Will Smith won Best Actor at the Oscars this year for ‘King Richard.’ He slapped comedian Chris Rock when the latter joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald look at the ceremony.
Twinkle joked that Will might have learned the slap lesson from India. In her column for a leading journal, she wrote, “A few years ago during his visit, Smith stated, ‘Travelling to India…has awakened a new understanding of myself, my art and the truths of the world.’ At that point, we didn’t ponder over what he had really discovered, but now it seems rather clear.”
Further, she added, “It must have begun when he went to do his item song in Student of the Year 2 and saw Ananya Panday get a resounding slap from her father in a crucial scene. Apparently, a unit member said that an alarmed Smith also asked why people in India kept threatening each other with, ‘one-tight-slap.’ I believe he was reassured that Indians are used to hearing this, especially from their parents, and it’s a sign of affection.”
Twinkle also said that Jada, Will’s wife could have gone up on stage and addressed the grievances on her own too. She said she doesn’t understand the idea of slapping someone for a joke and cannot wrap her head around ‘man-protecting-his-wife business.’
“That was a comedian on stage, not a sabre-toothed predator. Human beings have developed complex language skills. We can raise our voices to defend ourselves rather than raising our hands,” she said.
first published:April 3, 2022, 4:43 p.m.
