Mumbai, Sep 15 (IANS): Punjabi singer and former Bigg Boss 15 contestant Afsana Khan recently attended Ganpati celebrations at comedian Kapil Sharma and his wife Ginni Chatrath’s residence.
But it seems like the pictures from the celebration soon became a talking point online, with the singer facing a section of social media users who criticised her for participating in Hindu festivities despite being a Muslim.
Afsana shared glimpses from the celebration on social media. In one of the pictures, she is seen sitting in front of a beautifully decorated idol of Lord Ganesha, and is accompanied by her husband, singer and music producer Saajz, whose real name is Sajan Sharma. The couple can be seen posing alongside Kapil Sharma and Ginni Chatrath.
Sharing her experience, Afsana wrote about celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at “Kapil Paji and Ginni Bhabhi’s house” and said the day was filled with “lots of love, happiness and lots of fun.” She also mentioned being happy to see Ganpati Bappa at “Mikka Paji’s house.”
While many social media users showered the singer with love and blessings, a section of users targeted her over her religious identity. Some of the comments visible on the post included, “Shame of you”, “First she commits sin and then she meditates to God.”
Another comment read, “Babbu Mann sang the truth. She left her religion for fame.”
At the same time, some users came to Afsana’s defence and asked people to stop trolling her. One commenter wrote, “Guys, don’t troll her Everyone makes mistakes. She doesn’t do it anymore, so why keep dragging it? Just let it go for Sidhu Paaji.”
This is not the first time Afsana has faced criticism for participating in Hindu religious traditions.
In August this year, during the holy month of Shravan, she shared pictures and videos of herself performing Rudrabhishek of a Shivling with her husband Saajz. She had also shared the sentiment, “Meri taqat mera Mahadev hai” (My strength is my Mahadev”). The post attracted both praise and severe trolling.
Some users questioned her for following Hindu traditions despite being Muslim, while others made derogatory remarks about her religious identity and upbringing. Comments such as “Tum kuch bhi karo lekin name apna change karo” and “Astagfirulla. This is haraam,” etc were made.
On the professional front, Afsana Khan who is a popular Punjabi singer, songwriter and playback singer, began her singing journey with Voice of Punjab Season 3 in 2012 and later participated in Rising Star Season 1. She gained widespread popularity with songs such as Dhakka, Jaani Ve Jaani and, most notably, Titliaan Warga, which became a major hit in 2020.
She subsequently entered the Hindi television space with Bigg Boss 15 in 2021, where her outspoken personality and other controversies made her one of the more talked-about contestants on the season.
