Comedian and TV host Kapil Sharma and Mumbai-based film journalist Vickey Lalwani have lodged police complaints against each other after a telephonic spat on Friday evening.
Sharma has accused Lalwani of defamatory writing and threats of extortion, harassment in connivance with his two former managers - Neeti Simoes and Preeti Simoes, while Lalwani, the Content Head with SpotboyE-com, owned by 9X Media, has shot back with a complaint to Mumbai police accusing him of threats, abuse, harassment, and other charges.
"On Friday evening, Kapil Sharma made a call at 6.11 p.m. and used extremely bad and unparliamentary language. The call has gone viral over social media and I have been flooded with calls of support. This is nothing but yet another attempt to muzzle the media," Lalwani told IANS.
Sharma said in his complaint that the Simoes sisters worked as his managers, but since their performance was not upto the mark, he had terminated their contracts last year.
Both the sisters had deep insight into Sharma's personal associations, day to day businesses and privy to even his personal life, said his lawyer Tanveer Nizam.
Since the past six months, there have been several posts on SpotboyE.com and a person approached them to cough out Rs 2.50 million as the company (SpotboyE.com) had lot of damning information that could ruin the comedian, said Nizam, adding Sharma did not succumb as he was not inclined to give in to the surging "fake media".
Later, he said that the SpotboyE.com started uploading negative and exaggerated news into the public domain and some it was only available with his ex-managers, the Simoes sisters.
All this false and malicious publicity has affected him emotionally and he is currently under professional counseling and also medication for which he held responsible the Simoes' and Lalwani.
Lalwani said that in his phone call, Sharma used extremely bad language, but nowhere did he accuse him of extortion demands.
Some people just want to defame you for few bucks but it will take ages to make a stand against the wrong.. I shall do it today n forever.. pic.twitter.com/Vg8bJoWwhF
— KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) April 7, 2018
Maine jo b likha tha apne dil se likha tha.. it was my team who deleted my tweets .. But main is kutte bikaayu reporter se darne wala nahi hu.. he can write anything for anybody just for few bucks. Shameless
— KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) April 7, 2018
"What we have written are facts only, and all other media also are writing about it, so how can we alone be blamed for it?" he asked.
Late on Friday, Sharma posted a series of tweets that were found objectionable, and later these were deleted on grounds that his Twitter account was hacked.
Today, (Saturday), however, the comedian revealed that his Twitter account was not hacked but his team deleted the posts, but he stood by his comments.
KAPIL'S LANGUAGE SAD REFLECTION OF HIS MIND: HANSAL MEHTA
National Award winning director Hansal Mehta says the "offensive and abusive" language used by comedian-actor Kapil Sharma on Twitter was "despicable" but also a "sad reflection of his possible state of mind".
"Kapil Sharma's language with the journalist was despicable but also a sad reflection of his possible state of mind. The journalist in question is no ethical saint either. He has harassed many people, spun many malicious stories and has created stories with his misleading questions," Mehta tweeted.
Kapil on Friday made several tweets from his official Twitter handle. One included one requesting the media to not make Salman Khan's conviction news "negative".
A few posts addressed fake news. "Agar main prime minister hota to fake news banane walo ko faansi laga deta (If I was the Prime Minister, I would have hanged those who spread fake news)."
A few of the tweets had abusive language in Hindi. Some were also targeted at a journalist "who only spread(s) negativity about me for very little money".
Kapil on Saturday agreed that he wrote offensive and abusive posts on his Twitter page.
"Maine jo b likha tha apne dil se likha tha (whatever I wrote was written from my heart), it was my team who deleted my tweets. But main is k***e bikaayu reporter se darne wala nahi hu (But I will not be scared of this reporter). He can write anything for anybody just for few bucks. Shameless".
However, the actor-comedian previously said his account had been hacked.
"Hi all, please ignore the previous offensive tweets as my account was hacked. Apologies for the inconvenience caused. Love and regards to all," Kapil tweeted late late on Friday afternoon.
Besides writing offensive tweets. Kapil has also lodged a complaint against the journalist, where the subject read -- "Threat to extort and harassment" by a news agency on the "instance of ex managers" to cause "mental and emotional suffering".
The complaint also read that all the instances of false and malicious publicity affected him emotionally and had to sought to professional counselling and is under medication.
It further read that Kapil is very disturbed by line of comments like a "failed actor. celebrity out of control, choice of wrong life partner".
