Ektaa Kapoor Recalls Orkut Hate Groups, Calls Out Hinduphobia

Ektaa Kapoor’s introduction to social media was not exactly a warm welcome. In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, the Balaji Telefilms producer recalled logging into Orkut years ago and discovering that two of the platform’s biggest hate communities were aimed at her and Aishwarya Rai.

The Orkut discovery

Kapoor said she had little idea what Orkut was when an associate offered to build a profile for her. Once she explored the platform herself, she found groups with names that left no room for confusion. The two largest were ‘I Hate Aishwarya Rai’ and ‘I Hate Ekta Kapoor’.

One image from that era showed a caricature of her with a moustache and a large pimple, seated on a donkey. Rather than reacting with hurt, she framed the attention as flattering company.

“I was like, ‘I’m in august company. Aishwarya Rai is great company to be with.’ I wrote there, ‘Hate me or love me, you can’t ignore me,’” she said.

That reply made some users doubt whether the account was really hers. She eventually left the platform, but the moment is a useful reminder that celebrity trolling predates Instagram, X and the modern pile-on.

Tika, temples and being labelled a ‘freak’

The conversation moved from online hate to the judgement she has faced for practising her faith openly. Kapoor recalled being asked why she was “dressed like a freak” for wearing a tika and a dhaaga.

She also recounted going to a club after visiting a temple and being asked about the combination as if it were shocking. Her answer was simple: the temple is a place to manifest.

When the host mentioned that she had been called a “tantrik,” Kapoor said that wearing a tika and wearing religion on one’s sleeve has long invited unnecessary judgement. She believes times are changing and that visible faith is being accepted more.

Why the folklore debate matters

Kapoor made the comments while discussing The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, a folklore-inspired film she is backing. Some viewers compared its visual treatment to television, which she took as a compliment because television is India’s daily staple.

The producer behind Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii has spent decades shaping Indian storytelling. Her bigger concern is what she calls Hinduphobia: Indian folklore and mythology often meet resistance, while animation and other fantasy storytelling are welcomed. That argument matters because the industry is increasingly willing to back fantasy, yet local folklore rarely gets the same premium treatment.

For Hindi film fans, this is not just a debate about one producer. It is a question about which Indian stories get to be told with scale, spectacle and seriousness.

• Early social media hate is not new; celebrity trolling predates Instagram and X.
• A witty comeback can change the conversation without feeding the trolls.
• Visible faith still draws judgement, but acceptance is shifting.

Source: The Times of India