Comedian Zakir Khan has landed in the middle of a fresh controversy after his comments at the Chetak Screen Awards 2026. During the event, Zakir Khan suggested that Bollywood was secretly jealous of the success of Dhurandhar 2. His joke quickly sparked reactions online, but actor Ameesha Patel has now strongly pushed back against the remarks.
The actress first reacted on social media and later spoke in detail during an interview. Ameesha Patel criticised comedians who make jokes about successful public figures and said bringing others down for laughs is not the right approach.
Zakir Khan Controversy Began At Awards Show
While co-hosting the awards night, Zakir Khan used his trademark humour to comment on the success of Dhurandhar 2. He said, “Bomb phoote Lyari mein, dhuaan uttha Bandra se Juhu mein,” implying that the industry’s praise for the film was not genuine.
Soon after, Ameesha Patel reacted online. She shared a photo of Zakir Khan and told him to stop spreading negativity. She also defended Bollywood’s biggest stars and said legends like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Sunny Deol have delivered blockbuster hits for decades.
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Ameesha Patel Says ‘Achiever Banke Dikhao’
In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Ameesha Patel expanded on her views and directly questioned Zakir Khan’s statement.
She said, “Khade rehke achievers ke baare mein baat karna aasan hai. Achiever banke toh dikhaao, superstar banke dikhaao. I don’t think it’s correct to strip someone down and make a joke on them. In logon ko achieve karke toh dikhaane do. Aapne statement aisa kaha, industry jal rahi hai. Did someone call you and say that Dhurandhar hit hogayi aur main insecure ho raha hu? Aapko kaise pataa.”
Ameesha Defends Competition In Bollywood
The Gadar actress also said that successful films inspire the industry to improve. According to her, Dhurandhar has encouraged many actors and filmmakers to raise their standards.
She added, “Ulta Dhurandhar ke aane ki wajah se people have said that we need to learn, people like Ram Gopal Varma. People put stories to praise the film. Actors are reworking their films because they feel we need to match up to a standard now and the audience is expecting better. Is competition bad?”
Ameesha stressed that healthy competition helps the industry grow and should not be seen as insecurity.
‘Mock Yourself, Don’t Mock Others’
Concluding her remarks, Ameesha Patel criticised stand-up comedy that targets achievers and public figures.
She said, “You can have stand-up comedy — there is so much in the world to talk about. Make fun of yourself, mock yourself, that’s okay. Don’t mock others.”
She further added, “I don’t watch stand-up of Indian comedians because they rip people off. If you build your career based on making money by putting others down is not right.”
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