Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has hit out at “misogynistic, powerless men” after she received abusive social media messages over her reported on-off relationship with Indian Test cricket captain Virat Kohli.
“I think it’s misogynistic, powerless men who have no other way to put you down, whose egos are hurt because you are a successful working woman with your own money and independence,” she said.
Star batsman Kohli pleaded with Internet users to stop attacking Sharma in a passionate appeal on Instagram earlier this year, saying it was shameful to blame her for his performances.
Ahead of the release of Sultan, in where she plays a female wrestler, the actor said it had been difficult coming to terms with the online abuse. “It’s one thing to be abused for a film I did or to be trolled if I did something wrong. But to be abused for something I had no association with? That was hurtful,” she said.
“I have been trolled more than many of my peers. At the beginning I didn’t know how to react but now I don’t care,” Anushka added.
The status of Kohli and Sharma’s high-profile relationship is a staple in the gossip pages of India’s newspapers, despite the couple refusing to speak directly on the subject. They began dating in 2014 but were rumoured to have broken up earlier this year before apparently getting back together again, according to several Indian media outlets.
The actor received negative comments on Twitter last year after she travelled to Australia to watch Kohli in the cricket World Cup. She was pictured sitting in the stands as Kohli made just one run during India’s semi-final defeat to Australia in Sydney, with some Twitter users suggesting it was her fault.
In March, Kohli wrote on Instagram: “Shame on blaming and making fun of her (Sharma) when she has no control over what I do with my sport. If anything she has only motivated and given me more positivity,” following it up with a similar message on Twitter asking for people to have “compassion”.
Talking about Sultan, she said, “I had just six weeks to build muscles and change my training to weight lifting and learn wrestling. I didn’t want to do tricks. I wanted to make it look real and authentic as a sport,” she said.
