- By Swati Singh
- Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:24 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A single YouTube thumbnail has triggered a massive online backlash, setting social media abuzz with intense debate and speculation. The controversy erupted after Dhruv Rathee featured a before-and-after image of actor Janhvi Kapoor in the thumbnail of his video discussing 'fake beauty', which many users found provocative and inappropriate. The situation escalated further when sections of the internet began alleging that the video was a targeted response to Janhvi’s recent social media post expressing support for Bangladeshi Hindus.
As these claims rapidly gained traction and the narrative continued to snowball across platforms, the criticism against Rathee grew increasingly vocal. In response to the mounting backlash, Rathee released a separate video to directly address the accusations.
Rathee said in the video, "Tumhe Bhagwan ne dimag diya hai, kyun nahi istemal karte iska? Matlab BJP ke IT cell wale jo post dalte rahenge, tum usse andhadhun yakeen karte rahoge. Pehli chiz toh jis din Janhvi Kapoor ne post daali, usi din maine aadhe ghante ka video dal diya. Kya yeh realistically possible hai? (God has given you a brain, why don’t you use it? You’ll blindly believe whatever the BJP’s IT cell posts. Firstly, I posted a half-hour video the same day Janhvi Kapoor shared her post. Is that realistically possible?)"
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He further added, "Dusra maine khud Bangladeshi Hindus ke upar reel banayi, toh main uss chiz ko lekar kyun criticise karunga? Main tum logo ki tarah nahi ho ke kisiko indirectly criticise karta. Main jo bolna hota hai mou pe bolta hoon. Naa main tumhare papa se darta aur naa hie main kisi Bollywood celebrity se darta (Secondly, I myself made a reel about Bangladeshi Hindus, so why would I criticise that? I’m not like you guys who criticise people indirectly. I say it on the face whatever I have to say. I’m not afraid of your father and I’m not afraid of any Bollywood celebrity)."
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"Aur teesri sabse interesting chiz yeh hai ke yeh pura video plastic surgery ke upar hai, ke uska kya impact padhta hai society pe. Iss poore video mein maine Janhvi Kapoor se koi sawaal nahi kiya (And the third most interesting thing is that this entire video focuses on plastic surgery and its impact on society. I didn’t ask Janhvi Kapoor any questions throughout the video)," he mentioned.
He clarified that Janhvi was featured in the thumbnail because she is one of the few Bollywood actors who has openly acknowledged undergoing cosmetic procedures. Meanwhile, Janhvi Kapoor has remained silent on the controversy and has not responded to Rathee’s clarification video.