Even as Housefull 4 song is called out for its sexist tone, Kriti Sanon says actors are now careful about the choice of films
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 14, 2019)

This edition is different from its predecessors because of the reincarnation twist," starts off Kriti Sanon when she sneaks out from the dubbing studio for a quick chat. She describes the shoot of Housefull 4 — which features Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh, among others — as "one big party". "As an actor, my job is to do different things and cater to different audiences. It's tough to make people laugh. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a talented bunch of people. Akshay has a great sense of humour, both off and on screen."

While the Housefull franchise has often come under fire for treating its leading ladies as arm candies, this edition has faced flak for its track, Ek Chumma. Ask her about the song's sexist undertone, and she retorts, "How is it regressive? The boys are saying [those lines] to their partner, not to a stranger. If Ek Chumma was disrespectful towards women, I would have spoken up." Even as she is glad that there is an ongoing dialogue about gender equality, Sanon has a word of advice. "In Tareefan [Veere Di Wedding], why was it not pointed that male models were being treated the way mainstream treats female models? In Coca Cola [song from Luka Chuppi], I was asked why the girl was being put down [through the lyrics]. But my character too was saying the same lines to the guy. How is it okay for a guy to be teased, but there's so much talk when a girl is being teased?"

Ask her if she has ever changed the tone of a scene or song to ensure it is not offensive, and she admits she has become increasingly careful. "There is a lot of second-guessing because I want to be responsible. I don't want the wrong message to go out through a scene or the movie [as a whole]. Anything we do or say can be taken out of context and blown out of proportion. But we don't want to hurt anyone."