Bhumi Pednekar's Former Teacher Alleges Disrespect in NEET Row

Bhumi Pednekar's former teacher has accused the actress of being disrespectful toward her instructors during acting training, adding a personal layer to the backlash Pednekar already faces over her comments on the NEET-UG protests.

Shruti Desai, a spiritual psychotherapist who said she briefly taught Pednekar at a Mumbai film school, posted the claim on Instagram and tagged the actress. Desai recalled Pednekar being "disrespectful, almost disdainful" about her teachers and questioned how her worldview had changed since then.

"Care to explain your new approach towards the concepts of respect and responsibility and how your world-view changed so drastically in the interim?" Desai wrote.

Reactions to the post were divided. Some users backed Desai. "My favourite part about this post is the fact that a female educator is asking an educated female for accountability," one wrote. Others questioned the framing. "It says film school. Can y'all read? She was not a child in film school," another commented. "I hope Shruti's teacher also commented about how Shruti was when she was 15!!" a third user wrote. One supporter added, "Shruti, I am so proud to call you my friend, bravo bravo!" Another user said Pednekar appeared to be the same person staff on The Kapil Sharma Show had described multiple times.

The exchange sits on top of a wider controversy. Pednekar had posted videos criticising offensive slogans directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the protests over the NEET-UG exam, the medical entrance test that has drawn students into the streets across India. She argued that disrespectful language toward constitutional offices was unacceptable and called for civil dialogue over personal attacks.