Why Boney Kapoor & Urvashi Rautela’s ‘Viral Clip’ Has Us Conflicted

The issue around the viral clip with Urvashi Rautela & Boney Kapoor, isn't as simple as it appears. And it poses a few interesting questions.

By: Tatsam Mukherjee |
April 3, 2019 12:15 pm

A video has surfaced on the Internet that shows Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor and actor Urvashi Rautela posing for the paparazzi at Jayantilal Gada’s son’s wedding reception. In the video, that has since gone viral, one can see Kapoor’s hand going around Rautela’s lower back and inappropriately patting her twice. The video also captures Rautela’s rather uncomfortable reaction to the same. After blowing up on Twittersphere, many have resorted to calling out producer Boney Kapoor for his apparent action.

#Sridevi hubby @BoneyKapoor smacks on ravishing @UrvashiRautela pic.twitter.com/q9qhoz0HxL

— mememass (@themememass) April 2, 2019

But the twist in the tale came when actor Urvashi Rautela came out to defend the veteran Bollywood producer. In a statement put out on her Twitter profile, Rautela called out the national daily that put out this piece of ‘news’. She even went so far ahead to describe Kapoor as a ‘true gentleman’ and requested trolls to stop attacking him.

I felt appalled and beyond shocked this morning when i saw social media flooded with trolls of me in a video with respected @BoneyKapoor Sir.
He is a true Gentleman and it makes me feel extremely unhappy and miserable because the social sites/media don’t even think twice before pic.twitter.com/VIzuCeeObV

— URVASHI RAUTELA (@UrvashiRautela) April 2, 2019

putting up things or destroying anyone’s reputation. I request all to stop trolling. I honestly respect @BoneyKapoor sir & stand by him and his dignity. #Nototrolls https://t.co/g3zL45dXml

— URVASHI RAUTELA (@UrvashiRautela) April 2, 2019

The issue isn’t as simple as it appears, and it poses a few interesting questions. How does one view this in a post #MeToo world, where Kapoor is clearly the man with power over the not-so-established actor? Do we have the right to take offence on behalf of somebody? Is this a ‘harmless, accidental touch’ that’s getting too much play in the age of social media?

But most crucially, where does the media’s responsibility lie in a case like this? Is it enough for a publication to milk this video clip as if it were an ‘oops moment’? This incident is (in an indirect way) reminiscent of the Richard Gere/Shilpa Shetty episode, where the Pretty Woman actor went a bit overboard with his affection for the Bollywood actor at a public event. Three cases were registered against Gere for his ‘inappropriate conduct’ prompting Shetty to come out and defend her Hollywood counterpart. The gesture was supposed to be a spoof of Gere’s own 2005 film, Shall We Dance?

The clip featuring Rautela and Kapoor, and the outrage around it, might die down in a few hours (because that’s how social media works). But it’s worth trying to come up with answers to some of the questions surrounding this ‘viral clip’.