Tasteless and insensitive: Yasir Hussain's 'joke' on Rishi Kapoor's death

Has the actor still not learned how to handle being a celebrity?

KARACHI: It feels like we're stuck in a never-ending cycle when it comes to Yasir Hussain's 'jokes'.

The actor, known for 'bold' statements and crass humour, has more than often than not been deemed insensitive, be it for his stance on child molestation and sexual abuse or trans-phobic comments while prepping for an Eid telefilm. And let's not forget the time he poked fun at a fellow co-star's insecurities.

After such major backlash, one would think Hussain must have caught up on the do's and don'ts of being a celebrity but sadly, he is far from that.

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ YASIR HUSSAIN

The Lahore Se Aagay star's online presence shows he still lacks basic etiquette and the ability to deal with the fame. His most recent facepalm moment proved this.

Here's what happened. Earlier last week, Bollywood lost two of its finest actors in a span of just 24 hours. Legendary actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor breathed their lasts on Wednesday and Thursday mornings respectively, both succumbing to cancer. Star from Bollywood, Hollywood and the Pakistani film industry mourned the grave loss and well, so did Hussain.

The actor shared a picture of Kapoor on his Instagram to pay his respects. It was all well and good till here. But then, Hussain put up and Instagram story which read, "Amar gone, Akbar gone... now only Anthony remains," referring to the iconic 1977 film Amar, Akbar and Anthony which starred Kapoor with fellow actors Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

SCREENGRAB

Khanna passed away three years ago, leaving Bachchan as the only living member of the trio now. Hussain opted to offer this piece of information by referencing a popular line from a song from the film, picturised on Big B. "Anthony is probably singing 'My name is Anthony Gonzales...Mein dunya mein akela hun'," he wrote.

The final blow came when Hussain added, "Mujhe toh Amitabh ki fikar ho rahi hai (I'm worried about Amitabh)." See what I mean?

Oh, and it wasn't just me who thought Hussain's joke was tasteless. Many took to Twitter and shared their thoughts on the matter. "Yasir Hussain is nothing but an insensitive person; death is a joke for him. Fine, you’re funny and all but there’s a time and place for everything. Jerk thinks it’s cool," said one user.

Yasir Hussain is nothing but an insensitive person, death is a joke for him. Fine you’re funny and all but there’s a time and place for everything. Jerk thinks it’s cool. pic.twitter.com/TayZlOGzWr

— Saniya (@Saniyazing) May 1, 2020

Another added, "Yasir Hussain should be locked up in a room with no way of using social media. This man always makes sure he proves what absolute nonsense he is."

Yasir Hussain should be locked up in a room with no way of using social media. This man always make sure he proves that what an absolute nonsense he is. pic.twitter.com/56yyv1WngS

— aaliya. (@DisasterrQueen) April 30, 2020

One more disgruntled fan stated, "If you could ban one person from social media completely for life, who would you choose and why Yasir Hussain?"

If you could ban one person from social media completely for life, which one you choose and why Yasir hussain?

— Safia (@Safia14540972) May 1, 2020

Perhaps Hussain meant to lighten up the sombre mood, especially given how everyone has been feeling down due to the seemingly endless lock-downs. But that doesn't change what he said was very much in poor taste. A time when humans are bonding together, such jokes are completely uncalled for.

Humour is great but never at the expense of someone's death. And just for a few chuckles? I'm not laughing. Nobody is.

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