Gautami Kapoor breaks silence on trolling over gifting a sex toy to daughter Sia Kapoor: ‘I went into a depressed state of mind… had sleepless nights’ |
Gautami Kapoor, who was recently seen opposite R Madhavan in De De Pyaar De 2 also starring Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh, has finally spoken about the online backlash she faced over a remark she made during a podcast about parenting and openness with her daughter, Sia Kapoor, about her willingness to buy a sex toy for her 16th birthday. The comment, which resurfaced months later, unexpectedly turned into a full-blown controversy, leaving the actor disturbed and emotionally drained.
‘It became a controversy months later’
Reflecting on how the issue snowballed, Gautami told News18, “It came completely out of the blue. When I had done the podcast, it was four and a half months ago. But a few months later, I get to this massive controversy, for reasons which I don’t even know.”
She clarified that her words were never meant as advice or a broader statement on parenting. “I have not made a generalised comment and I didn’t say that every mother should do it. It was a conversation that I was having on that particular day. I said something pertaining to my child, my daughter, and that’s a relationship I have with her, so why am I supposed to justify that?” she explained.
‘It’s our relationship, not a rulebook’
Gautami maintained that her views stem from the open bond she and Ram Kapoor share with their children. Emphasising personal choice, she said, “If that doesn’t agree with a certain section of society, that’s fine with me. I am not telling them to agree or disagree with me. I said it as a matter of fact… something I really believe in.”Acknowledging that parenting styles vary, she added, “Both Ram and me have a very open relationship with our children, some may agree with it, some may look down upon it. That’s their opinion and I am not a person who will judge them. They are entitled to their opinion like I am entitled to mine. It’s as simple as that.” Questioning the personal attacks, she asked, “So, why are you getting my children into this controversy?”
‘I had sleepless nights’
The actor admitted that the trolling took a serious toll on her mental health. “Actually, I went into kind of a depressed state of mind because when I was seeing my Instagram feed, you wouldn’t believe the kind of comments I was being subjected to,” she said.Describing the emotional impact, Gautami shared, “I had sleepless nights. I couldn’t imagine that people actually write such stuff to another woman… to another human being.” Overwhelmed by the negativity, she revealed, “I just vanished from Instagram for almost a month.”
‘My daughter asked me to chill’
During this phase, Gautami found reassurance in her family, especially her daughter, who lives in the US. “I was confused if I should even counter this with a reply or comment. I spoke to Ram about this and my daughter,” she said.Sharing her daughter’s reaction, Gautami recalled, “Her friends sent some reels to her, she told them, ‘What’s the big deal?’ I told her sorry that this happened. She asked me to chill, and that it’s Instagram, just social media. People would talk about it for a day and then forget about it, just leave it.”
‘I chose silence to escape the toxicity’
While Ram Kapoor encouraged her to speak out, Gautami consciously chose not to react immediately. “Then, Ram said why am I so scared. I should just talk about it to any publication that is reaching out to me. I took a stand of not saying anything,” she said.Summing up her decision, the actor added, “Which is so sad, because I had a lot of things to say, but I just didn’t want the negativity and wanted to get out of the toxicity.”
