Recently, at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Ranbir Kapoor made a revelation about Alia Bhatt that has since gone viral. Speaking about her knowledge of Bollywood music, Kapoor shared a moment from their first meeting when Bhatt surprised him by her unfamiliarity with legendary singer and actor Kishore Kumar.

Ranbir Kapoor was being interviewed by filmmaker Rahul Rawail at the festival, which honored his grandfather Raj Kapoor ahead of his 100th birth anniversary on 14 December. During the session, Kapoor reflected on the legacy of yesteryear stars like his grandfather and shared the anecdote about his first date with Bhatt. He recounted, “The first time I met Alia, she asked me, ‘Who’s Kishore Kumar?’”

The crowd reacted with audible shock, with one attendee even shouting, “Are you serious?” Ranbir Kapoot nodded and explained, “So, you know, it’s just the circle of life. You know, it’s, like, people have forgotten and then new artists have come. So I think it’s very important that, you know, we remember our roots.”

The comment quickly sparked a debate online, with fans expressing disbelief and criticism. One fan commented, “Not knowing Kishor Kumar is worse. He is literally the biggest male singer in the history of Bollywood. And, has had a lasting legacy. It is also a little weird because Ranbir was going to do his biopic once.” One more fan wrote, “I think this is worse than not knowing the President.” Another fan wrote, “Why does he keep embarrassing his wife publicly?”

This isn’t the first time Alia has faced trolling. During her debut appearance on Koffee With Karan in 2013, she mistakenly named Prithviraj Chauhan instead of Dr. Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India, a moment that went viral. Memes mocking her intelligence flooded social media.

Ranbir Kapoor himself has not been immune to criticism. In a Vogue interview, Alia Bhatt shared that she wipes off her lipstick to keep it minimal because Kapoor “doesn’t like it.” While Bhatt framed it as a sweet detail about their relationship, many online commenters saw it differently, labeling him a “red flag” and calling the revelation problematic.

See Also: Ranbir Kapoor’s Sister Riddhima Sahni Reacts To Him Being Called ‘Misogynist’, Says Alia Bhatt ‘Doesn’t Care’