Mumbai: Ashneer Grover, the former managing director of the Indian fintech company BharatPe, has been engulfed in a storm of online criticism after his appearance on the reality show Bigg Boss 18 with Salman Khan.
The relentless trolling on social media has been a significant part of this backlash. However, Ashneer took to his X on Monday and issued a clarification in his defence, stating that everything he said earlier about his meeting with Bollywood superstar is absolutely true.
He wrote, “I hope you enjoyed the Bigg Boss weekend ka vaar! I had good fun. And I am sure the particular episode got great TRP / viewership. BTW all of statements are TRUE. Salman is a great host & actor – Salman knows what works on Bigg Boss – I’ve always praised Salman for his sense of self and business – not a single thing demeaning said for him ever – My deal numbers are always correct (bank/auditor verified)”.
He further mentioned, “Met Salman in an exclusive meeting on the brand collab for 3 hours in May 2019 in JW Marriott Juhu – along with the director of ad (it’s ok if he doesn’t remember me – I was not a public figure then – he meets tons of people) – The invite for coming as guest on Bigg Boss was not ‘unnamed’ – just like the cheque for the same 😉 And finally, I’ve a pic with him – which I didn’t earlier 😉 Thanks @BeingSalmanKhan. Keep rocking”.
For the uninitiated, Ashneer had claimed that back in 2019, Salman was brought on board as the face of BharatPe while Grover was still at the helm. He claimed to have negotiated the actor’s fee from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 4.5 crore, likening the negotiation to buying vegetables at a market. He also alleged that Salman’s team denied him a photo with the star, leading to a tongue-in-cheek remark about Salman’s “attitude”.
High-Street Fashion Players Looking at India for Manufacturing
During the latest episode of ‘Bigg Boss,’ Salman clarified that, contrary to Grover’s claims, they never had an extended one-on-one meeting, nor was there any camaraderie, as implied in Grover’s public statements. He got to know his name only when the makers said that he would be visiting the show.
However, the public’s reaction to Ashneer’s defense was not as he might have hoped. Social media users, in a collective voice, seemed in no mood to accept Ashneer’s side of the story on X, advising him to speak more carefully in the future.
For more updates Subscribe to Media Eye News
–IANS
