Singer-actor Haroon Shahid who played the lead opposite Mahira Khan in last year’s crime thriller Verna has landed himself in hot water after cracking a joke relating to the #MeToo movement.
In response to a tweet in which a Twitter user wrote that they slapped journalist Gul Bukhari with a shoe in their dream, Shahid wrote, “A couple from my side as well, please. Mein maroon ga to #MeToo hojai ga! (If I hit her, it’s become a #MeToo issue).”
A couple from my side as well please. Mein maroon ga to #MeToo hojai ga! https://t.co/CvUKa7rkpG
— Haroon Shahid (@HaroonsMusic) August 3, 2018
Haroon’s comment left people outraged.
Pretty strange comment from you, Haroon. Considering you starred in a film that literally speaks about women standing up against abuse. https://t.co/6zDmFfG5Jq
— Mahwash Ajaz (@mahwashajaz_) August 3, 2018
Please see: this actor who starred in Verna (a film that highlighted the trauma of rape) is now casually advocating violence against a woman.
Oh and he’s making fun of the #MeToo movement.
Hello ppl in the film industry, can you please step up and denounce this??? https://t.co/wEVZyDjKMP
— Hamna Zubair (@hamnazubair) August 3, 2018
This isn’t about PTI or Gul. This is about making light of the #Metoo movement, and how you’re coming off as a hypocrite, who, on the one hand, was a part of a major movie that dealt with the suppression of women, while on the other hand, jokes about it.
— Agha Asad Husain (@aghaasadhusain) August 3, 2018
So women empowerment is only cool when you have a film like Verna to promote. Afterwards, we can all joke about the #MeToo movement and trivialize it in our tweets https://t.co/sItHXa2Kwy
— Manal Faheem Khan (@ManalFaheemKhan) August 3, 2018
Thanks for this tweet. Never heard about you before, thanks for saving me from the shit you must be doing in the name of music & acting.
— KaramKhan (@ArmChairChe) August 3, 2018
Even Gul Bukhari herself had some words to share on the matter.
“Who is this pipsqueak? I don’t even know him & he thinks I will cry #MeToo because of his insignificant tweets,” she wrote sharing an article on Haroon’s tweets.
Who is this pipsqueak? I don’t even know him & he thinks I will cry #MeToo because of his insignificant tweets.
But thank you @mahwashajaz_ https://t.co/wI9HfJWOUw— Gul Bukhari (@GulBukhari) August 3, 2018
Unfortunately, in his attempts to defend himself and his comments, Haroon managed to ruffle more feathers than he could settle.
When a Twitter user replying to Haroon’s tweet wrote, “Really disappointed in you Haroon. I hope you really learn from this situation and not make snarky comments when people criticise your insincere apologies. Be humble man, you’re so much better than this,” Haroon responded with, “Bro they got me wrong here. In fact I was trying to show that how me too as a movement is and can be misused in this context. If I actually wanted to say something vile I would have used something more serious to get the point across. Gul Bukhari is a horrible lady.”
Bro they got me wrong here. In fact I was trying to show that how me too as a movement is and can be misused in this context. If I actually wanted to say something vile I would have used something more serious to get the point across. Gul Bukhari is a horrible lady.
— Haroon Shahid (@HaroonsMusic) August 3, 2018
Replying to another user, Haroon wrote, “Never did I threaten her. What’s sad is that it was a light-hearted comment that I made because I found alot of stuff that she been spewing about IK to be highly offensive. It was a joke. Period! Nothing more to it. People make bad jokes sometimes. Move on!”
Never did I threaten her. What’s sad is that it was a light hearted comment that I made because I found alot of stuff that she been spewing about IK to be highly offensive. It was a joke. Period! Nothing more to it. People make bad jokes sometimes. Move on!
— Haroon Shahid (@HaroonsMusic) August 3, 2018
However, one would expect him to stop there. Instead, Haroon then shared another Tweet by Gul Bukhari which had a picture of Imran Khan with the caption, “This is an untouched photograph of Imran Khan on a day he hadn’t botoxed for a few weeks, or worn his dark glasses.”
Sharing this, he wrote, “I apologise for my bad joke. Hope you guys garner an apology from her for this. Oh wait…was this even a joke?”
I apologize for my bad joke. Hope you guys garner an apology from her for this. Oh wait…. was this even a joke??? ? https://t.co/RUSsS1rl0t
— Haroon Shahid (@HaroonsMusic) August 3, 2018
To put an end to all the madness, Haroon finally tweeted, “I cracked a bad joke yesterday for which I got bashed and rightly so. Apparently, for a few I’ve become a hate monger, a rapist and a person who supports abusing women with that one tweet. Your hate and article on Dawn don’t make me one. I apologise for the joke. Stop fighting!”
I cracked a bad joke yesterday for which I got bashed and rightly so. Apparently, for a few I’ve become a hate monger, a rapist and a person who supports abusing women with that one tweet. Your hate and article on Dawn don’t make me one. I apologise for the joke. Stop fighting!!
— Haroon Shahid (@HaroonsMusic) August 4, 2018
Just a word of advice Haroon, leave Hamza Ali Abbasi to defend Imran Khan.
