Alia Bhatt‘s high-profile appearances at the 79th Cannes Film Festival ignited a fierce online debate, with some social media users trolling the actress for allegedly being overlooked by the international press. Now, several prominent Bollywood voices, including Ameesha Patel, Aly Goni, and Soni Razdan, have strongly defended her.

Ameesha Patel calls out India’s ‘pull-down’ culture

Without naming Alia Bhatt directly, Ameesha Patel took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out what she described as a deeply troubling national habit. She wrote, “Recent activities have clearly made it evident that our own INDIAN mentality has become to pull others down… we call ourselves as ONE nation and united — but are we actually?”

Ameesha Patel continued, “Actors here in INDIA r more badly trolled by our own people than Hollywood stars are within their country from their own people, which is so sad! Whether it’s an Indian stars appearance or attire at big events, they sadly become targets of their own people! Such a shame!”

Fans quickly connected the post to the ongoing trolling of Alia at Cannes.

Aly Goni and Soni Razdan add their voices

Actor Aly Goni also took a firm stand on Instagram, writing, “It’s sad when our own people try to pull down someone who has worked so hard to put India on the global stage. Alia Bhatt has reached places many only dream of, representing our country at Cannes with grace and pride.”He added, “Instead of mocking and trolling, we should celebrate and support those who make India shine internationally. We rise higher when we uplift our own, not when we try to demean them.”Meanwhile, in the comments section of a post by writer Shunali Khullar Shroff, Alia’s mother, Soni Razdan, offered a more reflective take, “Social media is full of many things, love, information, entertainment, and… a lot of hate. And more than anything else, it reveals something about society. A very interesting sociological discussion could ensue and be discussed and studied for years to come.”

Alia Bhatt’s sharp and graceful clapback

Alia Bhatt herself had the last word. When a user commented on her post, “What a pity, no one noticed you,” alongside a laughing emoji, the actress responded with characteristic wit: “Why pity, love? You noticed me :)”Actors Sonu Sood and Rahul Vaidya had also previously spoken up in Alia’s defence, reflecting just how widespread the solidarity has been across the film industry. As the trolling controversy continues to simmer, Alia Bhatt’s Cannes 2025 chapter has sparked a much larger conversation about how India treats its own stars on the world stage.