When Sanjay Dutt spoke about Indian men ‘losing manliness’ in old ad: ‘They want to feel like behenjis’

Actor Sanjay Dutt once faced criticism over his sexist remarks in an old advertisement where he highlighted a ‘new enemy’ in men’s lives. In an advertisement in 2008, he spoke angrily about those men who sported long hair, shaved legs, wore floral outfits, cooked, and looked after children. He also called them ‘behenjis (a derogatory term for women)’. (Also Read | When a pandit told Sanjay Dutt about his past life as a king, how his wife had affair and wanted him dead)

In an over two-minute-long video, Sanjay said, “There is a new kind of enemy in our lives and we have to unite once again to fight it. The problem is there are too many men these days who are walking around with long hair, waxed legs, and shaved chests. Men today are spending more time in beauty parlours than in gyms where they belong. They are men but only by name.”

As the video continued, he said that men wanted to cook, look after babies, perm their hair and steam their faces ‘to feel like behenjis’. He also said that men in India were ‘losing our gift, manliness’ as they chose ‘purple, pink and mauve’ colours for outfits. Sanjay asked the men to not grow long hair but grow beards and stubbles and keep long sideburns. Instead of preparing Thai food and grooving to Salsa, he asked men to eat the food and dance Bhangra (Punjabi form of dance).

In the video, he asked men not to drink ‘silly pink cocktails and sissy beers’. He urged men to choose black, grey and blue outfits ‘like a mard (man) should’, ride bikes, not scooters, watch cricket and not serials. Throughout the advertisement, he called the choices that the men were opting for ‘feminine’.

Reacting to the video, a person said on YouTube, “My ear is bleeding, please stop Sanju.” “How could this type of ad even be allowed? Shameful,” asked another person. “Irony: he is recommending beards and long sideburns, my man himself is clean with short sideburns lol,” read a comment.

A person wrote, “I was waiting for him to say it’s a joke but no he didn’t he didn’t.” Another one wrote, “He himself had long hair, waxed his chest and wore colourful clothes (in Munnabhai), the hypocrisy.” A comment also read,”For the love of God, tell me this is satire! Please.”

Sanjay was recently seen in the period action film Shamshera, helmed by Karan Malhotra. It also features Ranbir Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor. Produced by Aditya Chopra, Shamshera released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages on July 22.