Kunal Kapoor faces backlash after calling vegetarians ‘racist’ on Pooja Bhatt’s podcast

Actor and filmmaker Kunal Kapoor has drawn sharp criticism on social media after calling vegetarians “racist” during an episode of Pooja Bhatt’s podcast. The theatre enthusiast, who is the son of the late Shashi Kapoor and uncle to Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, admitted that he views vegetarians “with disdain,” sparking a heated online reaction.

On the podcast, Kunal said, “I think vegetarians are racist.” When Pooja asked him, laughing, “So, I’m a racist?” after mentioning a vegetarian French dish, he responded, “Ya, you are because you deny me being a non-vegetarian. On my table, you’ll have vegetarian food and non-vegetarian food. But when I go to a vegetarian house, he won’t give me non-vegetarian food. But in my house, I’ll treat him. I’ll give him veg and non-veg food.”

His comments quickly drew criticism, particularly on Reddit, where users accused him of mocking others’ dietary choices. One user wrote, “Being entitled seems to be a prerequisite to be part of this family,” while another commented, “What is even the point of blabbering all this nonsense?” Another remarked, “Yeh pura parivar hi aisa hai. Ek se ek,” while one user questioned the intelligence of the family, writing, “Racism is not the same as discriminatory or exclusionary. These people need to get a dictionary because they think they sound intelligent when they are actually stupid.”

The backlash comes just days after Ranbir Kapoor faced criticism for eating non-vegetarian food on the Netflix documentary Dining With The Kapoors. In the show, Ranbir and other family members were seen enjoying a lavish meal, leading fans to question whether he had truly given up non-veg food in preparation for his role as Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.

While it remains unclear if the dishes Ranbir ate were vegetarian or non-vegetarian, viewers criticized him for apparently contradicting his earlier statements. The controversy around Kunal Kapoor’s remarks highlights the sensitivity around food choices and public figures’ comments, especially when personal opinions are expressed in ways that some perceive as dismissive or mocking.

The debate has sparked broader discussions online about the boundaries between personal beliefs, humor, and respect for differing lifestyles, showing how quickly comments from celebrities can ignite widespread discussion and critique.