Paresh Rawal said he should not have targeted Arundhati Roy and Anupama Chopra on social media, adding that his tweets impacted his health as well.
5 min readMumbaiJul 16, 2026 11:37 AM IST
Paresh Rawal was one of the vocal supporters of Dhurandhar
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Paresh Rawal has, in recent years, often made headlines as much for his outspoken social media posts as for his performances. The veteran actor, widely regarded as one of the finest performers in Indian cinema, has frequently found himself at the centre of online controversies because of his blunt opinions and sharp remarks. In a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani, he reflected on his temper, admitted that he regrets being excessively vocal on Twitter, and revealed that his activity on the platform even took a toll on his health.
Hitting a member of the audience
Speaking about his personality, Paresh said, “Look, I have nothing to gain from anyone. I don’t want to bring anyone down. I’m not driven by greed. Whatever I have, I already feel God has given me more than enough. So I have no greed. Why would I do something like that to someone? That’s why I’m straightforward and honest with everyone.”
The actor also looked back at an incident where he admitted to hitting a member of the audience during a performance, calling his own actions “idiotic.” “As for that incident where I talked about hitting someone… what happened was that they were passing remarks. There were comment after comment, even from other actors. It turned into banter, and then I got carried away. It was idiotic. I jumped into it. I was completely wrong. It happened, but I’ll never repeat it. I regret it. I really do. An artist should have control over themselves and over the circumstances.”
‘Too much negativity and toxicity’
Paresh also addressed his controversial presence on Twitter, including the much-debated post he had made about author Arundhati Roy. Looking back at it, the actor admitted he should never have posted it. “Yes, I wrote it. I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have said that.”
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He further explained why he has almost stopped using the platform altogether. “I’ve almost stopped using Twitter now because it was harming my health very badly. In fact, my blood pressure shot up. My doctor clearly told me: don’t watch news channels before going to bed, and don’t read newspapers until noon after waking up. If there’s any important news you need to know, it’ll find its way to you. You don’t have to sit there and make yourself hyper over everything.”
Reflecting on the nature of social media, Paresh acknowledged that he, too, contributed to its toxicity. “Many people treat social media like their personal dumping grounds, and I’m equally responsible for that. People write whatever comes to their mind because they have a platform. Nobody listens, so you just type it out. I never abuse people. My sarcasm is sharp enough. I won’t stoop to using foul language. But even that sarcasm, I shouldn’t have indulged in it. There’s too much negativity and toxicity there.”
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