A couple of days after cricketer Virat Kohli issued a clarification for liking Avneet Kaur’s Instagram post, blaming it on a supposed ‘algorithm glitch,’ a fresh controversy has emerged, this time involving singer Rahul Vaidya.
Rahul, who has previously spoken about being blocked by Virat Kohli on Instagram, took a subtle yet pointed dig at the cricketer in a video now doing the rounds on social media. Referring to Kohli’s statement, Rahul sarcastically said, “Guys, Virat Kohli has blocked me, you all know. So I think voh bhi Instagram ki glitch hogi. Voh Virat Kohli ne block nahi kiya hoga. Instagram ke algorithm ne bola hoga Virat Kohli ko, ‘Ek kaam kar, main tere behalf pe Rahul Vaidya ko block kar deti hoon.’ Haina?”
Calls Virat Kohli fans ‘2 kaudi ke jokers’ after trolling begins
While some netizens laughed along, many Kohli fans didn’t take kindly to Rahul’s humour and began targeting the singer online. Not one to hold back, Rahul responded strongly on his Instagram stories, calling the cricketer’s fans “jokers.”
In one story, he wrote, “Virat Kohli’s fans are even bigger jokers than Virat.” In another, he called out the trolling that extended to his family: “Now you are abusing me, that’s fine. But you are abusing my wife, my sister—who have nothing to do with this! So I was right. That’s why you all Virat Kohli fans are jokers! 2 kaudi ke jokers.”

Five months ago, Rahul had expressed confusion over being blocked by the Indian cricket star, saying, “Aaj tak samajh mein nahi aaya, bhai ne block kyun kiya. I don’t know the reason. I’ve never had any issues with him.”
When Virat Kohli liked Avneet Kaur’s photo
For those who missed the original incident, it all began on May 2, when fans noticed Virat’s Instagram handle had ‘liked’ a photo of Avneet Kaur wearing a chic green top and short wrap skirt. The like was later removed, but not before screenshots went viral. The unexpected gesture led to a flurry of speculation and criticism online, prompting Virat to address the matter with a public note.

He wrote, “I’d like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for understanding.”

Playback singer Sonu Nigam.
| Photo Credit: sonunigamofficial/Instagram

Playback singer Sonu Nigam late on Monday issued an apology following the controversy related to his recent concert in Bengaluru. Hours after justifying his remarks through a post on social media, the playback singer put up another post to apologise to the people of Karnataka.

Sonu had faced backlash when he lost his cool at a fan who demanded he sing a Kannada song during his concert in Bengaluru recently, and had said, “This is the reason why incidents like Pahalgam take place… For such attitude.” Comparing the fan demanding a Kannada song to terror attack had caused outrage.

On Monday night he said on his social media handle, “Sorry Karnataka. My love for you is bigger than my ego. Love you always.”

However, in his first post earlier on Monday, Sonu had said that he was “entitled to take offence” by the incident. “I am not a young lad to take humiliation from anyone,” he had written. Throughout the controversy, Sonu has maintained that he felt threatened by “4-5 thugs” who demanded he sing Kannada songs during his concert.

ALSO READ:Sonu Nigam responds to Kannada song row: I am entitled to take offence

“I am 51-years-old, in the second half of my life and I am entitled to take offence for someone as young as my son for threatening me directly in front of thousands in the name of language, that too Kannada, which is my second language when it comes to my work, that too right after my first song of the concert! He provoked a few more. Their own people were embarrassed and were asking them to shut up,” Sonu wrote.

Ban on the singer?

Before his apology, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) decided to be “non-cooperative” with the singer. “Sonu Nigam will not be invited for any Kannada film-related events. We have written to the police commissioner’s office to not permit any Sonu Nigam concert in Bengaluru,” said M. Narasimhalu, chairman, KFCC, during a press conference.

Narasimhalu added that there has been no step taken to ban the singer from the Kannada film industry yet. “The chamber will have a meeting with audio labels, producers, music directors, singers and directors to discuss the issue.”

ALSO READ:Sonu Nigam responds to controversy: I was threatened by 4-5 thugs, no hate towards Kannadigas

Producer Uday K. Mehta, who was at the press conference, slammed Sonu Nigam’s remarks. “He has received immense love from the people of Karnataka. He has hurt them all with his words. Nobody with a stable mind will compare a request for a song to a terror attack,” Mr. Mehta told The Hindu.

K R Sunil with Mohanlal and Tharun Moorthy
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Photographer KR Sunil has always been a captivating story-teller. And he finds his stories in the unlikeliest of places — the streetside, a temple festival, a random conversation with a stranger, a police station. It was one such story that led to Mohanlal-Tharun Moorthy super-hit revenge drama, Thudarum. 

Twelve years ago, at his hometown Kodungallur, Sunil saw an elderly man anxiously looking over the wall of the police station. Intrigued, he began to observe him and it seemed that the man’s gaze was fixed on the vehicles parked inside the compound of the police station. The expression on the man’s face, a strange mix of worry and determination, says Sunil, sparked a series of thoughts in his mind. 

“What if he was looking at his vehicle that was intercepted by the police and was wondering how to retrieve it? What if that vehicle was his possession? What if it was the one thing he truly valued in life? It was all so visual, I had to write it down as a screenplay,” says Sunil. 

The story, which revolves around Mohanlal’s character Shanmugham (a taxi driver fondly known as Benz, owing to his obsession with his vintage Ambassador car), remixes reality with filmy twists and turns. 

For the photographer whose startlingly sincere frames have constantly pushed us to ponder over the human experience, writing for a film was new. “Though I didn’t have experience in scripting, I have nurtured some friendships in the industry, especially with stalwarts such as Kamal and Lal Jose. I have also assisted Rajeev Ravi on the camera in two films (Quotation and Rasikan) . These helped me shape my cinematic language,” he adds. Even during his early days as a student at the Fine Arts College, Thrissur, Sunil used to be a regular at Film Society screenings; he would watch commercial films, too. 

K R Sunil with Mohanlal
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Fuelled by the energy of his fresh script, Sunil read it out to producer Rajaputra Ranjith, who found potential in it. “He could easily relate to a character who was so obsessed with his car, he would go to any length to take care of it.” Ranjith eventually spoke to Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor, who were equally impressed with the story. “They had seen and known people like Benz who were obsessed with their cars,” says Sunil. 

But cinema, with its uncertainties and vagaries, took its own time. It was in 2022 when Sunil happened to watch Saudi Vellakka, written and directed by Tharun Moorthy, that things took a turn. “The film had a simple story told so compellingly that the scenes stayed with me. It struck a chord,” Sunil recalls. When Tharun heard the story, he knew too that it had all the makings of a good film.

K R Sunil with Tharun Moorthy
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Tharun met Sunil in 2023, at Mattancherry, where he was showcasing his works. They decided to work together on the script and what followed was a joyfully creative exchange, says Sunil. “Communicating with Tharun was easy and he offered quite a few suggestions, which I felt were suitable for the narrative, and we began work on a new script.”

Sunil, who was present at most of the shooting locations, says it was an inexplicable experience watching Mohanlal emote the characters he created. “We know Mohanlal as an actor. But as a person, he is extremely down-to-earth. People come from different places just to get a glimpse of him.” Sunil recounts how an elderly woman who was running an eatery near the shooting location in Thodupuzha brought a day’s meal for Mohanlal, who gladly relished it. 

Sunil admits he is a bit overwhelmed by the response the film has been getting. “The film has resonated with people across generations and the feedback is truly heartening,” he says. Sunil has quite a few stories in his head, but for now, he is concentrating on his upcoming photography shows in Goa and Mumbai.