a chance to explain.
This arises after the body issued an indefinite ban on the actor for his statements in a press release to the media. The statement on behalf of Nadigar Sangam reads, “It was shocking to see a senior actor like Mansoor Ali Khan make such derogatory comments about his female colleagues. The cinema industry continues to be a difficult field for women to enter and succeed in, and hence, it’s disheartening to see such comments about actresses who are overcoming so many obstacles in their careers. We condemn Mr Mansoor Ali Khan for the comments he made on fellow actresses. It is deeply saddening to see an actor, director and producer behave irresponsibly. Due to this disgraceful act, Nadigar Sangam is considering a tentative ban on Mansoor until he realises his mistake and issues a public apology. We also urge other actors to exercise care and caution while speaking to the public."
Khan further went to justify his act by asking the media, “Is rape scene actually conducting rape in cinema? Don’t you have the common sense? Doesn’t the union have that sense? You can think whatever you want, I have the people of Tamil Nadu to stand with me.”
WHAT THE ISSUE IS ABOUT?
It started when a viral video of the actor emerged on social media where he spoke about his cameo in the Thalapathy Vijay-starrer Leo. He said, "When I heard that I was acting with Trisha, I thought there would be a bedroom scene in the film. I thought that I could carry her to the bedroom just like I did with other actresses in my earlier movies. I have done so many rape scenes in a number of movies and it's not new to me. But these guys didn't even show Trisha to me on the sets during the Kashmir schedule."
His statements were slammed by Trisha and Lokesh, who refused to work with him in the future. The matter further escalated when leading industry insiders and colleagues came in support of Trisha, condemning Khan's statements, with megastar Chiranjeevi and actor/politician Khushboo Sundar expressing solidarity with Trisha.
