Sonam Kapoor is one of the few Bollywood celebrities who has been on the receiving end of hatred in the wake of the debate over Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death and debate around nepotism. On Sunday, she took to her Instagram and tweeted about the threat she was facing.
Bullying, misguided vengeance, and the need to further your own agenda not caring about the collateral damage. This is all your karma. May god and the universe forgive you.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 21, 2020
She posted screenshots of hateful and abusive messages she was bombarded with.
This is some of comments coming my way. All the media and all the people who’ve encouraged this sort of behaviour and instigated it. This is on you. People talking about how one should have been kind to someone are doing worse to others.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 21, 2020
Sonam then explains how all this trolling is overshadowing her mental health and she hopes that one’s parents would not have to go through what her parent’s are witnessing.
This is some of comments coming my way. All the media and all the people who’ve encouraged this sort of behaviour and instigated it. This is on you. People talking about how one should have been kind to someone are doing worse to others.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 21, 2020
In addition, she tweeted about Father’s Day acknowledging her privilege and, strangely, equating it with karma.
Today on Father’s Day id like to say one more thing, yes I’m my fathers daughter and yes I am here because of him and yes I’m privileged. That’s not an insult, my father has worked very hard to give me all of this. And it is my karma where I’m born and to whom I’m born. I’m proud
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 21, 2020
To be his daughter.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 21, 2020
And Twitter was not very happy about this. Users were quick to point out how unrestrained and tone-deaf her opinion was as it pointed to poverty as a result of karma.
Indeed! All those children dying on the streets due to hunger+lack of privilege must deserve it coz “KARMA”. The poor may not have worked as hard as your father to provide for their children.
And foetus Sonam’s actions must have been spectacular to earn this privilege & “pride”. https://t.co/R9NK9uh04C
— Ahona Sengupta (@ahona_sengupta) June 21, 2020
So you may be surprised to know the poor man too works v hard for his child. Why is his child deprived of privileges? Surely you dont mean one is ‘born poor because of ‘bad karma’ 🙈? and dont u think privileges shd b earned by ur own karma than the parents’?
— Richa Lakhera (@RICHA_LAKHERA) June 21, 2020
Sorry but also isnt all birth entirely accidental ? Why shd privileges not earned on ones own account be worn like a badge. Karma is perhaps more the work we do not what our parents did ! Trust me throwing the privileged badge about is the last thing this country needs .
— Richa Lakhera (@RICHA_LAKHERA) June 21, 2020
It’s not anyone’s ‘Karma’ or past life goodwill to be born where they are born. It’s nobody’s right to be privileged, some people just are. Do you think people who are born in underprivileged houses have done something wrong to deserve that?
— Stuti (@StuteeMishra) June 21, 2020
what kind of mental gymnastics are needed to be aware of your role in systemic inequality while also believing that the existence of inequality is a result of worthiness based on a fictional past life rather than years of documented violence and oppression by your ancestors https://t.co/4VfKM4VvC3
— krish (@ancestraI) June 21, 2020
Others highlighted the intersection of karma and caste discrimination.
The reason Brahminic ideology is so successful and so normalised, is that even though it was articulated first more than 2,000 years ago, Brahmins kept hammering it again and again continuously for all these last 2,000 years. #karma https://t.co/6BCwvwzRLi
— Tejas Harad (@h_tejas) June 21, 2020
One of the most revolting caste discrimination I’ve faced is the teaching of karma theory and it’s justification by UC profs in the class. Sonam and many of her likes do not understand how powerfully casteist such statements are. https://t.co/9RoIoZf77o
— shripad శ్రీపద్ (@shripad__) June 21, 2020
Sonam, it’s one thing to be emotional about our parents’ hardwork..but to take pride in one’s privilege, justifying it as karma is entitlement, exactly what upper caste uses to oppress others. Your privilege doesn’t make you more worthy than the one, born with less of it. https://t.co/izF8T3SBt2
— Priyanka Sharma (@iPriyanka_S) June 21, 2020
And classism.
What Sonam exposed is a far greater problem than nepotism.
She exposed the innate sense of entitlement of privilege to a particular person/group/ class/caste and THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET RID OFF.
Unfortunately KARMA doesn’t have such a narrow narrative.🙂— sohini🥀 (@sohudg) June 21, 2020
This boastful & nauseating justification of privilege & nepotism in the name of Karma is what upholds caste &/ class heirarchies and deprives others of equal opportunity.
Yes, this tweet is an affront those not born with the silver spoon. Yes, Educate yourself.
Le Sigh!— Sidrah (@SidrahDP) June 21, 2020
The Karma goddess is here. And we are a bunch of foolish people since we do not know Hindu philosophy and dharma.
Ma’am, you have access to both hindu dharma and dharma productions because of your caste and class privilege. Please resonate with sound reason atleast. pic.twitter.com/j6HwS9YUeu
— Damni Kain (@DamniKain) June 21, 2020
While certain others were simply savage.
Bhaiya, 1 kilo karma dena.
— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) June 21, 2020
there you go, fixed it sweetheart https://t.co/F9EF6jmKEV pic.twitter.com/VBUpKdHmA8
— comrade inquilab (@agripasta) June 21, 2020