- Gauahar Khan criticised Nikhil Chinapa for an insensitive menopause remark on Alliance
- Gauahar clarified she is not going through menopause, having had a baby nine months ago
- She called Nikhil's comment ignorant and urged him to apologise to women in his life
Gauahar Khan has strongly criticised Nikhil Chinapa for a remark he made in response to her comments about his gameplay on the reality show Alliance. Calling his statement about menopause and perimenopause "insensitive," Gauahar said it reflected a poor understanding of women's health. She added that he owed an apology to the women in his life for making such a comment.
The controversy started after Nikhil was asked by Telly Masala about Gauahar's social media posts, where she had supported her husband, Zaid Darbar, who is currently a contestant on Alliance.
Gauahar had earlier accused contestant Mini Mathur of being biased towards Kushal Tandon. She had also claimed that Mini and Nikhil were playing the game together instead of giving other contestants, including Zaid, a fair chance. FYI: Gauahar and Kushal dated briefly after meeting on Bigg Boss in 2013.
Nikhil Talks About Menopause
While responding to the question, Nikhil said he had never met Gauahar personally but had heard from Zaid that she respected him.
He then added, "Maybe Mini will know more about this because she deals a lot with menopause and perimenopause. So maybe she may have some insights on why Gauahar said whatever she said."
Gauahar Expresses Disappointment
The comment did not go down well with Gauahar, who soon shared a series of videos on Instagram.
The actor said she was disappointed that menopause had been used to explain away a woman's opinion.
Speaking in the videos, Gauahar said it was upsetting to see "men prove time and again how ignorant they are", despite having families and enough life experience to know better.
She added, "I feel so sad for them that they don't even know the basics of how sensitive this issue called menopause and perimenopause is and what women go through. And for someone like Nikhil Chinapa to mention that as a comeback to my viewpoints of him as a player... it's shocking."
The actor also made it clear that her comments had only been about Nikhil as a contestant on Alliance. According to her, she had never questioned him as a person and had always admired him.
Gauahar shared, "I'm so glad that Zaid went inside and told Nikhil that I was fond of him. I still am. I think he's a great guy. I think he has a great personality and an amazing body of work. I have utter respect for him. But what do you mean by saying Mini can comment because she deals with menopause and perimenopause?"
The actor further said that linking a woman's opinion to menopause or hormones was unfair. She questioned why her criticism of Nikhil's gameplay was being connected to her age or health instead of being treated as a valid opinion.
"You're assuming that I'm at an age where I must be going through menopause or perimenopause, and that's why I have those viewpoints. That is ridiculous," she said.
Gauahar Is “Not Going Through Menopause”
Gauahar also pointed out that she had become a mother just nine months ago and added, "For your information, I've had a baby nine months ago, so clearly I'm not going through menopause or perimenopause. Get your facts right and please be sensitive to women when you're putting them in a category like that. Disgusting."
The actor also spoke in support of women who are going through menopause or perimenopause. She said this natural phase of life should never be used to make women feel that their opinions are less important or not worth taking seriously.
Ending her response, Gauahar said Nikhil should apologise for the remark, saying he owed an apology "to his wife and the women in his life" for not understanding how sensitive the topic really is.
Nikhil Chinapa, who was also a contestant on Alliance, was eliminated from the reality show in Sunday's (July 26) episode.
