Actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, a self-confessed sneakerhead, shared an Instagram story on Monday night, in which he urged people to "stop wearing fake sneakers." The actor's statement did not go down too well with a section of the Internet, for which he received major flak. The actor has now issued clarification in a series of tweets. The Mirzya actor reacted to an X (earlier called Twitter) user's tweet that read "Frens can you like.. stop being poor and buy some money" (sic). He replied, "When I put this out I already knew people who don't know people would come after me etc but the truth is I've been doing this for along time and reps of hyped shoes are more expensive then say a pair of converse old skool vans or used air forces etc."
He added in his post, "I know every time I say something there will be people on social media who don't know anything about footwear etc going crazy but a lot of my followers are sneaker enthusiasts or are looking to collect and that's the audience I'm speaking to. Now can now continue going bonkers on here for a temporary release of joy."
Read Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor's posts here:
On Monday, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor shared an Instagram story, in which he wrote, "Don't know who needs to hear this, but please stop wearing fake sneakers... if you have a low/moderate budget there's plenty of great options out there. Converse vans basic air force etc... if someone gets you a gift and they happen to be inauthentic you can pass them onto someone else that doesn't know what they are and would be happy to wear... but if you are buying you're own please do your own diligence... buy from trusted sellers..."
He added, "Also really hope more men/boys look into how they dress and invest well in what they wear.. again doesn't have to be expensive tons and tons of cheap options out there.. but no point wearing a really expensive pair of shoes if you don't know how to put the rest of it together tbh... It's supposed to say something about you... your tastes and preferences... there's information everywhere and access don't be lazy... look into it and learn it can be a lot of fun... when we talk about the culture be it sneaker culture or street or whatever it's not about clout it's about your own individuality uniqueness and about how your outfit and choices speak for you and what they represent (Indian flag emoji)."
Meanwhile, the actor has actively been responding to X users. A user tweeted, "If people are happy wearing fake sneakers what's wrong in it? Who are we to decide to if they should buy a Bata or Campus or Nike or Adidas? It's their money let them buy fake or OG." Responding to which, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor wrote, "I can't decide anything for anyone .. but I can surely share my opinion like you can .. simple."
Harsh Varrdhan re-posted a tweet that read, "Most people on Reddit and Twitter already have a confirmation bias against star kids and they leave no opportunity to hate." He accompanied the tweet with these words, "Yeah I wonder how many people on those forums have been courageous to go out and actually make art that they believe in and share it with the world...yeah not many."
Here's how the Internet reacted to Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor's post:
A user wrote, "I'm dying with this Harshvardhan Kapoor's Insta story rant about fake sneakers."
Inputs from another X user, "Harshvardhan Kapoor jaisi problems chahiye life mai (want the kind of problems Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor has)."
A user posted a screenshot of the actor's Instagram story and he wrote, "Lost me at basic Air force as budget option."
"Sneaker kharidne se phle mai ab harshvardhan kapoor ko msg krke confirm kr lunga if seller is trusted or not ( Before buying sneakers, will message Harshvarrdhan Kapoor to check if the seller is trusted or not)," wrote another user.
Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor is the son of veteran actor Anil Kapoor and jewelry designer Sunita Kapoor. His sister Sonam is a Bollywood actor, while his other sibling Rhea Kapoor is a film producer and entrepreneur.
Harsh Varrdhan made his Bollywood debut with the film Mirzya and he is best known for starring in films like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero and AK vs AK. He was also a part of the Netflix anthology Rayand Thar, co-starring dad Anil Kapoor and actor Fatima Sana Shaikh.