Trolled for comparing Vande Bharat food to 5-star hotel, influencer shares ‘truth behind review’
Travel influencer Shashank Gupta stood by his review of Vande Bharat Express food, claiming it tasted like 5-star quality.
A travel influencer, trolled for comparing food served on Vande Bharat Express to a 5-star hotel, says that he stands by his review and that it was not influenced by any political agenda. Shashank Gupta shared this clarification after he was trolled for his X post where he wrote: “the food in this train was no less than any five star hotel in terms of taste.”

The travel vlogger had travelled from Udaipur to Agra in a special coach for social media influencers arranged by the Railways. Before the journey, he thanked Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, DRM Lucknow and the Ministry of Railways for arranging the special train.
Gupta was part of the inaugural journey of the Udaipur-Agra Vande Bharat Express earlier this week. During his journey, he received a breakfast tray containing poha, cutlets, aloo sabzi and paranthas, along with curd, a packet of namkeen and a Choco-Pie dessert.
“Today I traveled in train no -20981 Udaipur Agra Vande Bharat Express from Udaipur to Agra and the food in this train was no less than any five star hotel in terms of taste,” he wrote, sharing a picture of his breakfast on X.
The post led to Gupta being trolled severely. People raised doubts about the authenticity of his review and insinuated that he was paid to post positive feedback.
“If this is 5-star food then I'm Shahrukh Khan,” wrote one X user. “Tell me you've never been to a 5 star without telling me you've never been to a 5 star,” another said.
“The truth behind my Vande Bharat Express Food Review”
“Shared my genuine review: Vande Bharat's food was delicious & felt like 5-star! No political agenda, just a satisfied customer!” Shashank Gupta wrote in response to one critical tweet.
In a separate post, titled “The truth behind my Vande Bharat Express Food Review,” Gupta said his opinion was genuine and his review not influenced by external factors.
“I understand that my recent review of the Vande Bharat Express train's food has sparked some debate. I want to assure you that my opinion is genuinely based on my personal experience,” he wrote.
“While it may not have been 5-star quality, I found it to be a significant improvement compared to typical train food. My review was not influenced by any external factors, including my status as a travel influencer. I strive to provide honest and authentic feedback to my audience,” Gupta added, urging his critics to engage in meaningful dialogue rather than name-calling.
ABOUT THE AUTHORSanya JainSanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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