Sidharth Malhotra Plugs Film In Post On Ram Rahim. 'Ungentlemanly,' Says Twitter

New Delhi: Actor Sidharth Malhotra has been forced to distance himself from a tweet he posted this morning in which he used today's big news headline - the verdict in Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's rape case - to plug his new film A Gentleman. The tweet, which the actor shared some hours before Ram Rahim was found guilty by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, read: "To all the people of Haryana , please stay safe. Hope you can see our film soon #Agentleman #PeaceAndLove." It didn't go down well. Accused of tone-deafness, Sidharth Malhotra tweeted shortly before writing this: "To people who are commenting on my morning tweets, they were made before the verdict! Thoughts n prayers." Ram Rahim's followers - over a lakh of whom crowded into Panchkula for the verdict - reacted to his conviction with fury. Violent clashes have left several dead and the army was called in to help the police disperse the angry mobs. Gurmeet Ram Rahim will be sentenced on Monday.

Read Sidharth Malhotra's original tweet:
 

To all the people of Haryana , please stay safe. Hope you can see our film soon #Agentleman #PeaceAndLove

— Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) August 25, 2017

His later tweets, attempting to make amends:

To people who are commenting on my morning tweets,they were made before the verdict ! Thoughts n prayers

— Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) August 25, 2017

 

Its really sad to see the situation worsen since morning and see people in Punjab and Haryana https://t.co/u8TeWwEaW0 and prayers.

— Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) August 25, 2017

Politician Omar Abdullah was among those who criticised Sidharth Malhotra's tweet:
 

I thought a couple of my tweets may have been a bit thoughtless when protestors started dying but this takes the bloody cake. https://t.co/DqW5nFT1Hv

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 25, 2017

Twitter also trolled Sidharth, calling him 'shameless' and 'ungentlemanly':
 

After this shameless tweet people should bycott his film

— Sadak ka Gunda (@Raggi03) August 25, 2017

 

These should have been two separate tweets lol
You can wish them peace without promoting your film Sid

— Hani (@rf_fangirl) August 25, 2017

 

I mean like such a ungentlemanly gesture

— Ashish Pandya (@mysticliving) August 25, 2017

 

Damn! This one is so idiotic.

— Faraaz Khan (@AIMIM_faraaz) August 25, 2017

 

yes bro. Agar by chance riot se zinda bach gaye to ye tareeka mast hai marne ka. :D #trolling bcoz ur tweet is insensitive.

— Sunny....! (@SunnyShines_) August 25, 2017

Really, what was he thinking? Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted of raping two female followers on Friday

Sidharth Malhotra's A Gentleman released to lukewarm reviews on Friday. Saibal Chatterjee in his review for NDTV said it's "same s#*t, different Friday." He wrote: "Style over substance: that's the story of A Gentleman." He gave the film two stars out of five.

A Gentleman stars Jacqueline Fernandez opposite Sidharth Malhotra. The film is directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, who've earlier made films like Shor In The City and Go Goa Gone.