Have you been following the AP Dhillon and Tara Sutaria controversy? What started as a seemingly harmless moment at AP Dhillon’s Mumbai concert — Tara joining him on stage for a short dance ending in a casual friendly hug — quickly spiralled into online chaos. Clips from the event were circulated widely. The clips showed Tara’s boyfriend, Veer, allegedly reacting to the actress's presence on stage with AP.
Soon after, online chaos began with netizens sharing the alleged video and criticising Tara. This raises the question: has voyeurism begun dictating how women, especially celebrities, are perceived online?
After AP Dhillon’s Mumbai concert, clips of Tara performing with AP Dhillon and greeting him with a hug and a peck on the cheek quickly went viral on social media. While the moment itself drew attention, it was a clip of Veer’s alleged reaction that sparked debate, with netizens reading discomfort into the brief visuals.
Many slut-shamed Tara and called her a cheater, while some called her a gold digger.
Tara Sutaria, furious with the alleged clips and shared a video giving her statement. Putting an end to the speculation, Tara wrote, “Loud and proud and in it together!!! @apdhillon FAV!!! What a night! Thank you, Mumbai for SO much love for our song and here's to more music and memories together. P.S - False narratives, ‘clever editing' and paid PR campaigns by folks won't and don't shake us up! In the end, love and the truth always win. So the joke's on the bullies.”
Veer also weighed in and wrote, “Not to mention the reaction footage of me was taken during another song, not even Thodi Si Daru. Jokers.”
This begs the question: was the public's backlash against Tara disproportionate, especially given that it was based on what appears to be an edited clip?
On Wednesday, the actor shared a video posted by influencer Tanisha Malara, who claimed she was approached to participate in a coordinated smear campaign against Tara and AP.
Sharing the video on her social media, wrote, “Thank you @tanisha__malara for speaking up and sharing how this is PAID PR and done to malign my reputation,” Tara wrote.
In her next story, Tara shared the document file and revealed the talking points that were allegedly given to content creators, "These are the captions and talking points sent out to hundreds of content creators and thousands of meme pages. All to malign my image, ruin my relationship and career? Shameful and sick. Clearly seeing people happy hurts those who aren't. Will not stop sharing the truth. See it for yourselves."
The Tara Sutaria–AP Dhillon episode reminds us that the internet rewards outrage far more than restraint. But it also challenges audiences to pause. Should viral moments really decide someone’s truth? Or do we owe people some much needed privacy and space?
