YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani recently faced controversy over a video he uploaded on social media. The popular influencer, who has around 18 million followers, posted (and later deleted) a video in Italy featuring an Italian man and a tourist woman. The clip went viral, with viewers calling it culturally insensitive due to derogatory remarks like "saali mard jaat" and "tharki buddhe." Although the video was removed from Ashish’s account, it was later reshared by other users online.
After Ashish deleted the video, it was reshared by influencers Rajat and Shilpa. In the clip, Ashish is heard saying, "Avi ham log Italy mein hain, samundar mein surf kar rahe hain, baju mein budhha kaka hai...(sic)." He then asks one of his teammates, who was recording the video, to show the man sitting next to a foreign tourist. Ashish proceeds to call out to the man, and when he does not respond, he remarks, "Baju mein ladki baithi hui hai, usme laga hua hai."
After receiving heavy trolling online, Ashish removed the video from his feed. He later clarified his position by commenting that he had taken permission from everyone featured in the video before filming it. He stated, "This entire video was taken with their permission, i asked them if i can shoot." Ashish further claimed that the video was fully scripted and that the man featured in it even joked about the clip after it was filmed.
The influencer also added that the woman seen in the video was part of his Italy team. Ashish ended his note by saying, "I understand that this video comes across as promoting unruly behavior publicly, so i apologize and i have taken it down." Despite the clarity, people continued to troll the influencer in the comment section, saying, "Jab influencers hi aisa hain followers ki baat toh bhul hi jao."
