A promotional tease meant to create excitement around Ashish Chanchlani and Elli AvrRam’s new music video, Chandaniya, took an unexpectedly dark turn last week. What began as a playful post quickly snowballed into a wave of online harassment targeting Elli. The incident has now sparked serious questions about digital accountability, gendered hate, and the silence of male influencers when their co-stars are under fire.
Initially, Chanchlani posted a romantic-looking photo on social media with Elli AvrRam, captioned simply “Finally.” Naturally, fans assumed the duo had made their relationship public. The post exploded online, drawing thousands of likes, comments, and shares. Soon after, however, it became clear that the image was a promotional stunt for Chandaniya. While the revelation should have deflated the rumors, the online reaction took a troubling turn.
Instead of harmless speculation, Elli became the focus of cruel, sexist trolling. Strangers flooded her social media with vile comments, questioning her personal life and even mocking her alleged “body count.” The term, often weaponized to shame women, was flung about with disturbing ease.
As the backlash intensified, fans and critics alike turned their attention to Ashish. Many expected him to intervene swiftly and condemn the misogynistic remarks aimed at Elli. But for several days, Chanchlani remained silent.
This silence didn’t sit well with many. A now-viral tweet directly accused him of orchestrating a prank that led to the character assassination of a fellow artist. The tweet read, “Bhai seriously bol rha hu ekdum shit song tha… tere fans ne is bandi ka character assassination kiya and tu chup hai.” Eventually, Ashish broke his silence. In his now-deleted tweet, he distanced himself and his audience from the trolls.
He wrote, “Make no mistake. Those ‘people’ in my comments are not my audience or fans. Half of them don’t even follow me. It’s a free platform… and all the disgusting things they said will never be supported or encouraged by me or my fans.” He further stated, “Anyone who has been closely following me for a decade knows what I preach. Rest assured, it’s pathetic what happened and I’ll be addressing it soon.”
While the tweet made his stance clear, it disappeared from his profile within hours. Screenshots, however, continued circulating widely. As a result, conversations around influencer responsibility and gender bias resurfaced across digital platforms.
Amidst the chaos, Elli chose not to engage with the trolls directly. Instead, she shared a poignant response on Instagram. She posted a screenshot of a private message that read, “Your sexiest body part is your mind,” accompanied by her own caption: “True story.” Her understated reply won praise across social media. Many commended her composure and applauded her refusal to dignify hate with direct engagement.
Fortunately, not all reactions were hateful. A strong wave of support emerged for Elli AvrRam. Several netizens condemned the sexist remarks, called out toxic fandoms, and demanded influencers like Ashish to speak up more consistently. The incident has reignited a vital debate: How far should influencers go to protect their collaborators from online hate, especially when promotional gimmicks backfire?
This controversy surrounding Chandaniya reveals the darker side of virality. While promotional stunts are common in entertainment, they can sometimes pave the way for unwanted consequences—especially in a digital world where misogyny still finds loud expression.
Ashish’s delayed and deleted response raises further questions about responsibility, while Elli’s dignified reaction serves as a reminder of the grace with which many women navigate online abuse. Until such trolling is tackled more directly by creators and platforms alike, incidents like this will continue to expose the flaws in our digital culture.
