A tragic day dawned for the Indian entertainment industry on Sunday, April 12, when renowned playback singer Asha Bhosle passed away at 92. Nevertheless, for Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty, an effort to honour the musical legend led to a social media scandal.
The actor has found herself embroiled in a heated debate regarding the choice of a tribute post on her Instagram Story platform. To be more precise, Athiya posted a photo of Asha Bhosle’s elder sister and fellow playback singer, Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in February of last year. Even though she immediately deleted the erroneous post and put up another one, it was too late as many people had already taken screenshots of her mistake.
However, the backlash that followed was swift and merciless. The actor was slammed as being “careless” and lacking in the most basic courtesy while the nation mourned the loss of one of its most beloved artists. As one Twitter user pointed out, posting the wrong picture is “more than a mere mistake” — it is a sign of disrespect towards the legacy of the late artiste. Another user used the situation to resurrect the ongoing debate on “nepotism kids,” implying that Athiya was more interested in her online persona than checking her facts.
Athiya has since not commented on or apologised for the incident; instead, she chose to leave her updated tribute standing.
According to Dr Pratit Samdani at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, the singer died due to multi-organ failure, following her illness. The final rites are set to be held at Shivaji Park on Monday. As numerous celebrities pay their tributes to the legendary singer through heart-touching memories about her illustrious career spanning eighty years, the controversy involving Athiya Shetty comes as a sharp reminder of the pressure public figures undergo in the modern world.
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