Mumbai– Singer and reality TV personality Rahul Vaidya has ignited a social media storm after calling former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli a “joker”—a remark that has since spiraled into a heated exchange with Kohli’s fans.
The controversy began when Vaidya took a jab at Kohli following a viral incident involving a “like” from Kohli’s Instagram account on a post by influencer and actress Avneet Kaur. Though Kohli later clarified the interaction was unintentional and attributed it to an Instagram algorithm error, Vaidya wasn’t convinced—and took the opportunity to mock the explanation.
“Aaj ke baad aisa ho sakta hai ki algorithm bohot saare photos like karde jo maine nahi kare. So jo bhi ladki ho, please don’t do PR around it because it is not my mistake. It is Instagram’s mistake, okay?” Vaidya quipped sarcastically, mimicking Kohli’s clarification.
In the wake of his remarks, Kohli fans flooded Vaidya’s social media with backlash—some of it personal. In response, Vaidya doubled down, taking to Instagram Stories to insult Kohli’s supporters.
“Virat Kohli’s fans are even bigger jokers than Virat,” he wrote bluntly.
In another post, he expressed outrage over the abuse directed not only at him but also at his wife and sister, neither of whom were involved in the spat. “You’re abusing me, fine—but now you’re abusing my wife and my sister? They have nothing to do with this. That’s why I was right. You all Kohli fans are jokers. 2 kaudi ke jokers,” he wrote.
Adding fuel to the fire, Vaidya shared a video of himself singing B Praak’s track Joker, captioning it: “My favorite song since yesterday.”
As tensions escalated, Vaidya claimed Kohli had blocked him—before once again taking a sarcastic swipe. “Virat didn’t block me. Instagram’s algorithm must have done it on his behalf,” he joked.
The incident has sparked a wave of commentary online, with fans of both personalities weighing in. While some criticized Vaidya for his remarks, others defended his right to speak out. Kohli, known for staying largely composed amid social media storms, has not responded further since his initial statement.
The feud serves as a fresh example of how quickly online interactions between celebrities—and their fans—can escalate, especially in India’s deeply passionate cricket and entertainment cultures. (Source: IANS)
