‘Why would I call my heroines padding?’
The normally noncontroversial Tiger Shroff stirred a hornet’s nest by using the word “padding” to supposedly mean the female leads, Jhanvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday, in his film Student of the Year 2. Not so at all, says Tiger, setting the record straight.
“I was asked what I felt about working with this heroine and that heroine. I responded saying I don’t concern myself with what’s beyond my own space, performance, function, and responsibility when I sign a project. The word ‘padding’, therefore, didn’t mean I consider women [to be] superfluous props. It applied to everything that falls beyond my own presence in a film. I would’ve used the same word for the director or the music director, without meaning to insult them.”
The actor adds, “I know negative news sells. So taking one word out of context, proclaiming that I called women ‘padding’ is going to make headlines. But it’s not what I meant to say. I’ve been brought up in a home where my mom is treated as a goddess. My dad would do nothing, ever, to hurt my mom. And we all treat my sister as the queen of the household. Disrespect to women is not something that I’d ever consider in my attitude.”
Right now, with all the film promotions he has to do, Tiger is a bit worried about how his words would sound when suddenly highlighted on mass media. “It’s exhausting to go from interview to interview. In an unguarded moment, I may end up using the wrong word, which may at any time be amplified to create a shocking headline,” he says.
In an unguarded moment, I may end up using the wrong word, which may at any time be amplified to create a shocking headline
TIGER SHROFF, ACTOR