This week, Ananya Panday and Ram Charan have been in the news because of two separate viral clips. Ananya's fusion dance in Chand Mera Dil mixed Bharatanatyam with modern-day hip-hop. Thousands on social media mocked her after the clip from the Hindi-language movie went viral. A day or two later, Ram Charan called Jasprit Bumrah a footballer at a Peddi event in Bhopal. Netizens did laugh at him but they didn't quite make a hue and cry. Had Janhvi Kapoor, Charan's female co-star in Peddi committed the same gaffe, thousands would have pooh-poohed her as though the nation's collective IQ had fallen by a couple of points.
Commentators see sexism here. In an article in The Print, a columnist argues, "The internet laughed, Ram Charan apologised, and everyone moved on. There was no backlash. Nobody questioned his intelligence, talent, or right to exist in the industry. But with any woman actor, especially with Ananya Panday, the internet never really moves on. The jokes and trolling linger."
The viewpoint sounds valid. Many female actors are mercilessly insulted on social media. Janhvi Kapoor is one of the most attacked ones out there. Yes, she is a bad actor but there are many bad male actors in the country. Male actors don't get insulted even when they mouth silly things on stage.
