New Delhi, June 14 -- Film critic and Film Companion founder Anupama Chopra has made a startling allegation about the wave of online trolling that targeted Alia Bhatt during the Cannes 2026 Film Festival. In a conversation with actor Shahid Kapoor, Chopra claimed that an industry insider told her the attacks were not spontaneous public sentiment but a paid campaign funded by rival actors.

The controversy erupted in late May when a viral video from the Cannes red carpet appeared to show photographers largely ignoring Bhatt as she walked past them. Social media users seized on the footage, mocking her fashion choices and questioning her global star power. The pile-on intensified across platforms, with memes, parody accounts, and coordinate...