Twitter has been ablaze ever since Maldives announced that it would be suspending flights from India as Twitterattis had a field day taking digs at Bollywood celebrities.
Maldives' Ministry of Tourism announced that it has suspended tourists travelling from India from April 27. "With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience," the tweet read.
Amid the surging Covid-19 pandemic in India, several Bollywood celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Katrina Kaif and Janhvi Kapoor went to the Maldives on vacation. Disha Patani’s bikini pictures received a lot of flak for being insensitive towards the current scenario of the country.
Not only did these celebrities draw flak from the public, they have also been criticised by many within their own fraternity. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is among them. When asked about stars posting vacation pictures during an interview, he said, “These entertainment celebrities posting vacation pictures at a time when the world is reeling under the worst recession. …Logon ke pass khana nahin hai aur aap paise phenk rahe ho. Kuch toh sharm karo (People don’t have food and you are wasting money, have some shame).”
Writer Shobhaa De wrote a satirical piece about Bollywood stars holidaying in Maldives even as the country battles a brutal second wave of coronavirus pandemic. “It is the height of vulgarity to flaunt those ridiculous pictures. Enjoy Maldives by all means. You are blessed if you can get such a break in these bleak times. But do everyone a favour... keep it private."
She also wrote about Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit Nene's recent vacations to the island nation and also about Dia Mirza's honeymoon. "But frankly, why find reasons, justifications, explanations? Why itna guilt-vilt? Just do it! Like the Bollywood stars who are sweet enough to advise their less fortunate countrymen and women to stay home and stay masked, while they post sunkissed shots. Then are the blessed ones like Dia Mirza who have fans going ‘awwwww’ over the bride’s baby bump. As for those pampered ‘influencers’— this is the upside of the Age of Insta. Freebies galore," she wrote.
Actress Shruti Haasan said, “It has been a tough time for everyone and for some people much more. I think gratitude and being thankful for privileges is what is most important to know versus throwing your privileges in people’s faces."
