Raj Kundra arrest: Somy Ali, Kangana Ranaut react to Bollywood pornography racket involving Shilpa Shetty's husband

When actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband was arrested on July 20 for allegedly producing and distributing pornographic material, Bollywood took a collective gasp. As questions of freedom of expression and ill intent dominate conversations. Celebrities reacted with force; there was anger and indignation and – in some cases – vitriol aimed at him.

Ali, who was last seen in 1997’s ‘Agnichakra’, seemed surprised about the arrest. In an interview with Indian daily Hindustan Times, she wondered why a country known for the sex-laden ‘Kama Sutra’ would baulk at the thought of pornographic material. She said: “The mere taboo of talking about sex or porn ignites more curiosity. Personally, I don’t judge those who choose porn as their profession as long as no one is hurt or sexually trafficked. It is pivotal that there shouldn’t be any sort of coercion. Otherwise, what anyone chooses to do sexually is none of my or anyone’s business. We have no right to judge anyone. I have nothing against people who engage in pornography or those who make it their profession.”

But first, what really went down? A YouTuber, Puneet Kaur, has opened up against arrested businessman Raj Kundra. Kaur alleged that Kundra had approached her via social media direct messaging for the latter’s mobile app, through which pornographic content produced by him was reportedly published. Moreover, the YouTuber said that, after receiving direct message from Kundra, at first she could not believe that it was actually him who had sent her that message — and thought that it might be a spam message. “Brooooo you OGS remember our verified DM video where he reached out to me for Hotshots? I’m dead,” Kaur wrote on her Instagram story reacting to a news piece talking about Raj Kundra playing a key role in making the Hotshots application.

Poonam Pandey responded to Kundra’s arrest in a case involving the creation and streaming of pornographic films. Talking to Times of India she said that her “heart goes out” to his wife, actress Shilpa Shetty, and their two children. The model-turned-actress had earlier filed a petition against Kundra and his friends at the Bombay High Court. Her app was being handled by their company, Armsprime Media, which she had signed a contract with. She stated that even after the contract was terminated, they continued to use her content illegally.

Kangana Ranaut, who is vocal on social media and uses the medium to express herself, also reacted to Kundra’s arrest. She reaffirmed her commitment to expose the “underbelly of Bullywood”, stating that she intends to do it through her upcoming production. Ranaut took to her Instagram stories and shared a news report regarding Kundra’s arrest. She then wrote: “All that glitters is not gold, I am going to expose underbelly of Bullywood in my upcoming production called Tiku Weds Sheru... we need strong value system and conscience in the creative industry and, of course, a whip ...”

Bollywood singer Mika Singh while speaking with the paparazzi in Mumbai described Kundra as a “lovely man.” He added that while he was unfamiliar with the app in question, he had seen one of Raj’s other apps. “Main toh wait hi kar raha hoon ke kya hoga. Let’s see. Jo bhi hoga acha hoga, mujhe itna knowledge nahi hai unke app ke baare mein. Maine ek app dekhi thi, wo simple app thi. Zyada kuch tha nahi uske andar so let’s hope for the best [Whatever happens, will be for the good. I don’t have much knowledge about his app. I have seen one of his apps and that was simple, wasn’t anything in it],” Singh said. “I think he’s a nice guy, Raj Kundra. Ab dekhte hai kya sach hai aur kya jhoot hai jo court hi bata sakta hai. [The court will decide what’s right and what’s wrong],” Mika added

Actress Gehana Vasisth has also responded to the arrest of Kundra. In a video statement provided by her publicist, Vasisth, who has been free on bail since last month in the same adult film-related case as Kundra, said: “The law will take its course. We have full faith in the Mumbai police... We have always said that the Mumbai police is the best force in the world. The courts will eventually decide during the trial as to who are the real culprits and which of the arrested accused were merely used by others.”

Rakhi Sawant, currently enjoying the success of her freshly-released song, also reacted to the news of Kundra’s arrest. “Raj is a respectable man, and Shilpa is a hardworking actress,” Sawant told the paparazzi. She added that “someone” is attempting to defame and blackmail Shetty. She also advised: “Before dragging their names through the mud, to consider their family and son.”

Self-proclaimed film critic Kamaal R Khan responded to Kundra’s arrest and attacked his alleged source of income.