Bollywood actor and Arsenal ambassador Esha Gupta has asked for forgiveness after she shared comments comparing Gunners player Alex Iwobi to a gorilla.
The social media on Monday was abuzz over a snapshot of a Whatsapp conversation that the actor shared on her Instagram stories. The conversation criticised Iwobi for his performance.
In the conversation, the 33-year-old's friend called Iwobi a "gorilla" and said that "evolution stopped for him". He even said that the footballer did not change from "neanderthal to man".
She laughed and replied: "Haha... I don't know why they don't bench him more."
And the actor was subsequently called out on social media, but she has apologised by saying that she did not "realise it was directed towards racism".
This did not go down well with some users, who slammed her for her "ignorance" and called her out for being racist despite having claimed she herself has been a victim in the past.
After the backlash, Esha took to Twitter to apologise.
"Guys I am sorry you thought it was racist. Was bad on my part, being a sports lover. Sorry guys, forgive the stupidity," she tweeted.
She added: "It was us discussing our frustration during the game. Sorry as I didn't realise it was directed towards racism. Laughed over the spur of the moment, which was the game's result guys. Been a victim of racism myself before. But this is not something I am proud of. It was a fault, sorry guys".
In 2017, she had opened up about facing racist comments in India and said she was often referred to as "Kaali" (dark) due to her complexion.
Esha ventured into Bollywood in 2012 with "Jannat 2". She has featured in films like "Rustom", "Baadshaho", "Commando 2" and "Paltan".
(With Agency inputs)
