Since the release of Dhruv Rathee's latest video, The FAKE Beauty of Bollywood Celebrities, speculation has been swirling that his comments were aimed at actor Janhvi Kapoor, particularly following her condemnation of the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh. In response to these rumors, Rathee responeded expressing surprise, urging viewers to think critically before drawing conclusions.
In a YouTube video published on December 25, Dhruv Rathee alleged that numerous Bollywood actresses, such as Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Shruti Haasan, Shilpa Shetty, Kajol, and Priyanka Chopra, have had cosmetic surgeries.
Immediately after the video was published, social media users started associating it with Janhvi's statement denouncing the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das. On Saturday, Dhruv shared a video on social media to discuss these rumors. The video was captioned, “Did I mock Janhvi Kapoor for her post on Bangladeshi Hindus?”
In the video, Dhruv Rathee began by reading a headline, stating, “Wake up Hindus, Janhvi Kapoor posted for Bangladeshi Hindu and Dhruv Rathee made a video questioning her beauty.”
He went on to express his surprise, saying, “Bhagwan ne tumhe dimag diya hai toh kyun nahi istemal karte uska. Matlab jo IT cell wale post dalte rahenge woh tum andhadhun yakeen karte rahoge. Pehli cheez toh jis din Janhvi Kapoor ne post dali usi din maine andhe ghante mein video daldi thi. Kya yeh realistically possible hai ke main ek hi din ke andar adhe ghante ka video edit karke, research karke, shoot karke… Sab kuch ek hi din mein karke dal doon? (When God has given you a brain, why don’t you use it? This means that any post that the IT cell puts up, you will blindly believe. First of all, the day Janhvi posted this, in the next half an hour, I put up my video. Is it realistically possible for me to edit, research, and shoot the video and release it in a day?)”
Rathee clarified that he had also posted a reel addressing the issue of Bangladeshi Hindus, adding, “Why would I criticize that? I’m not the kind of person who makes indirect comments; if I have something to say, I say it directly. And importantly, this video is about the impact of plastic surgery on society. At no point did I direct any questions towards Janhvi Kapoor.”
Responding to rumors that he altered the thumbnail following online backlash, Dhruv said, “I have multiple thumbnails in all my videos.” Dhruv concluded the video by urging viewers to watch it, emphasizing that it tackles a significant topic regarding the expansion of the plastic surgery industry and its effects on society.
On December 25, Janhvi used Instagram Stories to denounce the murder of 27-year-old Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, describing the brutal incident as a 'slaughter.'“What is happening in Bangladesh is barbaric. It is slaughter, and it is not an isolated incident. If you don't know about his inhumane public lynching, read about it, see the videos, ask the questions. And if despite all of this you feel no rage, then it is exactly this kind of hypocrisy that will destroy us before we know it,” Janhvi wrote.
Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker, was beaten and burned alive by a mob in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, over alleged blasphemy. His body was reportedly tied to a tree. At least 12 people have been arrested in connection with the murder.