Ananya Panday’s photo with Pakistani critic Umair goes viral

Mumbai: Whenever Pakistani personalities and Bollywood celebs share a frame, it often turns into a hot topic online. While sometimes such moments are celebrated by fans, during tense times like the current strain in Indo-Pak relations post the Pahalgam terror attack, these interactions often stir backlash.

After the recent controversy around Diljit Dosanjh sharing screen space with Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in Sardaarji 3, now a photo of Bollywood actress Ananya Panday with controversial Pakistani film critic Umair Sandhu is doing the rounds on Reddit.

While some users slammed the actress for posing with someone known for his bold and often distasteful opinions on Bollywood celebs, others defended her saying it could have been “just a selfie” and nothing more. “Not taking sides here but doing a film vs taking a quick photo are two very different things,” one user pointed out. Another commented, “This is blown out of proportion.”

Umair Sandhu, a self-proclaimed critic, has a history of making unverified claims about celebrities, and has previously landed in legal trouble over statements about actresses Kriti Sanon, Pooja Hegde, Celina Jaitly and others.