Two days after the South Indian Artistes Association issued a notice demanding a public apology from Mansoor Ali Khan for the derogatory comments he made during an interview, Mansoor has doubled down on his refusal to apologise, instead issuing an ultimatum to the association. In a press meet held on Tuesday, November 21, Mansoor said: “I give them four hours to take back their statement. They are asking me to apologise in front of everyone? Am I from a caste that apologises? They are clashing with the Himalaya [himself]. I am trying to be quiet, but if I become a volcano each of them will scatter and run away.” The last line, it must be noted, was said using far more offensive words.
Mansoor was reacting to a statement issued against him on Sunday by the association, popularly known as the Nadigar Sangam, for his objectionable claim last week that he regrets not having a ‘rape scene’ with Trisha — one of the lead actors in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Leo. Known for his villain roles in Tamil cinema, Mansoor had said that he’d hoped to act out a rape scene in Leo like he’d had in older Tamil films with actors like Kushbhu and Roja. “They are not letting me have rape scenes. I was really hopeful when I knew that I was acting with Trisha. I thought aha, there must be ‘bedroom’ scenes,” Mansoor said, followed by comments too distasteful to describe.
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In this regard, the Nadigar Sangam had said on November 19 that Mansoor would be suspended from the association until he issues a public apology. “We were shocked by the way senior actor Mansoor Ali Khan spoke in an interview. It still remains challenging for women to enter the film industry and accomplish themselves in the field. In such a scenario, when women actors have crossed many hurdles to accomplish themselves, it is condemnable to speak about them in such a manner. The South India Film Association stands with the women who were affected by this incident,” the association’s statement read.
During his press meet on Tuesday, however, Mansoor claimed that he was being treated unfairly and that the Nadigar Sangam had not approached him for an explanation. On the day the statement was issued, Mansoor had also given another press meet where he dismissed his own degrading comments as a ‘joke’.
Read: Mansoor Ali Khan's explanation for 'rape scene' comment is revolting
Trisha had earlier slammed Mansoor Ali Khan for his misogynist remarks, and many others in the film industry including Leo director Lokesh had condemned him. Curiously, the film’s main star Vijay is yet to make a statement of any kind. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has meanwhile taken suo moto cognisance of the incident.