Actress Preity Zinta has followed up her tweet claiming that her controversial #MeToo interview was edited with a longer Instagram post apologising for hurting sentiments and explaining what her comments had really meant. "To all the women out there, I am sorry if I have unintentionally hurt your sentiments on the #MeToo movement," read the opening lines of actress Preity Zinta's statement, which she shared on social media on Tuesday. Ms Zinta, 43, has been criticised heavily for her comments on #MeToo to Bollywood Hungama over the weekend, an interview that she said in a tweet yesterday had been "edited to trivialise." In the interview, Preity Zinta responded to a question on whether she had a #MeToo story of her own with:"No. Though, I wish I had... at least I would have an answer for you" - after which she laughed. She also added, "People treat you the way you want to be treated."
In her statement on Instagram today, Preity Zinta explained her remarks and wrote that it is "ironic for someone like her, who has gone through abuse, to clarify her stance" on the #MeToo movement.
"First I am a huge supporter of the movement and it's unfortunate that some of my comments were taken out of context. My reason for saying 'I wish something like this would have happened to me' in the film industry with a smile was because I would have reacted and slapped that person. So it never happened and much later when it happened, I did react and the whole world saw it."
Preity Zinta's statement appears to point to industrialist Ness Wadia, whom she previously dated. The actress had filed a molestation case against Ness Wadia in 2014 after he allegedly misbehaved with her at one of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in May 2014. The ex-couple are co-owners of the Kings XI Punjab IPL team. The case was scrapped by the Bombay High Court last month
"Having said that, I recognise that not everyone is in a position to fight back and I don't want to marginalise the women that have been abused," Preity Zinta added in her statement today.
Ms Zinta concluded by saying, "I have seen both sides of the coin and I'm very hurt and sad I have to write such long clarification specially after advocating and fighting for women's rights all my life. I hope in the future there is more trust, especially for women because if we don't stand together, there really is no movement."
Read Preity Zinta's statement here.
In a tweet posted yesterday, Preity Zinta said that the media outlet edited her comments to make them seem insensitive and wrote, "Really sad to see how the interview is edited to trivialise and be insensitive. Not everything is traction and as someone being interviewed I expected decency and maturity from a journalist. I did 25 interviews that day and only yours turned out edited like this #disappointed."
Really sad 2see how the interview Is edited to trivialis& be insensitive. Not everything is traction & as someone being interviewed I expected decency & maturity froma journalist @iFaridoon. I did 25 interviews that day & only yours turned out edited like this #dissappointed
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) November 19, 2018
Twitter reacted angrily when Preity Zinta's interview went viral over the weekend.
Appalled by how dismissive and mocking Preity Zinta is of the #MeToo movement. https://t.co/rScmU56aO9
— qudsiya (@qudsiya) November 18, 2018
Absolutely terrible & insensitive take on #MeToo from @realpreityzinta
— Od (@odshek) November 17, 2018
Didn't expect this from herpic.twitter.com/UtRaaZVHrR
This September, the #MeToo movement gained momentum in India after actress Tanushree Dutta revived a decade-old controversy of harassment against Nana Patekar, who allegedly behaved inappropriately with her on the sets of a film in 2008. Later, several other prominent personalities from the TV and film industries were named as alleged predators.
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