Jugal Hansraj reacts to Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor being trolled after Nadaaniyan: ‘Personal attacks are…’

Jugal Hansraj-Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor

Saif Ali Khan and ex-wife Amrita Singh’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan and Boney Kapoor and late Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor received huge backlash for their poor performance in the teen romantic comedy Nadaaniyan, which premiered on Netflix earlier this month. Now, Jugal Hansraj, who played Ibrahim’s on-screen father in the film, has defended the two star kids and codemned the personal attacks on them.

Talking to India Today Digital, the Mohabbatein actor said, “Criticism should be constructive. If somebody who knows about cinema or has some experience in the field has a show or an article where they write about what worked and what didn’t, that’s something one can learn from. But on social media, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of personal attacks, which are not criticism. It’s just being silly and petty.” Sharing that how he never directly calls a film “bad”, Jugal added, “Who am I to say it’s bad? I just say it didn’t work for me or I didn’t connect with it. But some people proclaim as if they know everything.”

Comparing how newcomers face extreme pressure now to the times when he made his Bollywood debut, the Masoon actor said, “In the ’80s, many actors started off new with their first films, but there was no social media, so they were given space and time to grow and improve. There was equal awkwardness in all of us when we started off, but because of the lack of social media, there wasn’t this unfair scrutiny. Now, unfortunately, young actors – not just these two, but many others – are under intense spotlight. Anyone can become a film critic, even if they’ve never been on a film set or have just watched ten films and have access to social media.”

Criticising the personal attacks on Ibrahim and Khushi, Jugal concluded, “Personal attacks are not cool. If you have something constructive to say, please say it. That kind of feedback helps actors learn and improve. But personal attacks about appearance get murky and messy. I’m obviously not in favour of that kind of criticism.”

Nadaaniyan marked Ibrahim Ali Khan’s acting debut and is Khushi Kapoor’ third film after The Archies and Loveyapa. Helmed by Shauna Gautam in her directorial debut and produced by Karan Johar, the film also starred Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza, Mahima Chaudhry, Archana Puran Singh, and Aaliyah Qureishi among others.