Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar has found herself in a fresh controversy online, and this time the criticism is coming from someone from her own past, her former acting teacher. The row began after Pednekar shared her views on the student protests over the NEET paper leak in a video, which triggered heavy trolling against her. Amid that backlash, Pednekar, known for films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, is now facing a sharp response from her former acting teacher Shruti Desai about the actress's own past behaviour.
What Shruti Desai said
Shruti Desai posted her comments from her Instagram handle @shruti_atmaja, and the post is now going viral. Desai describes herself as Pednekar's acting teacher at a Mumbai based school for some time and directly challenged the actress's remarks on the student movement. She wrote that recalling the experience was deeply unfortunate for her. Desai went on to accuse Pednekar of rude conduct, writing, "You behaved very rudely and disrespectfully towards your teacher." She also questioned where this newfound emphasis on responsibility and respect had suddenly come from.
What Bhumi Pednekar had said about the protests
The controversy traces back to a video in which Pednekar reacted to the student protests that began at Jantar Mantar. She said the students' demands had been heard and that the bill related to the paper leak had already been passed. Even so, she questioned why the students had not pushed for the right demands during the protest, such as biometric based technology. In the same video, she told young people that they seemed to have forgotten their own culture and asked whether children spoke to elders at home in the same manner. She said everyone needed to move forward together on the issue. In that same statement, she also strongly criticised those who insulted PM Modi and advised young people to avoid using objectionable language.
Why the backlash grew
Following those comments on culture and language, social media users turned on Pednekar, with many pointing to bold and vulgar scenes from her own films and asking why her standards seemed different when it came to her own work. Against that backdrop, her former teacher's comments have added a new dimension to the row, this time putting a direct spotlight on the actress's own personal conduct.
