Harshvardhan Rane, who was recently seen on screen alongside Sonam Bajwa in Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, has become the target of online trolling. The romance-musical explores themes of love, longing, and revenge.
The actor has been actively promoting the film on social media and through public appearances. He even visited a theatre screening the movie and interacted with fans after the show.
However, his recent comments during one of these interactions have sparked controversy. Rane claimed that audiences have “ended nepotism in Bollywood” by supporting his film.
He also mentioned that Ayushmann Khurrana released his film Thamma this Diwali, adding that both films his and Ayushmann’s represent outsiders succeeding in the industry.
Fans, however, were quick to criticise his statement. Many pointed out that Rane mentioned only himself and Ayushmann as outsiders but ignored their co-stars Sonam Bajwa from Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat and Rashmika Mandanna from Thamma.
Social media users accused him of ignoring the female leads and focusing only on male actors. Some even mocked his statement, calling his film “cringe” and labelling him as the “Male Kangana Ranaut” of Bollywood.
One user wrote, “Outsider card nikal ke cringe movies bechenge ab!” mocking the actor’s attempt to associate himself with the outsider narrative.
#HarshvardhanRane thanking audiences for supporting 2 outsiders – #AyushmannKhurrana & himself ❤️
“Aap logo ne pura Nepotism khatm kar diya #Bollywood se!” #Thamma #SonamBajwa #EkDeewaneKiDeewaniyat ✨#RashmikaMandanna pic.twitter.com/odU5y4KX1v— Random Cine Mood (@RandomCineMood) October 26, 2025
