Mumbai: In his latest special ‘Still Alive’, comedian Samay Raina recalled an incident where a rapper made a derogatory remark about Apoorva Mukhija, and praised how she stood up for herself with determination.
Speaking about the aftermath of the India’s Got Latent controversy, Samay shared that Apoorva, also known as The Rebel Kid, faced three FIRs and rape threats just for replying to a man’s comment in his language and standing up for herself.
“Vagina main sensation khatam ho gayi hai kya?” asked the rapper.
Even as Samay thought that he would edit out his comment, Apoorva replied, “Kabhi vagina dekhi hai maa se nikalne ke baad, [expletive]?”
Samay joked that he felt a little jealous of Apoorva, saying he was proud of the way she responded.
He
said, “Kya punchline maari usne. What a fucking comeback to have in that moment. Chaar (4) comedian fail kar diya usne. I was very jealous. But I was so proud of her also because what a comeback to have in that moment.”
He further explained, “Kuch cheeze hoti hain na yaar, voh life main layers main hoti hai. Surface-level chodo na yaar: Apoorva, rapper, that was not the moment. The moment was deeper, bigger than that. It was not Apoorva giving a comeback to a rapper from Gwalior. It was a woman standing up for herself and winning against a man.”
“Bhai, iss patriarchal setup main, jahan koi expect nahi karta aurto ka kuch bolna, uss ladki ne ussi ki bhasha main… She won. He lost. It was a powerful moment. Mereko goosebumps aa gaye… Maine voh party popper liya, Apoorva ke sar (head) pe phoda… 3 FIR. That is the price of women standing up for themselves,” he added.
At the time of the controversy, while some people criticised Apoorva online, many others supported her, saying she only responded in the same way she was treated.
Some also pointed out that giving her and her family rape and death threats was completely wrong and should have been condemned.