The Nation Stands by You: Indian Women’s Wrestling Coach to Zaira
Speaking to The Quint, Kuldeep Malik urged Wasim to ignore the critics and move ahead.
After Aamir Khan and Geeta Phogat backed Dangal actor Zaira Wasim, who was trolled for meeting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, celebrities like Anupam Kher, Shraddha Kapoor and Javed Akhtar came out to back the 16-year-old.
And the wrestling fraternity also rallied behind the actor. Speaking exclusively to The Quint, Kuldeep Malik, the head coach of the Indian women’s wrestling team, commented on the controversy surrounding the issue. As head coach of the team, Malik played a role in helping Sakshi Malik win the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.
In a video message sent to The Quint, Malik said that he stands by Zaira and urged her to not be affected by these comments.
Watch the message below.
Zaira, who has won accolades for playing the role of the younger Geeta Phogat – a Commonwealth gold medallist wrestler –met Mufti last week and the pictures of the meeting appeared online, drawing flak from some online trollers in Kashmir.
The actor later posted an apology on her Facebook page for "unintentionally hurting people's sentiments". The apologetic post was, however, deleted later.
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