‘Jannat’ actor Emraan Hashmi faced severe backlash after a comment he made in the 2014 edition of Karan Johar’s talk show, ‘Koffee with Karan.’ During the intense Rapid-Fire round, Hashmi called ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ star Aishwarya Rai “plastic.” This remark did not sit well with netizens. In an interview, Hashmi revealed that he had to bear the consequences of his words and expressed regret for his comment. He added that he would love to apologize to the ‘Devdas’ actress if she felt offended.

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In an interview with The Lallantop, Hashmi was asked if he regretted calling Aishwarya Rai “plastic.” To this, the ‘Murder’ actor replied, “I regret it. I keep saying that I have the utmost respect for everyone I spoke about.” Elaborating further, he stated, “I regret it because it was distasteful. Lately, people have become very sensitive. People get mad at everything on social media. In terms of the show, we were playing a game; it was all in jest. It was supposed to be taken sportingly. There are many such games in the show. Earlier, people weren’t this sensitive.”

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Actress Aishwarya Rai has never openly expressed feeling offended. However, in a 2019 interview with Filmfare, Rai revealed that the worst thing anyone has ever said about her is that she is “fake and plastic.” This reaction was immediately linked to Hashmi’s comment by netizens.

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Discussing Rai, Emraan Hashmi revealed that he is a huge fan but has never met her. Sharing an anecdote, he mentioned waiting for hours outside Rai’s vanity van while shooting in Filmistan, just to catch a glimpse of her as she filmed for ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.’ Unfortunately, he could not meet her. “I have never met her and have never had a conversation with her. I would love to meet her. And I would love to apologize if she felt bad about it. I will have to meet her and ask her. I am sorry if I offended you.”

Two years after Emraan Hashmi’s comment, a rumor circulated that Aishwarya Rai refused to work with him on a film. Responding to this during the interview with The Lallantop, Hashmi said, “I have heard these rumors, but I don’t think they hold any truth. I think people just made a big deal out of it. I honestly don’t know if something of that sort ever happened. You will have to fact-check with her.”