Sutapa Sikdar rejects Pranit More apology: Why should women always forgive?

Sutapa Sikdar, the wife of late actor Irrfan, has reacted strongly to comedian Pranit More’s public apology over a controversial clip from his show that went viral. The backlash began after audience member Himanshu Jangra said in the clip that after spending Rs 370 on chicken biryani for a woman, he expected a "return" on that investment. The remark was widely criticised online as misogynistic.

More, who initially laughed at the comment during the show, later apologised on Instagram and said he should have challenged it instead. Responding to the apology, Sikdar said he had "enjoyed like a joker" when the comment was made and questioned why women are expected to forgive such behaviour.

On Wednesday, Sikdar reposted a screenshot of More’s apology along with data and statistics related to rape cases in India. In her caption, she questioned the idea of repeated forgiveness in such situations, writing, "Should women forgive? Always? Why?" She also criticised More and wrote, "Sorry ?? after enjoying like a joker to get more laughter from more perverts in the audience? We don’t accept your apology if we do nothing will change (sic)."

Here's the post:

Last week, More, who was also a Bigg Boss 19 contestant, shared a public apology on his Instagram Stories. He said the audience member’s comments did not reflect his views and admitted that he should have challenged the remark instead of laughing and moving on. "I’ve seen the criticism regarding a recent crowdwork clip. The comments made by the audience member do not reflect my views. Looking back, I should have challenged the remark instead of laughing and moving on. That was a lapse in judgment on my part," he wrote.

He added that live crowdwork involves reacting in real time, but said that was not an excuse. More said he took the feedback seriously and would be more thoughtful in handling similar situations in the future. He also said the video had been removed from all platforms because he did not want to amplify or normalise such views. In a further note, he thanked those who raised concerns respectfully, apologised for what happened, and said he would learn from the incident. The comedian appears to have deactivated his Instagram account amid the backlash.