Adnan Malik, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Carrey talk Will-Chris slapgate at the Oscars

The 94th Academy Awards witnessed an unfortunate incident that caused quite a stir within the global entertainment industry and on social media. Celebrities across the world have shared their two cents on American actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. While Smith has publicly apologised for his “inexcusable” behaviour, the showbiz fraternity is divided over whether the violent turn to protect his wife was justified or not.

What materialised the controversial turn at the awards night on Sunday was Rock’s joke about Smith’s wife and actor, Jada Pinket Smith. Taking a jab at Jada’s shaved head, he asked if she had any plans of appearing in G I Jane 2. "Jada I love you, G I Jane 2, can't wait to see it," he said, referencing the 1997 film in which Demi Moore undergoes Navy Seal training and shaves her head to appear less feminine. Jada, who has been vocal about her struggle with alopecia, was uncomfortable because of the joke. Sensing the discomfort, Smith slapped Rock on stage and yelled curse words at him.

While many Hollywood celebrities have spoken out against both Smith and Rock on public platforms, many Pakistani celebrities like Adnan Malik, Ahsan Khan, Nabeel Qureshi and Bollywood actors such as Kangana Ranaut, Salman Khan, Paresh Rawal have also taken to social media to add to the ongoing debate on comedians, violence and tasteless jokes.

Pakistani filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi shared a picture with the Oscar-winning King Richard actor on Instagram and wrote, “I have met him, banda theek hai bus bhavnao mai beh gaya [He’s a nice guy but his emotions got the best of him].”

The Khel Khel Mein director also took to Twitter to share his concern about the possibility of such incidents repeating in other awards shows in future.

Actor Adnan Malik created a dialogue on race, allyship, gender politics, public space, and violence on his Instagram stories to unpack the incident. While those stories have now expired given Instagram’s 24-hour format, the Cake actor received a video in his DMs that expands on why Smith resorted to violence and aggressive behaviour.

“This isn’t at all to justify his [Smith’s] actions but does bring to light how childhood events can affect our adult relationships and how our triggers come from unhealed trauma spaces. We often project unhealed trauma into our current situations,” wrote Malik as he emphasised on the importance of therapy.

Actor-turned-event manager, Frieha Altaf, also took to Twitter to add how she thinks the only “fix” to come out of the fiasco is “Oscars recovering from bad ratings.” Condemning both Rock and Smith, she wrote, “I think the Chris Rock joke was in bad taste. Making a joke based on a woman’s illness. Seriously? [Although] having said that, what Will Smith did, resorting to violence and bad language, [was also] wrong!”

On the other hand, comedian and actor Ahmed Ali Butt shared that he has “mad respect” for Rock for handling the situation “professionally.” He added, “[Will Smith] just won the Oscars but lost his mind.”

In an interview with CBS Mornings host Gayle King, comedian-turned-actor Jim Carrey condemned Smith’s action and also called out other celebrities in the room for their standing ovation to it. "I was sickened by the standing ovation,” the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 star remarked. “ I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse. It really felt like: 'Oh, this is really a clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore’.” He also felt that the Oscar-winning actor should have faced more “serious repercussions for striking Rock, including possible arrest.” The Los Angeles Police Department stated that Rock did not press charges though, as per Deadline.

Actor Sonam Kapoor shared the opinion that Smith’s reaction was a product of “toxic masculinity” and that he should have reacted with “verbal defense or correcting the comedian in private.” The Zoya Factor actor re-shared an Instagram post that explained alopecia and Jada’s struggle with it. The post read, “In a world where women’s beauty is often tied to hair, it makes her situation especially delicate. Chris Rock or any comedian should not make someone’s looks their punchline, be it hair, weight, height etc. When comedians make jokes by belittling or offending someone, it is called punching down.”

However, the post did not condone Will Smith’s violence, and continued, “Is physical assault the appropriate response? Also no. No matter how wrong or offensive a person is, assaulting them is a crime. This is the core problem with toxic masculinity.”

On the other hand, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram with an unpopular opinion that supported Smith’s slap. "If some idiot used my mum or sister's illness to make [a] bunch of fools laugh, I would slap him like Will Smith did," she wrote alongside clap emojis, adding that she hopes Smith comes to the show Lock Upp — a reality show in which celebrities locked "inside queen Kangana Ranaut’s jail" complete tasks and challenges to gain basic necessities.

Actor Salman Khan, who has previously hosted many award shows and a reality show titled Big Boss, shared that hosts should be sensitive. “It's important for a host to be sensitive. Humour should always be above the belt and never below the belt,” the Dabangg actor said.

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