Aayush Sharma says he was called ‘Arpita Khan’s dog’ after Loveyatri: ‘She had nothing to do with the launch’

Aayush Sharma opened up about his family being dragged into criticism of his work. He is married to Salman Khan’s younger sister, Arpita Khan, and has two children – Ahil and Ayat – with her.

While Aayush said that he is open to criticism, he does not understand the need to involve his family in it. He recalled how, after the release of his debut film Loveyatri in 2018, he was likened to Arpita’s ‘dog’ by a leading news publication.

Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, Aayush said, “Sometimes, it becomes personal. Like, involving my family and my wife into criticising my work, that is something I don’t really understand. If you are not happy with something I have done, how is my wife supposed to be involved in that? I have presented myself as an actor. I am completely okay with criticism on me.”

“I still remember when my first film released, a very major newspaper said, ‘Next time if Arpita wants to launch a dog, Salman should launch a dog.’ I was like, ‘That’s fine, I completely understand. The film is out there, everyone has the full right to give their opinions about the film.’ But to involve my wife in this criticism, I didn’t really understand. Arpita had nothing to do with the launch. The person who produced the film is Salman bhai, the person who is involved in my training is Salman bhai, the person who really gave me the platform is Salman bhai,” he added.

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Aayush said that just because they are related, people assume that Salman went out of his way to launch him, forgetting that many other actors got their break through Salman Khan Films.

Last month, Aayush’s second film, Antim: The Final Truth, hit the theatres. The film, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, marks his first on-screen collaboration with Salman. It earned ₹29.35 crore in its first week.