Gauahar Khan, Salman Khan and Sofia Hayat (Instagram)
Mumbai: Salman Khan’s latest Weekend Ka Vaar appearance on Bigg Boss 20 has sparked a fresh conversation around trolling, body-shaming and the way celebrities are judged online. The actor made headlines after taking off his shirt on stage and directly challenging those who have been commenting on his weight and appearance.
However, the moment also brought back an old Bigg Boss controversy. Former contestant Sofia Hayat, who participated in Bigg Boss 7 in 2013, took to X (formerly Twitter) and criticised Salman over his comments on body-shaming. She recalled an alleged incident from her time on the show and called the actor a “hypocritical idiot.”
After the latest Weekend Ka Vaar episode aired, Sofia reshared a video of Salman removing his shirt on the Bigg Boss 20 stage. Reacting to the actor’s stance on trolling and appearance, she wrote on X, “SALMAN is an hypocritical idiot. When I was in Bigg Boss he criticised my body and face..and told Gauahar (Khan) her body was good. Argh.”
Sofia’s comments quickly attracted attention as they came shortly after Salman spoke at length about the comments he receives about his own appearance.
The former contestant has now also responded to users on X who discussed Salman’s career and recent films. In one response, Sofia wrote, “Ok, he’s done well in his career for mamy years, he hasn’t evolved like Amitabh Bachchan.”
During the latest Weekend Ka Vaar, Salman addressed the constant online comments about his age, weight and appearance. The actor said he is aware of the trolling but usually chooses not to react to it.
At one point, he removed his hat and shirt on stage and challenged those who had been mocking his body to continue doing so.
“Bhai mota hogaya hai, bhai ko troll karo… Karlo troll, yeh lo. Karlo troll. Aao, troll karna hai na? Troll karna pasand hai? Yeh dekho, close-up karlo,” Salman said.
He went on to question the practice of making personal comments about someone’s face or body. According to reports, Salman said that commenting on whether someone has gained or lost weight is one thing, but turning a person’s appearance into a joke is different.
The actor also spoke about the way celebrities, particularly women, are judged for their appearance and questioned the manner in which paparazzi sometimes photograph them.
The conversation did not stop at body-shaming. Salman also spoke about the larger culture of online trolling and alleged that some negative campaigns against celebrities can be paid.
He questioned the practice of people being allegedly paid to target actors online and also raised concerns about what he described as paid film reviews. His comments added another dimension to the Weekend Ka Vaar discussion, which had already generated considerable attention online.
Another topic Salman addressed was the expectation that actors should have an opinion on every political or social issue.
He argued that celebrities may not always have enough information about a particular issue or may simply choose not to comment. Salman questioned why actors should be expected to give an opinion whenever journalists ask them about a subject.
This post was last modified on September 21, 2026 12:02 pm