Ibrahim Ali Khan On His Reply To Pakistani Journalist For Nose Job Comment: 'It Felt Like Below-The-Belt Remark'

Ibrahim Ali Khan is finally addressing the criticism surrounding his Netflix debut, 'Nadaaniyan', a romantic comedy directed by Shauna Gautam that premiered last month. While the young actor stayed quiet amid the flood of harsh reviews, he’s now spoken up in an interview with Filmfare — including about the moment he lost his temper and sent a strongly worded direct message to a Pakistani journalist.

The controversy began when a journalist criticised the film and made personal remarks, including one about Ibrahim allegedly undergoing a “botched nose job.” In March, Ibrahim retaliated via Instagram DM with a scathing response. His message, which included personal insults and even a threat of violence, was later made public by the journalist, Tamur.

Ibrahim on his message to the Pakistani journalist

Ibrahim now says he regrets reacting the way he did. “I know I shouldn’t have reacted but I’m also new to public scrutiny. When he made that personal comment about my body, it felt like a below-the-belt remark. But going forward, I’ll be more composed. I shouldn’t have reacted. It won’t happen again,” he told Filmfare.

Opening up further about his temperament, the actor admitted, “I’m a calm person… Just joking! I can have a bit of a short fuse but I’m working on it. It’s not like I randomly lose it, but yeah, if I’m in a bad mood or something, then maybe.”

Also read: 'The Film Was Not Good, But He Still...': Sharmila Tagore's Honest Verdict On Ibrahim Ali Khan's Debut Film Nadaaniyan

Ibrahim Ali on Nadaaniyan criticism

As for the film itself, Ibrahim acknowledges that 'Nadaaniyan' wasn’t universally loved but believes it was misunderstood. “People go into the film with very high expectations of what it should be. It was not to be some grand film. It was meant to be a sweet, breezy rom-com that you should enjoy on a Friday night, chilling in bed,” he said.

He continued, “Social media is a hateful world, right now. They tried to twist it a lot. Sure, as a lead actor, I have to bring in loads more than what I did. I know I can bring it and I am confident that I will bring it in my future projects. But I’m happy with what it was. I worked with hardworking people and we made a sweet film. I get the criticism but I enjoyed working on it. It was meant to be sweet and breezy. I would say it’s good.”

When asked to rate his own performance as Arjun Mehta from "Greatest Noida," Ibrahim gave himself a three to three-and-a-half stars out of five. “Don’t fly too high but don’t diss yourself either,” he added, explaining that while there’s room to grow, he’s content with where he stands right now.

Meanwhile, audiences are still awaiting the release of Ibrahim’s first-ever project, Sarzameen, directed by Kayoze Irani and starring Kajol and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Both films have been produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

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