Why is Celina Jaitley taking legal action against Pakistan journalist Umair Sandhu?

Bollywood actor Celina Jaitley has lodged a written complaint against Pakistani national Umair Sandhu, a self-proclaimed film critic notorious for making derogatory remarks about Bollywood celebrities.

Despite being largely ignored by the Hindi film industry, Sandhu's recent comments targeting Celina Jaitley have caught her attention and might land him into trouble.

The controversial remark

Earlier this year, Umair Sandhu, on his X account (formerly Twitter), made a derogatory comment about Celina Jaitley. He wrote, "Celina Jaitley is the only actress who slept with both father (Firoz Khan) and son Fardeen Khan many times."

Firoz Khan had launched Celina Jaitley in her debut film alongside his son, Fardeen Khan, in Janasheen (2003). Celina had always regarded Firoz Khan as her mentor in the industry.

Filing a complaint

Umair's offensive remark prompted Celina to reach out to the National Commission for Women (NCW), which subsequently escalated the matter to the Ministry of External Affairs. The MEA then communicated with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, seeking an investigation into the incident.

In her complaint, Celina highlighted that Umair was frequently changing his online location but was suspected to be hiding in Pakistan.

Celina's statement

In her complaint, Celina expressed, "A few months ago, a self-proclaimed Hindi Film critic and journalist from Pakistan named Umair Sandhu took to Twitter to make viral untrue claims about me which included bizarre allegations like my relations with my mentor Feroz Khan and his son Fardeen, in addition, he made claims targeting me and my family's safety in Austria."

Firoz Khan: 'A mentor and a gentleman'

Celina fondly recalls Feroz Khan as a mentor and a true gentleman. She said, "Honestly, to date, there is no Khan like Feroz Khan. He was a thorough gentleman, extremely intelligent, and a very handsome intellectual. Mr Khan always called me 'Celine' and was not only my friend but also my mentor. There was nothing I would not discuss with him. He even advised me about my boyfriend at that time."

Her journey in Bollywood

Despite Janasheen's average performance at the box office, Celina gained recognition and went on to appear in numerous other films like No Entry (2005), Tom Dick and Harry (2007), Heyy Babyy (2007), and several others.

Her last appearance was in Anees Bazmee's romantic comedy, Thank You (2011). Following that, she chose to retire from acting and later married Austrian businessman, Peter Haag.