Will Smith shocked everyone on Sunday night after he slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars 2022. Smith, who won the Best Actor award for King Richard, got onstage and smacked Rock for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the 94th Academy Awards. Rock, presenting the best documentary prize with a short comedy routine, had cracked a joke comparing Jada Pinkett Smith’s tightly cropped hair to Demi Moore’s appearance in the film “G.I. Jane” and suggesting she appear in a sequel.
While Bollywood has reacted to the now-viral Oscar moment, did you know that the Bad Boys actor has a Bollywood connection? Back in 2018, when Dharma Productions was shooting Student Of The Year 2, starring Tiger Shroff and debutants Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria in the lead, Smith visited India as a part of a series he was shooting called the ‘Bucket List’. In one of the episodes, he wanted to tick a point related to Bollywood. The international star expressed his desire to be a part of a song and dance Bollywood movie.
In a meeting with filmmaker Karan Johar, he was so pleased with the concept of the film that he decided to go to the sets of SOTY 2. When the producer and Smith got together, it wasn’t long for the ball to begin rolling. Soon the Hollywood actor began rehearsals for his Bollywood song and dance video that would feature him with Ananya, Tara, Tiger and Aditya Seal. Once all set, the actor joined the set and well, to everyone’s surprise, grooved to R D Burman’s remix version of the song Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. The song featured him doing the hook-step with the young stars and then slowly moving away from the frame.
Meanwhile, earlier today, Smith has publicly apologised for slapping the comedian onstage during the live Oscars 2022, saying his behaviour was “unacceptable”. Will took to Instagram to pen a lengthy note in which he also apologised to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post.
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I react emotionally,” said Smith in his apology letter. Pinkett Smith has alopecia and has been public about it, talking on TikTok about her struggles. “I don’t give two craps what people feel about this bald head of mine,” Jada had said previously. In addition, Smith apologised to the Oscar show producers and the Williams family.
