Mrunal Thakur Apologizes for ‘Silly’ Comments on Bipasha Basu’s Appearance

After a resurfaced video shows her calling Basu “manly,” Thakur penned a public apology, which has been met with a cryptic post from Basu and support from actress Hina Khan.

August 15, 2025: Mrunal Thakur, an actress, has apologized in public for things she said about Bipasha Basu’s body in an old interview that has lately come back to light on social media. The footage, which is thought to be from Thakur’s time on the TV show Kumkum Bhagya, shows her asking her co-star, “Do you want to marry a female who is manly with muscles? Go ahead and marry Bipasha. Hey, I’m a lot better than Bipasha, okay?

The video went viral, and people quickly spoke out against Thakur, saying he was body-shaming. In response, Bipasha Basu posted a mysterious but strong message on her Instagram story that stressed the value of physical strength and said, “Strong women lift each other up.” Get those muscles, pretty chicks.

After the outcry, Thakur wrote a long apology on her Instagram account. She wrote, “As a teenager, I said a lot of dumb things.” “I didn’t always know how much my voice could hurt or how much words, even in jest, could hurt…” I never meant to make anyone feel bad about their body. It was fun teasing during an interview that went too far. I know how it came out, though, and I really wish I had said anything else.

The event has led to a bigger discourse in the industry. Hina Khan, an actress, openly backed Thakur and praised her for having the guts to confess she was wrong. Khan dubbed Bipasha Basu a “icon” in a statement on social media and told people to “end this CIRCUS” and focus on being compassionate. Khan remarked, “With time, we change, we become kinder, we become compassionate.” He also said that we should all “learn to lift each other up.”

Mrunal Thakur, who was in the movie Son of Sardaar 2, and Bipasha Basu, who was in the 2020 series Dangerous, have both been the focus of online discussions over the incident.