Indian Idol judge Neha Kakkar, was recently left shocked as a contestant grabbed her without consent and kissed on her cheek during the show. The behaviour of the participant also left the other judges, Anu Malik and Vishal Dadlani along with the show host Aditya Narayan, in a state of shock and bafflement.
The promo of the upcoming episode of Indian Idol 11, shows a contestant dressed in traditional Gujarati attire as he walked onto the stage with gifts and a pink coloured teddy bear for Kakkar. He asked her if she remembers him. The inquisition left her confused at first but she eventually hinted at the fact that they have met before.
She accepted the gifts from him and moved closer to hug him in response to his kindness. However, the contestant grabbed her rather hastily and forcibly kissed her.
According to News18, the promo also showed Narayan trying to stop the participant as Kakkar seemed extremely uncomfortable.
Dadlani also tweeted about the matter, adding that he wanted to call the police after the incident but he only stopped because Kakkar thought it wouldn’t be right. He went onto say that the contestant needed psychiatric help.
I suggested that the Police be called, but Neha decided to let the guy off the hook. He definitely needs psychiatric help, and we will try to help him get that, if we can. #IndianIdol11 https://t.co/CiCLy7u787
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) October 20, 2019
Even though the contestant only appeared to be her biggest fan, his forceful reaction was heavily criticized by the viewers of the show. Some also referred to the incident as a moment of sexual assault where the judge only restrained herself from showing any harsh reaction because she was onscreen. “Kissing someone without their prior consent is sexual assault,” commented a fan beneath the video. Another social media user wrote, “Next time Neha needs to be really careful on stage, otherwise any die hard fan can take advantage of the situation and her.”
The act was further criticised by most of the show’s fans, as one of them commented saying, “Kissing anyone without their prior consent is sexual assault.” Another added, “Next time Neha have to be very careful went on stage otherwise anything can happen with her die hard fan.”
