Abhimanyu Dassani pulls up those who say they are ‘proud of’ Olympic winners: ‘You don’t have the right’

Actor Abhimanyu Dassani has pulled up those people who say they are ‘proud of athletes when they win’. His reaction comes after Mirabai Chanu from Manipur won a silver medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Abhimanyu called them ‘bandwagon clout’. He also said that if they were not cheering for the athletes when they were working hard then they don’t have ‘the right to be proud of them’.

Abhimanyu Dassani tweeted, “To all the bandwagon clout chasing sports fans that come out of their holes to be ‘proud’ of athletes when they win. Here is the meaning of proud. feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one’s own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is CLOSELY associated.”

He also wrote, “If you werent cheering for them when they were grinding blood sweat and tears on their fields or in their gyms You dont have the right to be proud of them, you can be happy for them. Start investing directly/indirectly into thier journeys to earn that right. Be a real fan.”

Reacting to his post, several users tweeted. A user wrote, “So if a person is a tax payer in this country his tax goes to union govt. the union government is running the TOPS scheme for olympic podium finishes..and the money used there comes from the tax payers in the country ..so they have the right to feel proud of their nations players.”

He replied, “You clearly haven’t been a competitive level athlete anywhere. And with that arrogant thinking I don’t expect you to understand what sportsmen/women go through. Carefully read the definition of proud, again.”

Another said, “We are connected to her as an Indian and it’s a proud moment for our country.” He responded, “Sure but instead of being an active supporter you still won’t cheer for the athlete until they win something prestigious. That’s sad.”

A third wrote, “It’s difficult for everyone to invest in someone’s journey if they don’t know them to begin with…but I support your views about ‘pride’. For me pride is strictly reserved for personal choices and achievements only.” Abhimanyu said, “I meant … Just watch their games maybe tweet about them before they win. Don’t have to literally put down money or infrastructure to help them grow. Even a few nice words go a long way when you’re down. Specially by strangers appreciating you.”

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Meanwhile, Abhimanyu will be seen with actor Sanya Malhotra in Meenakshi Sundareshwar, produced by Karan Johar. He will also be seen in action romantic comedy, Nikamma alongside actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra.

Abhimanyu made his Bollywood debut in 2018 with Ramesh Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. He earned praise for his work in the action film and even won the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Male.