Kangana Ranaut, Vivek Oberoi to Abhijeet Bhattacharya: Celebrities who faced instant backlash after controversial tweets

The once-popular playback singer faced intense backlash after posting inflammatory tweets aimed at women journalists, political leaders, and minority communities. His repeated violations of platform rules led to multiple suspensions, severely damaging his public image. Despite occasional attempts to revive his career, mainstream Bollywood gradually distanced itself from him, leaving his professional resurgence largely unsuccessful.

Kangana Ranaut, one of Bollywood’s most controversial figures, has often dominated headlines more for her explosive tweets than her films. From taking personal digs at co-stars to posting politically charged statements, her online presence frequently stirred nationwide outrage. Matters escalated in 2021 when Twitter permanently suspended her account for violating hate speech policies. Although she shifted to Koo and later Instagram, the backlash contributed to film boycotts and a noticeable cooling-off from sections of the industry.

While she wasn’t “cancelled” due to a single tweet, Rhea Chakraborty’s social media activity during the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death fueled a massive digital witch-hunt. Her cryptic posts and subsequent interviews were dissected relentlessly, and online trolls pronounced her guilty long before any legal clarity emerged. Hashtags demanding her arrest trended for weeks, effectively pushing her into an informal exile from Bollywood. Though she is now slowly rebuilding her career, the online harassment she endured remains one of the harshest in recent memory.

Sajid Khan’s case wasn’t tied to one specific post, but his social media presence ignited a storm when he attempted a comeback through Bigg Boss despite multiple #MeToo allegations against him. Twitter erupted with anger, with users condemning both the show and the industry for offering him a platform. The backlash was swift, sustained, and unforgiving, making his return one of the most heavily protested in recent years.

Vivek Oberoi sparked controversy in 2019 by sharing a meme comparing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s past relationships to election results. The post was slammed as sexist, insensitive, and deeply disrespectful—drawing criticism from netizens, colleagues, and even political figures. Although he deleted the meme and issued an apology, the damage had already been done. What could have been a light moment during election season turned into a major PR disaster for the actor.