Addressing the specific incident where he allegedly told a female crew member that her outfit was “distracting,” Ram said he had also made a similar comment to male crew members who were in his line of sight. He questioned that if he saw the comment as inappropriate, “why would I say it openly in a hall full of media people?”

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He insisted that while his words come from a “harmless space,” he has realised can’t be his “obnoxious normal self” around team members who are half his age as they were offended, and that is “not acceptable.” He acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and said his fans and his son look up to him, which makes the entire episode even more disappointing. Ram also added that he respected Jio Hotstar’s decision to drop him from all promotional duties once the complaints came to light, and accepted that this taught him a lesson.

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The controversy stems from a press junket held on June 19, where Ram and co-star Mona Singh were promoting Mistry. According to a source present at the event, issues first surfaced when Ram began interrupting interviews, allegedly “mansplaining” and answering questions meant for Mona. But matters worsened when he made an inappropriate comment to a member of the Jio Hotstar marketing team. As a journalist was preparing to interview him, he reportedly asked how many interviews were left for the day and then said, “I feel like I’ve been gang-raped by elephants.”

After a journalist objected, Ram insisted it was a joke and that his comment wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. However, another incident followed shortly after. While getting ready for another interview, he said to a marketing team member: “Which position should I take now? Doggy or missionary?” These remarks, combined with a comment about a crew member’s dress being “distracting,” led to internal discussions at Jio Hotstar. Eventually, the platform decided to remove Ram from all remaining interviews. The following day, Mona Singh continued promotions alone.