#Cringe trends: RJ Malishka's Neeraj Chopra interview angers netizens
What's the story
Neeraj Chopra became a national hero when he won Gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Naturally, media portals reached out to the javelin thrower for that one "exclusive" byte.
Recently, one such interview was conducted that's going viral, but not for good reasons.
Netizens are failing to keep calm about Red FM's RJ Malishka's interaction with Chopra for the amount of second-hand embarrassment it generated.
Interview
Malishka welcomed the athlete by dancing on old Hindi song
The seasoned radio jockey welcomed the 23-year-old on the digital interview by dancing to the 1950s Hindi song Uden Jab Jab Zulfen Teri.
The reason, we presume, is Chopra's hairstyle.
Later, Malishka tweeted it by saying, "Ladiesssss..Yes I got the hard-hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for."
Twitter Post
This clip garnered wide criticism on internet
Ladiesssss..Yes I got the hard hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for😇 ;) #udejabjabzulfeinteri and then tell me I did it for all of us😄 #gold #olympics #neerajchopra @RedFMIndia @RedFM_Mumbai pic.twitter.com/SnEJ99MK31
— Mumbai Ki Rani (@mymalishka) August 19, 2021
Reaction
'The nation owes Neeraj Chopra an apology for this cringe-fest'
Social media users immediately took offense to the treatment, asking why Malishka and her colleagues had to refer to the athlete's looks when his achievement has nothing to do with them.
One user wrote, "The nation owes Neeraj Chopra an apology for this cringe-fest."
A satire page said, "#NeerajChopra withdraws from ALL athletics events in fear of seeing dancing Malishka and co again."
Similar
People drew comparisons with Navika Kumar inquiring Chopra about girlfriend
Of course, comparisons were drawn with Navika Kumar's controversial interview with Chopra.
To recall, the journalist had asked him about his relationship status.
As Chopra replied he didn't have one as he only wanted "to focus on (his) game right now," the channel's call to air it as an exclusive big revelation was mocked online.
Now, the public thinks Malishka has gone even farther.
Twitter Post
Such jokes and memes rule Twitter trends today
Navika - I am the queen of cringe fest interviews.
— Ritushree 🌈 (@QueerNaari) August 20, 2021
Malishka - Hold my Zulfen https://t.co/TwL4uvmlgJ
Cringe unabated
Chopra dodged Malishka's virtual hug with an awkward 'Namaste'
The Tumhari Sulu actress even hugged her laptop in order to give a virtual "jaadu ki jhappi" to Chopra.
At the receiving end, the athlete was seen awkwardly bringing his hands together and saying, "Namaste aisa door se hi."
People demanded she apologizes for her conduct.
"Not listening to any FM radio unless RJ Malishka apologies to Neeraj Chopra," said one user.
Problematic
Keyboard warriors, don't bring gender reversal here though!
Many users asked what would happen if a man had behaved this way with a female athlete.
Obviously, this is a misplaced analogy because simple gender reversal doesn't take into account the privileges that come with being born a man.
"That dance n convo.. is really wrong and disgusting. But guys, stop using phrase "reverse the gender and see the outrage,"" provided a Twitterati.