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Apoorva Mukhija aka The Rebel Kid gets hate for comments on Bengaluru: ‘Hated it, city has no soul’
Apoorva Mukhija faces backlash on social media for old comments about Bengaluru, reigniting Kannada language controversy.
Social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija (known as The Rebel Kid on Instagram) recently came under fire for her crass language on Samay Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. Apoorva was part of the panel of judges alongside Ranveer Allahbadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Samay Raina and Jaspreet Bumrah in the ill-fated episode that has sparked nation-wide outrage.
In the wake of the controversy, earlier remarks made by the Rebel Kid have surfaced on social media and sparked further criticism against the influencer. One snippet in particular has invoked social media’s ire - it shows Apoorva Mukhija ranting about Bengaluru and the time she spent in the city.
“I hated living in Bengaluru”
In a conversation with content creator Ayush Wadhwa in October 2024, Apoorva Mukhija, 23, revealed that she lived in Bengaluru for some time after college. During this time, she was employed by Dell. However, she did not enjoy her time in the Silicon Valley of India and compared it unfavourably with Mumbai.
“I hated, hated living in that city,” she told Wadhwa. “I one hundred percent, truly, truly believe that that city has no soul. That city genuinely has no soul.”
Apoorva further opined that people in Bengaluru have no creativity like people in Mumbai. “Bangalore mein har kisi ko dhanda banana hai, which is a vibe I never vibed with… Bangalore mein, everyone is working 14 hours in a startup. Or they are doing 9 to 5,” she said.
The language barrier made things more difficult for the social media influencer. She said that autowallahs in Bengaluru refused to entertain her because she could not speak Kannada.
“Autowallah tumse baat nahi kar raha kyunki tumhe Kannada nahi aati. Brother I’ll pay you, why are you not talking to me?” she said, the frustration writ plain on her face.
The reactions
A video of Apoorva Mukhija’s comments has resurfaced on social media after the India’s Got Latent controversy which saw the influencer appearing before Mumbai Police yesterday.
The comments sparked backlash while renewing the Kannada language row.
“Bengaluru has no soul? Seriously? I lived in that city for 4 year, and it is one of the nicest cities with nicest people there,” countered X user Ankit Uttam.
“Double standards at their finest-hate speech gets a pass for fame,” a user named Bharat added.
Some people, however, voiced their support for her views. “I don't agree with her entirely, but she is true about rude auto drivers. Mumbai auto drivers are any day better than Bangalore auto fellows,” said one.
