Urvashi Rautela-Rishabh Pant's war-of-words: The what, why and when
What's the story
Actor Urvashi Rautela and Indian batsman-wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant have found themselves in a controversy. Recently, in an interview, Rautela had mentioned a certain "Mr. RP" who waited for her at a Delhi hotel for over 10 hours. Reacting to this, Pant took a dig at her on his short-lived Instagram Story, asking her to get off his back. Now, Rautela has finally retaliated.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Cricketers being linked to actors isn't a new phenomenon in India. Pant and Rautela have made headlines repeatedly due to rumors of their alleged "relationship" and it was also reported that the duo eventually split up since things didn't work out. Interestingly, Rautela was also seen during a cricket match in October last year and netizens claimed that she came to support Pant.
Retaliation
Now, Rautela has advised Pant to focus on cricket
Rautela, finally breaking her silence amidst immense social media trolling, has strongly retaliated. Calling Pant a "chotu bhaiyaa [little brother]" who should "play bat-ball," she further wrote in her post, "Main koyi Munni nahi hoon badnam hone with young kiddo darling tere liye," hitting back at Pant's remark about her seeking fame. Her post has been liked over one lakh times so far.
Recap
What's the root cause of this war?
In an interview with journalist Faridoon Shahryar, Rautela recently narrated an old incident where she couldn't meet "Mr. RP" since she was exhausted and slept for several hours straight. She later "woke up to about 17 missed calls from RP, who had waited in the lobby for 10+ hours." Though the interviewer prompted, the Pagalpanti actor didn't reveal who the initials stood for.
Twitter Post
Watch the interview here
Ye le
— 🦅🦅 (@DarkKnightRised) August 10, 2022
pic.twitter.com/kn0kenF1LO
Mudslinging
'Some people are thirsty for fame,' Pant had opined
Once Rautela's video went viral, Pant took to his Instagram Stories and hit back at Rautela. He had written, "It's funny how people lie in interviews just for some meager popularity and for hitting the headlines. Sad how some people are thirsty for fame and name." He also left a cheeky, "May god bless them." Pant reportedly took the Story down after 10 minutes.
Twitter Post
You can read the war of words here
Lafda after this🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/KN79EzcTfh
— Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) August 11, 2022
Trolling
Yet again, netizens had a field day
Rautela, unsurprisingly, is now at the receiving end of social media trolling for "acting like a jilted lover." One user wrote, "Rishabh Vs. Urvashi is more interesting than Russia Vs. Ukraine," while another tweeted, "Urvashi has the audacity to stalk him everywhere and then call him a cougar hunter?" Some netizens have also jokingly said that "RP" signified cricketers Ricky Ponting or Riyan Parag.