Avneet Kaur has finally broken her silence indirectly, on the social media buzz that erupted when cricketer Virat Kohli ‘liked’ one of her pictures earlier this year. The incident took place on Anushka Sharma’s birthday, when fans noticed Virat’s interaction on a post of Avneet in a lime green crop top and a printed mini skirt. Soon after, the cricketer clarified that it was an accidental like, blaming it on Instagram’s algorithm.
The controversy, however, gave Avneet a surprising boost. Within weeks, she gained over one million new followers and landed 12 brand deals, with reports suggesting her overall brand value went up by 30 percent.
At the trailer launch of her upcoming film Love in Vietnam, which stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Vietnamese actor Kha Ngan and Farida Jalal, Avneet was asked about the love she receives from celebrities. The reporter remarked, “Bade bade celebrities bhi aapki picture ko like karte hain, follow karte hain.” To this, Avneet blushed and replied with a smile, “Milta rahe pyaar, bas. Aur kya bolun main.”
While Anushka Sharma chose not to comment on the episode, Virat earlier posted a statement on his Instagram story that read, “I’d like clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding.”