Chetan Bhagat Calls Urfi Javed ‘Distraction’ For Young Men, Gets Criticised

Chetan Bhagat was recently invited to be a part of the forum of Sahitya Aaj Tak. It was a literary event in which the author, oddly enough, chose to comment on Urfi Javed and her choice of clothing.

The judge of Nach Baliye season seven did not agree with her fashion choices and called them ‘distracting’.

‘Young Boys See Her Photos While They Are In Bed’

Image Courtesy: Instagram/chetanbhagat

The novelist spoke about the youth of India. He mentioned that many young boys spend time scrolling through the images of women on social media. He said, “Phone has been a great distraction for the youth, especially the boys, spending hours just watching Instagram reels. Everyone knows who Urfi Javed is.”

He further rhetorically asked what these young boys and men would do with her images since they would neither be asked about in exams nor in job interviews. He said that it was not Javed’s fault that she was trying to make her career but claimed many boys see her pictures while they are in bed.

“Ek India ka jawan wo hai jo Kargil pe baith ke desh ki raksha kar raha hai. Ek humara youth hai jo bistaron mein ghus ke Urfi Javed ki photos dekh rha hai,” Bhagat was quoted saying.

He pointed to a photo which Javed posted with two phones hanging around her chest. The author said that those pictures went viral more than the news.

The crowd cheered when he said, “Ladkiyon ki photos par like daba rahe hain… likh rhe hain.. crores like hote hain Urfi Javed ki photos par (boys like photos of women, comment on them… Urfi Javed’s pictures garner crores of likes).”

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Why Bring Urfi Javed Into The Conversation Unprovoked?

Image Courtesy: Instagram/urf7i

It is one thing for the fashion police to debate Javed’s choice of clothing, it is another thing for Bhagat to deride her work and social media presence like this. Though he cleared it several times that it was not Javed’s fault that she was trying to make her career, he continued dragging her name into a conversation that revolved around young men who are constantly taught by patriarchy to objectify women.

Calling her a ‘distraction’ in a literary event where he was discussing why the youth of India was lagging behind is not justified. He said, “Instagram reels are the worst. It’s very brain-stimulating, the same tunes, and the trend is copied by multiple people, there is no added value to it and when you come back to real life, your brain is damaged.”

“The youth do not understand that these companies are not interested in your development, they are interested in showing advertisements,” he added.

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If Bhagat thought that social media is one of the biggest distractions for the youth, he could have said that directly without making remarks on Javed’s sense of fashion and comparing it to what men, women, or any other person watches on the internet while they are in bed.

This was not the first time where a man has called a woman and her clothing distracting. Many politicians have made the same remark when they were asked about the security and safety of women in India.

In August, a Kerala Court dismissed the application of a woman against the accused because she was wearing a ‘provocative dress’. Even in the horrific murder case of Shraddha Walkar, people have questioned why was she living away from her parents, why was she in a live-in relationship and why was she at all in a relationship with a Muslim man.

No matter what the crime or discussion is about, people always find a way to turn it around on women and their clothing choices. We are soon to enter 2023, and even so-called ‘learned’ people and celebrities do not shy away from making derogatory remarks about a woman's choice of clothing.

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