Actress Alia Bhatt's Cannes Film Festival appearance may have won praise from many fans, but it also sparked a wave of criticism online. Now, film critic Anupama Chopra made a startling claim, suggesting that the trolling directed at the actress may not have been entirely organic.
The issue came up during Anupama Chopra's recent conversation with actor Shahid Kapoor. While discussing the growing pressure and insecurity within the entertainment industry, Anupama referred to the online negativity that followed Alia's Cannes outing.
The actress had generated buzz with her red-carpet appearances at the film festival. However, alongside the appreciation, social media was flooded with comments mocking her fashion choices. Some users even claimed that a section of photographers appeared to ignore her during the event.
Recalling what she witnessed at Cannes, Anupama said, “So, we were at Cannes, and one of the first interviews I did there was with Alia, and then over the successive few days, I watched just the awful, graceless trolling and conversation and negativity and all of that, right?”
She then revealed a conversation she allegedly had with an industry insider. “And then a couple of days ago, somebody said to me that… And this is not somebody who's just like an outsider, but somebody who is deeply embedded in the business, and somebody whom I trust… So, that somebody said that this was actually paid campaigning against her because actors today are so insecure. I said that doesn't even make any sense. What is happening?”
Alia herself had previously responded to the criticism surrounding her Cannes appearance. After sharing a reel showcasing her custom ivory silk saree-gown look from the festival, a social media user commented, “What a pity, no one noticed you,” along with a laughing emoji.
The actress replied with a witty response, writing, “Why pity love? You noticed me :)”
Several members of the film industry also came out in support of Alia during the trolling episode. Actors Sonu Sood, Ameesha Patel, Rahul Vaidya and Aly Goni defended her and criticised the negativity directed towards the actress.
