During a recent episode of ‘Bigg Boss 20’, Salman Khan delivered a fierce rebuke to online harassers who engage in body and age-related mockery. The host took matters into his own hands, literally, by taking off his hat and T-shirt to expose his physique on television. He summoned his makeup artist Raju and deliberately removed all traces of cosmetics from his face, launching a passionate defence against the culture of body-shaming and age-shaming that permeates social media. He also condemned the practice of ridiculing women for their weight fluctuations following childbirth, which appeared to be a show of solidarity with his longtime colleague Katrina Kaif, who recently fell victim to harsh criticism following her appearance at a Ganesh Chaturthi event in the postpartum phase. Without naming Katrina directly, Salman posed the question: “Why do you troll somebody who gets pregnant? Pregnant hone ke baad everyone puts on weight… ‘Pregnant thi toh weight gain kar liya, wapas movies mein aayegi toh fit ho jayegi.’ She wanted to spend time with her family.” He subsequently addressed the frequent age-based harassment he himself encounters, stating: “Of course, I’m 60 years old, yaar. You cannot be ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ all the time. Suddenly, ‘woh buddha ho gaya hai. Mujhe pata hai mujhe kaun-kaun troll karta hai. Hum react nahin karte. Hamare fan clubs itne saare hain. Humko kya farak padta hai. Bolne do inko.’” In a final gesture of defiance, Salman shed his clothes and makeup simultaneously, daring detractors to continue their attacks while he flaunted his athletic frame – a statement that conveyed his indifference to such negativity.
