Actress Taapsee Pannu recently gave her opinion on the gender controversy involving Algerian boxer Iman Khalif. She defended Khalif and said that some athletes are born biologically better than others, citing the example of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Taapsee Pannu said, “I had played a role on that subject. I did a film called Rashmi Rocket which was about a female athlete being banned due to high testosterone levels. We presented our views and that’s why I think the beauty of the films I get is that my films talk about issues that I personally believe in, rather than making a specific statement about it.”

Taapsee asked, “Our argument in the film was that there are a lot of athletes who are born better than others. Like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, they were all born better than others. Why aren’t they banned? If they have taken injections or something that is illegal, then definitely they should be banned. But if they haven’t done it, why should they be banned?”

Iman defeated China’s Yang Liu to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Earlier, she was disqualified from competing at the World Championships after allegedly failing a testosterone test. The said disqualification was based on an eligibility test whose details were not revealed. Khalif later said it was a ‘big conspiracy’ against her.

Khalifa has filed a legal complaint regarding online harassment.