5 Indian Women Whose Videos Sparked Controversy In 2021

Women controversial videos 2021: There is no double-edged sword sharper than social media. It's affirming, the way the internet brings the global community closer together, and at the same time dispiriting how easily and rapidly it becomes a tool for waging violence, disturbing mental peace and stoking tensions. This year in India, multiple women came under the scanner, thanks to social media, for stirring controversy through videos that went viral.

While some were held accountable for propagating what counts for hate speech, others were at the receiving end of sympathy by netizens for being made targets of ">sexist attacks. These instances should make us question the unparalleled power social media holds in the present time, melding our virtual and lived realities.

Here are five Indian women who made it to headlines in connection to videos this year: 

1. Trisha Kar Madhu 

Trisha Kar Madhu, a Bhojpuri actor, made headlines this year after an intimate video attributed to her went viral on social media, receiving thousands of hits. She was endlessly trolled on social media and made multiple requests for people to not watch the clip. "If your sister gets married and the next day, someone leaks her first-night video, it will be good right?" she wrote on her account. She called everything that happened a "mistake" and further, appealed to people in the Bhojpuri film industry for help. Read about the case here.

2. Constable Priyanka Mishra 

A former uniformed officer in Uttar Pradesh, constable Priyanka Mishra came to the fore for shooting a TikTok-like video of herself lip-syncing to viral dialogues and brandishing a gun on camera. "Rangbaazi kya hoti hai, hum tumhe batate hain," was one of the lines she mouthed in the video. As per reports, she was until then still a trainee and hadn't been allotted a service firearm by her superiors. She was pulled up for violating the code of conduct and a probe had been ordered into the incident. Days after the viral video, Mishra reportedly resigned from her post.

Suggested Reading: Trisha Kar Madhu: Must Women Bear The Onus Of Shame When Private Videos Are Leaked?

3. Munmun Dutta 

Television actor Munmun Dutta, best known for playing the character of Babita on sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, was in a soup this year after a clip of her using a caste slur during a makeup routine went viral. On social media, netizens rallied in demand of her arrest under the SC/ST Act. In a statement, the actor apologised for her words, citing a "language barrier" and claiming she didn't know the meaning of what she said. She was booked after a complaint was filed against her in Haryana. Read here.

4. Kangana Ranaut

Controversy's favourite child of late, Kangana Ranaut made it to headlines multiple times this year - most recently, for saying India got independence from Britishers in 1947 in bheek (in alms). She was speaking at a news conclave when she made said remarks, also saying that the country got real freedom only in 2014, which is the year the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to national power under Narendra Modi. Her statements sparked a wave of outrage, prompting criticism across the political spectrum. It even evoked a response from an enraged 91-year-old freedom fighter; read here.

Suggested Reading: Mangalsutra To Sad Models: Everytime Designer Sabyasachi Courted Controversy in 2021

5. Priyanka Pandit 

Similar to Madhu, Bhojpuri actor Priyanka Pandit also went viral this year for an alleged MMS leak. As per reports, the video that was doing rounds showed a woman alleged to be Pandit in a "compromising" position. It was an old video that resurfaced on the internet, creating a stir anew. Pandit reportedly denied she was the woman in the video and said someone was "planning" against her, alleging a conspiracy to defame her. An investigation in the matter was underway. Read about the case here.