Kapil Sharma faces criticism for insulting Atlee

Mumbai: Kapil Sharma has finally spoken about the controversy surrounding his recent appearance on his comedy show, where he faced criticism for allegedly insulting filmmaker Atlee. The incident took place last weekend when the team of ‘Baby John’, which included director Kalish, writer and co-producer Atlee and actors Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh and Vamika Gabbi, appeared on the show. Ad One particular segment instantly sparked outrage online. In the clip that went viral, Kapil Sharma asked Atlee, “Atlee sir, actually you are so small, and you have become such a big producer-director.

Kabhi aapko saath aisa hua hai ki kabhi aapko kisi star se pehli baar milne jaaye, aur unko laga hi nahi ki aap Atlee hoon. Usne kaha ‘Atlee kahaan hai?’ (Atlee, you are so small, and you have become such a big producer-director. Has it ever happened that you have met a star for the first time, and they have not recognised you and asked, ‘Where is Atlee?’).

The question soon attracted criticism. Many viewers felt that Kapil was mocking Atlee’s looks, with some even accusing him of being racist. The clip went viral, and Kapil was trolled on social media. In response to the allegations, Kapil took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his stance. He retweeted a post that shared the controversial clip and asked, “Dear Sir, can you please explain to me why I made this video in such a way that I don’t recognise you? When and where did you talk about looks in the video? Please do not spread hate on social media, thank you. (Friends see and decide for yourself, don’t follow anyone’s tweets like a sheep).”