American singer Selena Gomez is trending online after a video surfaced where an Indian fan requested her to chant “Jai Shri Ram.”
Photographer Pallav Paliwal shared the video on Instagram, sparking mixed reactions from social media users with many finding the moment “embarrassing.”
In the clip, the fan asks Selena to say “Jai Shree Ram” to mark Diwali 2024. The chant is a traditional Hindu phrase meaning “Victory to Lord Ram.” Selena, appearing slightly confused, simply smiles and replies, “Thank you, honey,” instead of repeating the chant.
The video has received critical comments. A user wrote, “I feel embarrassed for him,” and a Hindu commenter remarked, “I’m Hindu, and this is embarrassing.” Another added, “You chose to make her say, Jai Shri Ram. bro, you wasted your chance.”
The clip appears to have been shot at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where Selena attended and won the award for Best Actress for Emilia Pérez. Gomez was recently back as Alex Russo when Disney rebooted its Wizards of Waverly Place on October 29, 2024.
Earlier, Selena Gomez got into trouble after posting an innocuous picture on Instagram.
In the picture, there was a Starbucks coffee cup in the background. People got really mad at her because she not only bought coffee from Starbucks but also showed it off on her platform. This upset people because there’s a global boycott against brands connected to or supporting Israel, and Starbucks is one of them.
But some fans got upset, as Starbucks had been boycotted by supporters of the Palestinian cause and labour unions alike. One person criticized her for not knowing about the campaign against Israel called Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS).
People who support the BDS campaign are asking others to stop supporting Starbucks as Israel continues genocide in Gaza. One fan commented, “She really deserves all the hate she can’t be that stupid,” saying that Selena Gomez can’t really be unaware that Starbucks is connected to Israel’s controversial apartheid of Palestinians.
In reply, the singer directly addressed the criticism. She admitted she didn’t know about the issue and said sorry if she upset anyone. She responded to the comment, saying, “I did not know. So apparently I am that stupid. I’m sorry.”
The criticism shows how much the BDS movement is growing. They want companies and people stop supporting Israel because of the conflict with Palestine.
After Israel started a military operation on October 7, which led to the deaths of many Palestinians, people criticized Gomez for not showing support.
When she said that one post wouldn’t make a difference, she faced a lot of criticism. Then, her makeup brand’s Instagram page posted about the crisis in Gaza and said they wanted to help. They also shared the donations they made to organizations like the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies – Magen David Adom and Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
However, one X user pointed out how Gomez was still “both siding” the situation, especially given that Magen David Adom is Israel’s National Emergency Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Services Organization.
“She’s donating to Magen David Adom who support the IDF and the killing of Palestinian kids,” said the user of the site formerly known as Twitter. “This is a ‘both sides’ post. Why are you donating to MDA which is literally supporting the IDF? Supporting both sides is not activism.”
