Pankit Thakker: I am perplexed to see Elvish Yadav’s social media influence

Yadav, who was arrested on March 17 in connection to his alleged involvement in supplying snake venom case, was granted bail yesterday. Meanwhile, his parents — Ram Avtar Yadav and mother Sushma Yadav — dismissed reports about their son buying a house in Dubai. They also claimed that he didn’t own those luxury cars which featured in his vlogs, saying that he used to borrow cars from his friends for making videos and used to return them after the shoot.

All this has also made Thakker question whether the content creator used to fake his following as well. “I am perplexed as to why he receives so much support. What has he actually achieved? Believe me, not everyone in reality knows him. The support seems virtual and likely fake. Nowadays, views and followers can be easily bought. If you have money, you can trend, and his case strongly suggests that he has significant financial resources,” says Thakker, who has seen his rise on social media and how it was catapulted after his stint on reality show, Bigg Boss.

He adds, “It’s disheartening to see individuals seeking attention by causing unnecessary controversies. A few days ago, Elvish was involved in a public altercation with another YouTuber, only to later make amends and become friends. Are we, the public, being taken for fools? Furthermore, his parents claim that Elvish had been harassed for years, and Maxtern insulted him over the phone. Why didn’t they involve the police?”

The actor expresses his doubts about Yadav’s social media popularity, saying, “I am perplexed as to why he receives so much support. What has he actually achieved? Believe me, not everyone in reality knows him. The support seems virtual and likely fake. Nowadays, views and followers can be easily bought. If you have money, you can trend, and his case strongly suggests that he has significant financial resources.”

Here, he shares that he supports for MP-activist Maneka Gandhi, who had appealed for Yadav’s arrest in November last year for abusing animals. “If Maneka Gandhi is blaming him, I stand by her. She is well-respected and has dedicated herself to serving wildlife, children, and women’s rights. She has not gained fame through frivolous social media posts, creating controversies, or participating in reality shows,” he ends.