'It's not in her control': Taapsee Pannu defends Imane Khelif
Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu has voiced her support for Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif, who is currently embroiled in a gender eligibility controversy. Khelif clinched the gold in the women's welterweight (66kg) category at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but her victory has been overshadowed by past failures in testosterone and gender eligibility tests. These issues previously resulted in her disqualification from world championships.
Khelif's Olympic journey and ensuing controversy
Khelif's path to Olympic gold included a swift victory over Italy's Angela Carini, who conceded just 46 seconds into the first round. She also triumphed over Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals with a score of 5-0. However, her win against Carini sparked a wave of criticism from high-profile figures like JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who publicly questioned Khelif's gender on social media platforms.
Pannu drew parallels with 'Rashmi Rocket'
Pannu discussed the controversy with ANI. She drew parallels between Khelif's situation and her 2021 sports drama film Rashmi Rocket, which also delves into gender testing in sports. "I played a role on that subject. I did a film called Rashmi Rocket which was about a female athlete being banned because she was detected with a high level of testosterone," Pannu said. "And it is not in my control...It's not like I've injected any hormones. I was born with it."
Pannu questioned gender-based disqualifications in sports
Pannu further explained her stance on the issue of athletes being disqualified due to high testosterone levels. She argued that many athletes are born with a biological advantage, citing Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps as examples. "Why are they not banned?" she questioned, adding, "If she [Khelif] has taken injections for this particular competition, then, of course, it should be illegal. But if she is not, then by something that is not in her control, you've banned her."
'Rashmi Rocket' mirrors real-life gender testing controversies
Rashmi Rocket tells the story of a gifted runner from Kutch who becomes a national champion, only to have her career disrupted by a mandatory gender verification test. The film is directed by Akarsh Khurana and features Supriya Pathak and Abhishek Banerjee in key roles. It was produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Neha Anand, and Pranjal Khandhdiya, with screenplay contributions from Nanda Periyasamy, Aniruddha Guha, and Kanika Dhillon. It is available on ZEE5.
