Subhashree Ganguly slammed for 'tasteless' pics with Lionel Messi at Kolkata event, husband Raj Chakraborty defends her

Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly's pictures with Lionel Messi at the ill-fated Kolkata event earned her the internet's ire.

To say that Lionel Messi’s appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday was chaotic would be underselling it. The event turned into an all-out brawl as angry spectators, irked by their inability to see the football icon, hurled bottles and chairs to the ground. Amid this, Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly posted pictures she clicked with Messi at the ground on her social media. This immediately resulted in backlash for the actor, with many calling it ‘tasteless’.

Subhashree Ganguly met Lionel Messi at the Kolkata event.

Subhashree Ganguly faces backlash

On Sunday, Subhashree shared pictures of herself from the GOAT India Tour event, including two with Lionel Messi himself. “Represented the Bengali Film Fraternity at The G.O.A.T India Tour @leomessi,” she wrote in the caption. This led to many angry reactions in the comments and criticism from political leaders, accusing her of insensitivity toward fans.

Many said that given what happened at the event, Subhashree should not have posted the pictures, and she was ‘rubbing salt into fans’ wounds’.

Raj Chakraborty defends her

However, Subhashree’s husband, filmmaker and TMC MLA Raj Chakraborty, has now defended his wife. In a social media post on Sunday, he wrote, “Thousands of people who bought tickets at a high price were deprived of seeing their hero. Her ‘crime’ was posting a photograph with Messi. Does being an actress disqualify her from being a Messi fan?”

Raj also questioned the role of the media, noting that while many journalists were present, the scrutiny had disproportionately targeted Subhashree because of her public profile. “How a person, especially a woman, is treated leaves a lasting imprint. There is a vast difference between protest and humiliation,” he said.

The chaos at Messi's Kolkata event

The event, organised to mark Messi’s visit, descended into chaos as spectators from the galleries failed to catch a glimpse of the superstar, as their view of the player was blocked by a group of people on the ground.

The prime organiser of the event was arrested for alleged mismanagement, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a high-level inquiry and apologised to fans who could not see Messi.