Mahesh Bhatt faced renewed backlash after screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation between him and Rhea Chakraborty went viral. A section of netizens claimed that people like him "do not deserve to be respected."

The screenshots suggest that Chakraborty informed the filmmaker that she was leaving Sushant Singh Rajput. Bhatt wrote, "Don't look back. Make it possible what is inevitable." Chakraborty responded, "Have found some courage."