Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav is currently busy promoting his upcoming film Bhooth Bangla. Recently, a couple of videos from the promotions went viral, with some social media users claiming that Wamiqa Gabbi had ‘ignored’ him.
The clips triggered backlash against Wamiqa. Now, Rajpal has reacted to the controversy.
Rajpal Yadav defends Wamiqa Gabbi amid backlash for ignoring him
Speaking to Zoom, Rajpal dismissed the speculation and explained that it was simply a matter of camera angles and misinterpretation. He said, “Ye kaise hota hai ki jaisa apka angle camera hota hai, main vahan kisi doosre ko kar raha hu, wo bechari kisi doosre ko kar rahi hai, lekin wo camera angle esa laga (It happens that from one camera angle it looks like I’m doing something with someone else, and that poor girl is doing something with someone else, but the camera makes it look completely different).”
He further added, “In a video with Akki (Akshay Kumar) paaji, there are three girls standing there and hum log jaise scene nahi banate? (and just like we set up a scene), you stand there, I’ll stand here, and the girls will stand in between. But if people find entertainment in that too, then there’s no problem. We’ve honestly laughed enough over Wamiqa, Akki paaji, and all of this.”
Rajpal also said that the cast shares such a comfortable bond with each other that there is no formality left between them. However, he admitted that someone watching from a distance may interpret things differently. He also stated that in his 25-year career, he has never felt ignored.
What exactly happened between Rajpal Yadav and Wamiqa Gabbi
One of the viral videos showed Rajpal Yadav, Akshay Kumar, Ektaa Kapoor and Wamiqa Gabbi promoting Bhooth Bangla. In the clip, Wamiqa was seen walking quickly towards Ektaa, while Rajpal appeared to be fixing his hair. However, many social media users assumed that Rajpal thought Wamiqa was coming to hug him, and when she turned towards Ektaa instead, he tried to save himself from embarrassment by adjusting his hair.
Another video from the promotions showed Mithila Palkar asking Wamiqa to stand beside Rajpal for a group photo, but Wamiqa appeared slightly hesitant at first. Later, when she finally stood next to him, Rajpal jokingly walked away. The moment soon turned humorous when Wamiqa followed him back, seemingly to stop him. Despite the light-hearted nature of the clip, Wamiqa was criticised online.
About Bhooth Bangla
Helmed by Priyadarshan, the horror-comedy stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role, alongside Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Wamiqa Gabbi, Tabu and others in key roles.
The trailer of the film, which was released on 6 April, received mixed reactions. While some viewers were happy to see Akshay back in his trademark comic form, others were disappointed by the VFX and the reuse of old popular dialogues. The film is