Actor and now social media star, Rishi Kapoor says he’s ready to give it back to trolls on Twitter, in the language they understand best
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 7, 2017)

If there’s one thing that social media-savvy celebrities have learnt through their tryst with the web world, it is that trolls can be ruthless. Among the many industry folk to have frequently had bumpy encounters with their online fans is Rishi Kapoor. The veteran actor recently lost his cool on Twitter, and lashed out at his followers with a string of abusive accusations, many of which have been shared across the social networking platform.

It all started with a humble post, one that the actor assumed could have been a playful game of sorts, as he posted a quiz, asking the Twitterati to guess the common underlying thread between him and filmmaker Karan Johar. While some responded with the correct answer (both have named their sons after their respective fathers), others poked fun at him. “Weight,” said one while another wrote, “[The] art of getting away with stupidity since you are celebrities”.

While this wasn’t Kapoor’s first brush with trolls, he decided to react to the unwarranted sarcasm this time. The actor not only slammed them with his tweets, but also sent abusive direct messages (DMs) to followers before blocking them.

When mid-day got in touch with Kapoor, he reasoned, “I respect my fans, but if someone tries to troll or abuse me, I won’t take it.” The actor responded to questions about his abusive language in a rather nonchalant manner. “If you don’t like me, don’t follow me, but don’t try to mess around and gain attention at my cost. It’s not that these trolls don’t abuse me. If they do, I will reciprocate.”

In a string of DMs, snapshots of which have been shared on Twitter, Kapoor is seen poking fun at one’s religion and also at a woman’s looks. He defends himself claiming that he decided against openly abusing them since it invites unwanted attention. “It’s better to abuse them via direct messages and block them,” he signs off.