Calls to arrest Munmun Dutta, television actor known for her work on Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, are growing on social media, as a video of her using a casteist slur goes viral. The trend has amassed over 20,000 tweets on Twitter in a matter of a few hours on Monday alone.
The actor, in response, has issued an apology statement, saying her usage of the word has been "misinterpreted" and came about because of her "language barrier." Dutta hails from West Bengal and has been a part of the Hindi entertainment industry since 2004.
5 Things To Know About The Controversy That Resulted In 'Arrest Munmun Dutta' Trend:
1. Munmun Dutta, in a makeup video uploaded to social media Sunday, used the casteist slur as a reference to physical appearances. She can be heard describing her routine of applying lip tint to her cheeks to "look nice."
2. As her video containing the said slur, deeply offensive for India's scheduled castes and marginalised communities, went viral across platforms, internet outrage mounted. 'Arrest Munmun Dutta' reached top Twitter trends on May 10, with noted activists joining in the call.
3. The same day, Dutta issued a statement on social media apologising for using the word. "It was never said with the intent of insult, intimidate, humiliate or hurt anyone's feelings," she wrote. "Because of my language barrier, I was genuinely misinformed about the meaning of the word."
4. Reactions to Dutta's apology on social media are mixed, with some demanding strict action against the actor under the SC/ST Act and others claiming the apology she has issued suffices for the extent of her actions.
5. Read some reactions here:
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