Deepika Padukone has responded to the online criticism surrounding her candid revelation about her open relationship with Ranveer Singh on the latest episode of Koffee With Karan 8. Deepika admitted that she doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind, even if it invites trolling.

Deepika Padukone has finally broken her silence over the massive trolling which she had to face due to her revelations about her open relationship. On the first episode of Koffee With Karan 8, while discussing their relationship and marriage, Deepika had said, “I wanted to be single for a while because I had come from difficult relationships. I was going through a phase where I said ‘I just don’t want to be attached, don’t want to be committed’. And I had fun! And then he came along, so I didn’t commit, until he proposed to me. There was no commitment as such. Even if we were technically allowed to see other people, we would just keep coming back to each other.”

This statement of hers triggered a debate on social media, with people calling out Deepika. While some termed this period as DeepVeer’s ‘situationship’, others criticised the actress.

Now Deepika in an interview with Vogue has addressed the issue, saying, “I don’t think twice about expressing myself.”

Deepika’s Full Statement on Trolling 

 “When I feel really strongly or passionately about something, I don’t think twice about expressing myself. I’ve grown to become this person where I’m not afraid of speaking my truth or owning up to mistakes. I’m not afraid of saying sorry and I’m okay to be the only person in the room who has a different point of view”, Deepika told The Vogue.

A few days back, a video allegedly from Benaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, which talked about the dating history of Deepika had gone viral and was being called out by the online community. The video showed a female student, portraying Deepika’s character ‘Mastani’ as she stood at the centre of the stage. She was surrounded by male students. In the video, each male student dressed up as individuals rumoured to be her past boyfriends or connections.

Netizens have strongly reacted against the video, calling the performance the “character assassination” of the actress.

One Internet user wrote, “Memes are ok but this is the character assassination of Indian actress Deepika Padukone! It just shows the mindset of the cheapest! It’s a shameful act.”

Echoing similar remarks, another wrote, “Character assassination of Deepika wasn’t enough on social media that a renowned university allowed it live!! just so low of them, this is truly the reason why as a society we can’t grow man.”

A section of social media users also demanded legal action. “This situation unquestionably warrants a defamation lawsuit. Deepika’s legal team should take action. I’m not stating this solely as a fan; subjecting any individual to character assassination in a public setting and on the internet is a form of mental harassment”, netizens said.