- By Swati Singh
- Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
One of Bollywood's most talked-about controversies resurfaced after veteran journalist Aastha Atray revisited it on Siddharth Kannan's podcast. The discussion centred on the long-standing reports that Kareena Kapoor Khan allegedly slapped her Ajnabee co-star Bipasha Basu following tensions between the two actresses.
Siddharth Kannan asked, "Kareena Kapoor allegedly slapped Bipasha Basu and called her kaali billi. Uss time pe, those days... 2000s mein nepo kids ko call out kyun nahi kiya jaata tha? (Kareena Kapoor allegedly slapped Bipasha Basu and called her “black cat.” Back then, in those days… why weren't nepo kids called out in the 2000s?)"
Aastha Atray replied, "Instagram nahi tha, social media bhi nahi tha. At that time, gossip was reported more openly. Stardust aur Filmfare the, Shobhaa De likhti thi gossip leke. (Instagram wasn't there, social media wasn't there either. At that time, gossip was reported more openly. There was Stardust and Filmfare, and Shobhaa De used to write gossip columns.)"
"We read it for that - because it was reported, 'this person did this, that person did that.' Ab woh sab gaya. Aaj kuch anonymous Instagram accounts post karte hain ki 'this one had an affair' or 'that one did. (We read them for that — because it was reported, “this person did this, that person did that.” Now all of that is gone. Today, some anonymous Instagram accounts post things like “this one had an affair” or “that one did,) she further added.
She continued, "But Instagram tab tha hi nahi - jo padhte the, woh padhte the. People ordered Filmfare and Stardust for gossip. Aaj tum scrolling karte ho, Hindi mein bhi scrolling hai - aur gossip toh milta hi hai (But Instagram wasn't there back then — whatever people read, they read. People ordered Filmfare and Stardust for gossip. Today you scroll, even in Hindi you scroll — and gossip is always there to be found)."
According to long-standing reports, tensions arose during the filming of Ajnabee after a dispute involving designer Vikram Phadnis, leading to rumours that Kareena Kapoor Khan allegedly slapped Bipasha Basu. While Bipasha dismissed the controversy as exaggerated, Kareena also denied the claims.
The two actresses eventually buried the hatchet in 2008 when Kareena invited Bipasha to Saif Ali Khan's birthday celebration, ending years of reported differences.