Actor Shahood Alvi says people on the internet are taking his words out of context and misrepresenting his views on women after clips surfaced of his appearance on Good Morning Pakistan.

In his post, Alvi claimed his words had been twisted and that what people on social media chose to focus on were not his views, but those of “the majority of men in our society”.

The filmmaker said he believed in empowering and supporting strong and confident women, which reflected in how he treated his wife and daughter. He said he provided his wife “with all the household help she needs” and respected everything she had done for him. Alvi came under fire for his statements made during a programme themed around marital disputes. A caller to the show complained that her husband used his phone excessively after work and failed to pay attention to her at home. In response, Alvi – after jokingly suggesting that her husband might be cheating on her – told the woman she should do something to make her husband pay attention to her, like making him a good meal. Later, as the host and the other guests were discussing the significance of physical and intellectual grooming, Alvi chimed in saying a husband may not be thrilled to talk to his wife if “he comes home and she’s smelling of ginger and garlic”.

He said this was in contrast to the women he interacts with in the workplace who “are wearing perfume as they work alongside him”. Responding to the backlash over the above statement, Alvi said: “Shame on people who try to tarnish one’s reputation just for views.”