- Apoorva Mukhija called the kalawa controversy her breaking point.
- She said she does not believe God comes with rules.
- The Rebel Kid has now moved to New York to pursue an
Apoorva Mukhija has opened up about the controversy that pushed her to her limit. The content creator, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, said the backlash over her kalawa video became her “breaking point” after an already difficult period following the Latent controversy.
In a new Storytime video on her YouTube channel, Apoorva spoke about the impact of constant online criticism and how it affected her mental health. She said the period after the Latent controversy left her feeling like she had lost her sense of purpose.
“After the Latent controversy, my mental health was so f****g bad that I constantly felt that I had no purpose in life. Whatever I do, I was getting abuses and cancelled. I was getting anxiety even after waking up. Tanmay Bhatt, Samay Raina had so much motivation to do something so much with her career. I had given up. I was not this person earlier, and my last breaking point was the kalawa controversy.”
What happened with the kalawa video?
The controversy started while Apoorva was at Coachella. She was filming a get-ready-with-me video before attending the music festival. In the video, she cut the kalawa on her wrist with scissors, saying it would affect her outfit's aesthetic.
Looking back, Apoorva said she did not see the act as disrespectful towards her faith at the time. She explained that her relationship with God is still quite new and that she has recently started finding comfort in spirituality.
“I was at Coachella and doing a get ready with me video. I cannot be normal and I had to make some jokes. So I was wearing the kalawa on my hand and I cut it saying that the thread would ruin my aesthetic. Now, my relationship with God is very new. I just started believing in God, it gives me a lot of peace. But I don't think God believes in rules, that he cares if I cut a thread or something. So when I was doing it I did not think it was wrong. I knew my God would not mind. But ofcourse other people who believed in the same God got upset about it… Even though I have seen bigger controversies in my life that was my breaking point truly. Whatever I do, I say, I cannot say anything right. I was mad, and no one knew how to handle me.”
For Apoorva, the backlash came at a time when she was already struggling with the pressure of being constantly judged online. She has now moved to New York to pursue an MBA and begin a different phase of her life.
While moving to New York had always been a dream, Apoorva admitted that leaving India has also been scary. Her friends, career and familiar surroundings remain back home. She will now be living in a dorm and returning to student life.
Apoorva made her acting debut with Nadaaniyan. She also participated in The Traitors Season 1 and was recently seen in Lock Upp Season 2, where she entered as an informant.