Popular comedian Kapil Sharma has landed himself in controversy after an alleged ‘racist’ question he asked filmmaker Atlee Kumar during a recently telecast episode of the show The Great Indian Kapil Show.
Kapil Sharma subtly insults Atlee's looks?
Atlee responds like a boss: Don't judge by appearance, judge by the heart.#Atlee #KapilSharma pic.twitter.com/oSzU0pRDS4
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) December 15, 2024
Atlee, along with actors Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi, was on the program to promote their upcoming film ‘Baby John’.
Here’s What Happened
In one of the episodes, Kapil Sharma asked Atlee if his looks ever made people question how he is actually a successful director and producer despite his younger looks.
Specifically, Kapil questioned, “When you get to meet a star for the first time, do they ask, where is Atlee?”
Atlee responded gracefully, “In a way I understood your question. I’ll try to answer. I’m actually very thankful to AR Murugadoss sir because he produced my first film. He asked for a script, but he didn’t see how I was looking or whether I’m capable of it or not. But, he loved my narration. I think the world should see that.”
He added, “We should not judge by appearance. You have to judge by your heart.”
While Atlee’s dignified response won praise online, Kapil Sharma faced criticism on social media.
Kapil Clarifies
In his defense, Kapil Sharma took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his stance. Sharing a clip from the episode, he wrote, “Dear sir, can you pls explain me where n when I talked about looks in this video? Pls don’t spread hate on social media. Thank you. (Guys watch n decide by yourself, don’t follow anybody’s tweet like a sheep.)”
Dear sir, can you pls explain me where n when I talked about looks in this video ? pls don’t spread hate on social media 🙏 thank you. (guys watch n decide by yourself, don’t follow any body’s tweet like a sheep). https://t.co/PdsxTo8xjg
— Kapil Sharma (@KapilSharmaK9) December 17, 2024
Many users interpreted the question as disrespectful, with some calling it an example of body shaming or reinforcing color biases. Singer Chinmayi Sripaada also criticized the perceived racial undertones of the remark.
The incident has divided social media users. While some accused Kapil of insensitivity, others defended him, arguing that his intent was to highlight Atlee’s young age and success rather than make a discriminatory remark.
Meanwhile, Atlee has not commented on the backlash. The filmmaker is currently promoting Baby John, an official adaptation of Thalapathy Vijay’s Theri. Starring Varun Dhawan, the film is set for release on December 25, 2024.
