In a recent episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, host Amitabh Bachchan referred to how Gita Gopinath looked while describing a question based on her to a contestant. A video of the same was shared by Gopinath herself who took to social media to thank the actor for mentioning her. "Okay, I don't think I will ever get over this. As a HUGE fan of Big B, the Greatest of All Time, this is special!" the IMF chief tweeted. Bachchan himself responded to Gopinath's tweet. "Thank you Gita Gopinath ji...I meant every word I said about you on the show ...said in utmost earnestness," he wrote. While many congratulated the duo on the hearty exchange, many on Twitter could not help point out the rather sexist nature of Bachchan's comment.
A user wrote, “I didn’t like the comment about linking beauty with brains. Stupid of Mr. Bachchan to suggest that beautiful women can’t be economists. ”Another user wrote, “How sexist the comment was, why can’t a beautiful face be not associated with economy? Beauty & brain can be together & need not be mutually exclusive!”Ms Gopinath joined International Monetary Fund as its chief economist in 2019, becoming the first woman to occupy the top IMF post. Earlier in January 2020, Gopinath had appreciated India's efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, saying that she expects more in terms of scale in the near future. "The Indian government has prioritised things very well. Health is the first priority, containment measures have been put in place," she told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive interview. "The Indian government has also provided direct support to weaker sections. I commend the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) for putting liquidity measures in place."