Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, a self-confessed sneaker enthusiast and collector, recently schooled those buying fake sneakers, saying there are plenty of options available “if you have a low/moderate budget”. In his Insta Story, the actor urged males to “look into how they dress and invest well in what they wear”. “No point wearing expensive shoes if you don’t know how to put the rest of it together,” read a part of the post.

However, his comments did not sit well with social media users, who called out his “elitist” thinking. “Friends can you like.. stop being poor and buy some money? (sic)” an X user posted, while another user slammed the “entitled attitude”. Referring to similar comments made by his sister, actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, in the past, an X user said, “Like older sister, like younger brother.” “I genuinely thought Sonam is the only ‘privilege speaks’ child in their family,” another user said.

Amid the backlash, Kapoor, in his defence, wrote on X: “I know every time I say something there will be people on social media who don’t know anything about footwear going crazy. A lot of my followers are enthusiasts or looking to collect and that’s the audience I’m speaking to. You can now continue going bonkers for a temporary release of joy.”