Celebs divided over boycott Chinese apps debate

When Ladakh-based engineer Sonam Wangchuk, who was the inspiration behind Aamir Khan’s character in the 2009 film 3 Idiots, posted a video urging people to boycott Tiktok and other Chinese products, little did he know it would gain momentum in such a short period of time. Lending support to Wangchuk was actor Milind Soman, who tweeted that he is no longer on Tiktok. Actors Arshad Warsi and Ranvir Shorey, too, came out in support of the campaign.

Inspired by Wangchuk, actor Archana Puran Singh, an avid Tiktok user, deleted her account and the app. She says, “Not all of us can do the right thing all the time, but when somebody like him touches a chord, he evokes that sense of questioning within us, and if we don’t hear that voice, that would be unforgivable. I have vowed to follow what he said, ‘Softwares within a week, hardwares within a year’ as much as possible.”

Some celebs, however, feel boycotting Tiktok alone will not solve the purpose. “Look at your own mobile phone and appliances we use at home. Why not try for everything swadesi? Our people should appreciate Made in India goods, especially things that traditional artisans make. Jab hamare swadesi ko appreciate karenge, there will be more opportunities for cottage industries. Aatmanirbhar bano, it has a deep meaning to it,” says actor Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, a user of the app.

Echoing similar views is actor Mahhi Vij, who has over one million followers on the app. “We have many things coming from China; I even have toys which have the ‘Made in China’ label. How many things will you stop? It will take time to boycott...but at the same time, a lot of people are against Tiktok and some have been telling me to go off it. If the government takes serious action, we won’t use it,” she tells us.

However, actor Karishma Tanna, who has around 1.5 million followers, feels the app is just a source of entertainment, adding, “I don’t care what people say. My profile, my rules.”