New Delhi: Shilpa Shetty, who is currently enjoying her birthday vacation in Croatia with her husband Raj Kundra and family, reportedly engaged in a verbal spat with a tourist at a café. A video doing the rounds on the internet shows a woman who appears to be the actress yelling at the foreigner.
The viral clips, reportedly from Croatia’s Hvar Islands, show Shilpa and her team in a heated argument with a young foreigner.
Shilpa is currently in Hvar, celebrating her 50th birthday. The video was posted on Instagram by a user with the handle maddythecricketer.
According to the post, the incident occurred on June 9, when a foreign tourist, who was eating her food asked Shilpa and her family to lower their volume. The post further claims that Shilpa’s husband, businessman Raj Kundra, was offended by the request and responded, “You don’t know who we are.”
The video’s caption shares: “You can clearly hear Shilpa Shetty and her family standing, and Shilpa Shetty and team saying to us, ‘Don’t talk to us, we don’t want to hear you.’” The foreign woman reportedly just wanted to enjoy her meal and had politely requested them to speak softly.
The caption continues: “Please give your comments on this incident. Is this arrogance from our celebrities on foreign soil justified or not? Do these incidents damage the reputation of Indians abroad?”
The video, however, does not clearly show Shilpa or her family making the statement, though it does capture a commotion in front of the restaurant.
Shilpa allegedly said, “Don’t talk to us, we don’t want to hear you.” However, it’s unclear whether the voice was hers or her sister Shamita’s.
Another post from the same account shows Shilpa Shetty allegedly before the argument, with the caption: “I am posting the photo of Shilpa Shetty in Hvar, Croatia just before the argument took place with the foreign girl.”
How Did the Internet React?
Reactions to the video have been mixed. While some users defended the actress, others criticised her alleged behavior.
One user in support of Shilpa wrote: “Clearly, if you’re at a restaurant, people are going to be laughing, singing, talking. Everyone’s there to have a good time! If you want to eat in silence, kindly eat at home alone in your room. Shilpa herself owns Bastian hospitality, nobody knows better etiquette and mannerisms than her. I’m sure it’s a Karen hating on Indians who had a problem.”
Another user accused the tourist of racism: “I have seen many locals here in Australia of all ages do the same. But if an Indian does it, they notice this first. It’s usually other Indians that complain about ‘Indians being too loud.’ The same people are loud when they’re with their own group.”
A third user said: “Shilpa Shetty is a very nice person. You can see in Big Brother how foreigners bullied her, but she still kept her calm and dignity. Just because she’s a celebrity doesn’t mean she’s the culprit. We should hear both sides.”
Some users, however, said they wouldn’t believe the video until it clearly shows Shilpa in the act.
Still, many others criticized the actress.
One comment read: “Being a star doesn’t give you the right to talk loudly in public. This is bad etiquette.”
No official statement regarding the incident has been issued yet.
