As celebs support Lakshadweep Islands amid tensions with Maldives, Vir Das speaks about Indian celebs and influencers’ fear of sharing Maldives vacation pics.
Amid tensions between India and the Maldives following a tweet by a Maldives minister slamming Lakshadweep Islands, celebs such as Akshay Kumar have expressed their support for the archipelago and encouraged Indians to explore its beauty. Actor, comedian and Emmy Award-winner Vir Das has also reacted to the backlash against Maldives.
He tweeted on Monday, “Firstly, happy Lakshadweep is getting some love! Secondly, somewhere in the Maldives, right now, is an Indian celebrity/ influencer, who didn’t eat carbs for two weeks, took the best vacation photos ever, and is TERRIFIED to post them.”
Reacting to Vir’s tweet, an X user suggested, “They can just post it saying it’s Lakshadweep/ Looks almost the same; will get much more engagement right now.” Another said, “Few are deleting the past ones too.” One more tweeted, “One (Indian influencer/celeb) already put pics last week and now lecturing others to stay away.”
After John Abraham, Shraddha Kapoor and many other Bollywood actors, a host of celebs such as Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Urvashi Rautela posted photos of Lakshadweep amid Maldives boycott calls. The celebs joined the trend of promoting Indian tourism after prominent personalities from the Maldives mocked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch to visit Indian islands. PM Modi had recently shared pictures of his trip to Lakshadweep Islands.
On Sunday, Sara took to Instagram Stories to react to a friend’s beach photos from Lakshadweep, writing, “After all the north Indian expeditions I have taken you on – time for you to make me explore the islands and jungles of our country.”
Janhvi Kapoor said she was looking forward to visiting Lakshadweep. She wrote on Instagram Stories, “Are these pristine blue waters real? How beautiful is Lakshadweep! So glad to see this treasure in our country is getting the attention it deserves, can’t wait to explore Indian Islands”.
Urvashi, too, took to Instagram, and along with a picture from the beach destination, wrote in her caption, “Planning to go Lakshadweep. Our country has so many magnificent tourist destinations, with unimaginable potential; yet to be fully explored. Can any of you guess this Indian tourist haven, just from the pictures I’ve posted? Explore Indian Islands… @narendramodi.”