When Bipasha Basu faced child labour allegations over a tweet: 'Sorry if it hurt anyone’s sentiments!'

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu once found herself at the center of a controversy that snowballed from what she believed was a harmless joke. The incident, dating back to 2011, shows how even in the early days of social media, one tweet was enough to trigger outrage, especially when it touched a sensitive subject like child labour.
The tweet that sparked outrage
In 2011, Bipasha shared a candid photo on her Twitter account showing two girls tying her shoelaces. Their faces were not visible, and the post was meant to be humorous, when she captioned the post - "I need to learn to tie shoe laces ASAP! Embarrassed that I can’t! No patience, grrrrr! Promise, I am not spoilt! Will learn soon."
What was intended as a lighthearted post quickly turned serious, as many followers accused the actress of promoting child labour, assuming the girls in the picture were minors. Several users expressed outrage and demanded legal action, calling her “shameless” and “disgraceful.” The post went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Swift backlash and Bipasha’s clarification
As the backlash intensified, Bipasha promptly deleted the tweet and issued a clarification. She stated that the individuals in the photo were not children, but her friend and her sister, and that the photo was taken in fun. In one tweet she wrote:
"Well the ppl helping me in the pix r my friend n sister, Who I help often with the same! So am sorry if it hurt anyone’s sentiments!"
She later added that she found the moment amusing and did not anticipate such a reaction.
A joke gone wrong
In a follow-up post, Bipasha further defended herself, calling the child labour accusations “absolutely unbelievable.” She clarified:
"Just so they all get it right: neither of the 2 r children! The pair of boots were a different pair, so my sis and friend were helping me. I thought it looked damn funny and took the pic as a joke."
Beyond the spotlight
Bipasha, who was last seen in her OTT debut with 'Dangerous' alongside with his husband Karan Grover has been focusing on her family for quite some time. After getting married to Karan Singh Grover, she embraced a blissful life. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Devi Basu Singh Grover, on November 12, 2022.