LAHORE- Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, who made his film directorial debut with Kaaf Kangana, has always been lauded for his enthralling storytelling.
In a recent interview, the Punjab Nahi Jaungi famed writer, got a little too candid about his take on feminism and gender “equality”.
He said that he could not make sense of what equality women demanded and challenged them to “abduct a man and gang-rape him so I know what equality is”.
It all started with conversing about his recent, much-hyped project, Mere Paas Tum Ho. Starring Humayun Saeed, Ayeza Khan, and Adnan Siddiqui, the play revolves around a woman who chooses to leave her loving husband for another man simply because he’s richer.
“It (Mere Pass Tum Ho) is a story of several men, not just one,” he said. “I have come across multiple married couples who go through the same ordeal. I’ve observed when a married woman cheats, she doesn’t feel ashamed at all. The reason behind her not feeling guilty is because she has been backed by another man. When an unmarried woman cheats, she feels guilty.”
He further said, “But when a married man betrays his wife, he feels guilty. He feels embarrassed.”
When Qamar saw the infidelity within women and the plight of men, he added, “A man leaves all his honour, his self-esteem with his wife when he goes out to earn a living. And I curse those women who violate that trust. That was the concept behind Mere Pass Tum Ho and so I’m fighting for the ‘good women’. It would be unfair to these [good] women to be classified along with those who aren’t loyal.”
His controversial comments regarding women have set the social media ablaze and now we can’t help but wonder how his projects reek of misogyny.
“A few weeks ago, a feminist group had a conversation with me regarding equality. I asked them if they’ve ever heard about a gang of men kidnapping a woman? They assured me they have. I asked them then why don’t women do the same?” the host giggled, “If you wish to strive for equality then kidnap men as well. Rob a bus, gang rape a man, so that I can understand what you [women] mean by equality.”
He then tauntingly said that men dominate women’s rights so much that women aren’t aware of what their actual rights are. “Rather than figuring out your own rights, you’re only asking your part from men’s rights. That’s never going to happen!” he said. “The most one of these feminist groups can do is chant slogans against me, tweet a few thousand tweets but that’s it! Women can’t do anything else.”
According to Qamar, if women were to challenge men, the whole society will collapse.
“I was once in conversation with Sultana Siddiqui, and she asked me, ‘Khalil, why don’t you write anything against men?’ I asked her what should I write about men? Should I abuse him? I would, but then what? She said, ‘What do you mean? Even men remarry and indulge in extramarital affairs. Why do you choose to be so selective?’ I just had one question in response, ‘But with whom? A woman, right?’”
He believes that men won’t be tempted to have an extramarital affair, only if a woman learns to say no to them.
When the host finally intervened and urged how loyalty should be exercised by both the man and the woman, Qamar replied, “You have to understand this philosophy. A wife is worried about what? Another woman. That other woman isn’t a man. So riddle me this: you are destroying a man and you’re the one who’s complaining about it as well.”
He concluded by saying, “A man cannot say no. He just can’t. A good woman can.”
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