Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani actress Kalki Koechlin, on Tuesday deleted the X application from her phone amid the ongoing Israel - Palestine conflict.
Taking to Instagram, Kalki shared a picture which she captioned, "Had to do this today. The hate and disinformation, the doom scrolling, the helplessness. But what really crossed the line for me, what really made me draw a boundary was the denial or the justification of Palestinian children murdered in the thousands or the denial or glorification of Israeli women being raped, tortured, and murdered, I have had enough. Some places that have helped me get more perspective."
However, the Dev D actress didn't delete her account from the micro-blogging site but only deleted the app from her device.
Soon after she shared the post, her fans swamped down the comment section and shared their reactions.
Actor Sayani Gupta commented, "Oh man. Absolutely. There's no nuance anymore! No sense of what's just. It's all about polarisation. This or that. Choose a side and hate on the other. Also, had gotten off Twitter maybe almost two years ago. Best cleanse ever!"
Meanwhile, on the work front, Kalki was last seen in the film Goldfish which marked her return to the big screen.
In Goldfish, Kalki portrayed the nuances of a loving daughter struggling with financial problems. Deepti Naval was also a part of it.
"Goldfish was special because complex, layered, sensitive, and funny scripts like that are rare to come by. Anyway, there are few roles for someone like me in the industry since the colour of my skin limits my roles in Bollywood, and this being about the identity of a half Indian, half Britisher was something I knew I was cut out for," she earlier said in a press note.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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