Bhumi Pednekar was ‘disrespectful’ towards her teachers, alleges ex-teacher amid social media backlash over NEET remark

Bhumi Pednekar is currently facing backlash on social media over her remarks on NEET protests. Meanwhile, her ex-teacher has expressed her opinion about the Bollywood actress.

Shruti Desai has claimed that she briefly taught Bhumi at a Mumbai acting school. The Spiritual psychotherapist directly questioned Bhumi's stance on respect and responsibility.

Desai revisited their teacher-student relationship through an Instagram post. She recalled Bhumi being disrespectful toward teachers during her training. She wondered how Bhumi's worldview had shifted so drastically since then.

“I remember I was, briefly, one of your teachers at a Mumbai-based film school. Unfortunately for me, I also remember how disrespectful, almost disdainful, you were about your teachers,” Desai wrote on Instagram while tagging Bhumi Pednekar.

“Care to explain your new approach towards the concepts of respect and responsibility and how your world-view changed so drastically in the interim?" added Desai.

This Instagram post has sparked mixed reactions across social media.

“I hope Shruti's teacher also commented about how Shruti was when she was 15!!” wrote one user.

“It says film school. Can y’all read? She was not a child in film school,” commented another user.

Another user wrote, “Shruti, I am so proud to call you my friend, bravo bravo!”

“My favourite part about this post is the fact that a female educator is asking an educated female for accountability,” came from another.

“She is still the same as reported by staff members of The Kapil Sharma Show many times,” remarked another user.

Bhumi Pednekar controversy

The controversy originated from Bhumi's videos about the protests. She criticised abusive slogans directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She argued that disrespectful language toward constitutional offices remained unacceptable. Bhumi emphasised civil dialogue over personal attacks during disagreements.

However, her comments triggered significant backlash from Gen-Z users. Critics accused her of presenting only one side of the story. They noted how she had ignored commenting on the alleged police brutality during the 20 July protest. Many have questioned her ‘selective’ silence on the police lathi charge and tear gas usage.

This is what she said:

“Everything has descended into abuse and name-calling… You are speaking about someone who occupies the highest office in our country today. And, this is not just about the office. Would we speak to the elders in our own families with such abusive language? Guys, this is not our culture. This is wrong,” she said.

“This has been bothering me deeply, and that’s why I wanted to come out and address it,” she added.