Deepak Perwani threads the needle wrong; social media in stitches

Renowned Pakistani fashion designer Deepak Perwani landed himself in hot waters after sharing his thoughts on Pakistan Vs India.

Before we get into what the designer-actor said and what it led to, one needs to understand the dynamics of the neighbouring populations – an insightful netizen once compared India and Pakistan, and therefore the peoples of both countries, to toxic exes.

Also read: Is the Indian government seizing Saif Ali Khan’s property?

They will constantly compare themselves to each other, try to put each other down, but never really go away from each other, causing storm in a teacup every now and then.

For instance, just yesterday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided not to print Pakistan’s name on their cricket team’s jerseys for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament hosted by Pakistan. While that hoopla is still in progress, the luxe designer stoked the flames even further with a simple comment.

Perwani spoke about his experiences on living in both India and Pakistan, drawing examples from his recent visit to Jaipur, and said that India seems to have it better than Pakistan – in terms of infrastructure, pedestrian friendly environment, and general happiness. But perhaps the most biting, for his Pakistani fans, was the comment that “women walk freely on the streets”.

Phew… there goes nothing!

Moments after the interview hit the airwaves, a storm brewed up on social media from both sides of the border. Perhaps in commensuration with the Bollywood Khans being told to “go to Pakistan”, the Pakistani fans turned to Perwani with “go to India”. Pakistani fans were more disappointed than angry, but Indians truly relished the moment.

A journalist from India, Joydeep Hazarika, wrote “We Indians will welcome Deepak Perwani with open arms. [by the way] we do have it better.”

Another one, got a little passionate there, and offered funding in “millions” to separate Karachi from Pakistan – smells like BJP here!

Also read: What if your clothes were made from milk, carrot or seaweed?

TRIGGER WARNING! Some Pakistanis begrudgingly agreed with Perwani’s comments. A netizen wrote, “He is kinda right”. Yet another brought the Pakistan’s side of passion by pointed out the high rate of rape in India.

Some tried to call a spade a spade – obviously, what they thought was the spade! – and said that Deepak Perwani only wishes for Pakistan to be a better place and those criticising him are actually the ones who don’t want Pakistan to improve.

After all is said and done, Deepak Perwani will move back to his acting and designing skills – fan moment here! And both Pakistan and India will move on to their next social media skirmish, maybe sooner than later. What will it be next?