Gouri Kishan reacts to body-shaming row: Would a male actor be asked the same question?

A day after she won widespread praise for confronting a journalist who asked her a sexist question about her weight during a press conference, actor Gouri Kishan put out a press release, in which she slammed “normalising body shaming in jest”.

“As a public figure, I understand the scrutiny is part of my profession. However, comments or questions — direct or indirect — that target’s body or appearance are inappropriate in any context. I wish I had been asked questions about the film — the work I was there for,” she wrote. Gouri was promoting her movie, Others, at the press conference.

“I cannot help but wonder if they would ask a male actor the same, in the same aggressive tone. I am grateful for being able to stand my ground in a difficult situation, it was important not only for myself but anyone who faced the same,” she added.

The incident, captured on video and circulated widely online, shows Gouri rejecting the inappropriate question, which she called “irrelevant and disrespectful.” The controversy began when a reporter asked Gouri’s co-star, Aditya Madhavan, whether it was difficult to lift her during a scene, citing her “weight.” Gouri intervened, saying in Tamil, “How does my weight concern you? How is that relevant to the film? My weight is my choice — it does not define my talent.”

Talking about body shaming, Gouri wrote, “This is not new but still prevalent — normalising body shaming in jest, while perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards. I hope this will be a reminder to anyone who has felt this way that we are allowed to speak up.”

The actor thanked the Chennai Press Club, AMMA from the Malayalam film industry, and South India Nadigar Sangam for their support in this row. Director Pa Ranjith, actor Kavin, playback singer Chinmayi Sripada and veteran actor and politician Kushboo Sundar were some of the prominent personalities from the film industry who came in support of Gouri.