In a recent development, Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic have officially announced their decision to part ways, marking an end to their relationship. This announcement has prompted a trip down memory lane, recalling a significant episode that had caused an uproar in Hardik Pandya’s career.
In 2019, an incident on filmmaker Karan Johar’s widely-followed chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’ triggered substantial controversy, leading to drastic repercussions for the cricketer. Known for its spicy and often provocative content, ‘Koffee With Karan’ has hosted numerous celebrities who have made headlines with their candid remarks. However, the episode featuring Hardik Pandya and fellow cricketer KL Rahul marked a turning point where the offhand comments made on the show directly impacted their professional lives.
During the show, Hardik Pandya’s comments about his interactions with women drew widespread criticism for their misogynistic and insensitive nature. Pandya particularly drew flak for boasting about his multiple romantic liaisons and his transparency about them with his parents. He narrated an instance where at a party, when asked by his parents which women were ‘his,’ he pointed out several and received an approving response from his parents. His exact words on the show were, “At a party, my parents asked me, ‘tera wala [your woman] kaun sa hai?’ I said, ‘yeh, yeh, yeh’ [pointing out to some women] and they were like ‘waah, proud of you beta.'”
Additionally, Pandya disclosed how he informed his parents about losing his virginity, saying, “I came home and said, ‘Main karke aya hai aaj’.” When asked about dealing with situations where he and his friends liked the same woman, Pandya remarked, “‘Talent pe hota hai. Jisko mila woh leke jao’ [It’s based on your talent. Whoever gets her, takes her].”
The controversy didn’t stop there. Some of Pandya’s statements were also intertwined with racist undertones. When questioned by Karan Johar on why he didn’t ask women their names at nightclubs, Pandya responded, “I like to watch and observe how they move. I’m a little from the black side, so I need to see how they move.
.” This statement implied a generalized assumption about black culture, further adding fuel to the fire.
In a baffling claim, Pandya also recounted asking his parents if he was indeed their son, humorously questioning if he had been swapped at birth with someone from the West Indies because of his affinity for West Indian and black culture. His remarks were perceived as stereotyping and culturally insensitive, drawing severe backlash.
The public response was swift and severe. As social media platforms like Twitter erupted with criticism, the gravity of the situation became apparent. In the wake of the show’s broadcast, both Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul found themselves at the center of a storm of negative feedback. The cricketers issued public apologies in an attempt to quell the outrage, with Pandya taking to Instagram to make his apology known. However, the apologies did little to mitigate the fury of the public.
Seeing the public anger and the inherent seriousness of the situation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stepped in and took decisive action. The BCCI suspended Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul from the India-Australia One Day International (ODI) series and summoned both players back to India from Australia.
Further repercussions followed when Khar Gymkhana, a prestigious club in Mumbai, revoked Hardik Pandya’s honorary three-year membership. This membership had been granted in light of his achievements on the international cricket stage. Gaurav Kapadia, the honorary general secretary of the gymkhana, mentioned that the club’s social media pages, particularly on Facebook, were inundated with criticism, especially from female members who were deeply offended by Pandya’s comments about women.
The incident undeniably tarnished the reputation of Pandya and brought into focus the issue of accountability, especially for public figures. It also highlighted the broader societal implications of celebrity statements and the importance of responsible speech regardless of context.
As Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic navigate their personal lives post-divorce, the 2019 episode remains a significant reminder of the far-reaching consequences that words and actions can have, particularly when they cross the boundaries of respect and decency.
