Influencer who made viral video with 10 million views supporting Katrina Kaif thinks Salman Khan is lauding him

Salman Khan ’s strong reaction to online trolling on Bigg Boss 20 has now caught the attention of an influencer who has previously spoken out against the trolling of celebrities, especially Katrina Kaif . The influencer, named Mangalam Poddar, reacted to Salman’s comments after Saturday’s Weekend Ka Vaar episode, where the actor spoke at length about the abuse faced by celebrities online.

Sharing a clip from Salman’s segment, Mangalam wrote, “He didn’t name me, but this is something special🧿.” The reaction comes after the influencer posted a video in support of Katrina Kaif amid the trolling she faced over her postpartum weight. The video went viral and has clocked around 10 million views.

The influencer’s reaction comes after Salman himself spoke about the wider culture of online trolling during his conversation with Bigg Boss 20 contestant Scout, whose real name is Tanmay Singh.

Salman hit back at the argument that celebrities owe their success to fans simply for watching their films. He said while actors value their audiences, buying a movie ticket does not give anyone the right to personally attack them. “There are many who, when these things happen, use the platform to slam them. I salute those guys,” he said, looking at the camera, which the influencer took to mean people like him.

Salman also added, “A new thing that has started is that they say they have made us big. We respect fans, but does that mean you treat us this way? You bought a ticket to see the film; you didn’t buy us. We give it our best so that people enjoy a film. No ethics, morals, principles, or scruples. So many people are sad and depressed, trying to lose weight. Who are you to pass comments and make money at their expense? You should be ashamed. I am happy that many actors have also started calling these people out. I salute them.”

Salman also took aim at online language, saying that abusive comments often say more about the person making them than about the celebrity on the receiving end. “The language that trolls use, unki parvarish pata chalti hai ki woh kaun hai. Kabhi kabhi toh lagta hai yeh humare log hain bhi yaa nahi, insaan hai bhi yaa nahi? Parasites. Yeh tapka bahut chota hai, and we need to wipe this out. Nahi dekhna aapko picture mat dekho. Yeh naya aaya hai ki humare wajah se tum Bane ho. Hum fans ko respect dete hai iska matlb tum Aisa karo humare saath? Ticket kharedi aapne picture dekhne ke liye, hume thodi khareeda hai aapne yaar. We give our best taaki aapko film dekhne mein maza aaye. People are getting depressed because of these trolls and don't know how to get out," he said.

(The language trolls use reveals a lot about their upbringing and the kind of people they are. Sometimes, one wonders if they are even 'our people'—or even human at all? They are parasites. This is a small, nasty breed, and we need to wipe it out. If you don't want to watch the movie, then don't. There’s this new attitude where they think, ‘You became who you are because of us.’ Just because we respect our fans, does that give you the right to treat us this way? You bought a ticket to watch the movie; you didn't buy us. We give our best so that you enjoy the film.