Dipika Chikhlia says she ‘wasn’t drinking alcohol’ after getting trolled for school uniform pic: ‘People see me as Sita’

Actor Dipika Chikhlia Topiwala, best known for her work as Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, was recently trolled for posting pictures of herself in school uniform on Instagram. She has now reacted to trolls, explaining why she decided to pull down the post. (Also read: Dipika Chikhlia shares emotional post on how she missed a chance to fulfil late mother’s wish)

In the picture that she shared on Instagram, Dipika could be seen dressed in a white shirt and skirt, paired with a tie as she posed with her girl friends. The image, doing the rounds on many social media accounts, appeared to be from a theme party. Dipika also held a dr in her hands in the picture. Soon, the post was flooded with comments criticising the actor for posting such a picture when the audience sees her as Goddess Sita.

Insisting that she never expected the backlash that she faced soon after posting the picture, Dipika told ETimes, “I never want to hurt my fans. I am feeling bad that I have been trolled. I am feeling bad that I have hurt my fans’ sentiments. I am aware that people see me as Sita and not as Dipika. I realised people had got unhappy (so deleted the post). There’s enough happening in the world. Why add one more issue?”

She also said it was a mistake on her part and said, “I am not justifying what I have done. I am clear that it was a mistake on my part. I am not trying to evade my larger-than-life image and explain that main insaan hoon (I am human). I was not drinking alcohol. I am not into alcohol. It was just a small get-together between old friends getting into a nostalgic mood. “

Some of the comments on Dipika’s post, that she deleted soon, were: “Ye Apka Khon Sa Avtar Hai (what form of yours is this one)…? Sorry, Dekh Kar Bilkul bhi Acha Nahi Laga (Did not like it at all).” Another person commented, “Maa ye aapne Haath me kaunsi drink le rakhi hai (Mother, what drink do you have in your hands)?” Goddess Sita, Dipika’s character from the famous 80s TV show, is often referred to as mother.

Written, produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar, Ramayan ran for a long time, since it premiered in 1987. During the pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020, the show had a rerun on Doordarshan.