Saina Nehwal says she never noticed Parineeti Chopra unfollowing her on Instagram, ‘We never became friends’

sania nehwal and parineeti chopra

• Saina Nehwal clarified no fallout with Parineeti Chopra over Instagram unfollow.
• Their interactions were strictly professional while making the Saina biopic.
• Saina said neither she nor Parineeti currently follow each other on Instagram.

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Indian badminton legend Saina Nehwal has finally broken her silence regarding the recent online buzz about actress Parineeti Chopra unfollowing her on Instagram — a topic that set social media abuzz with speculation about a possible fallout between the two. The discussion stemmed from the fact that while Saina follows Parineeti on Instagram, the Saina biopic actor does not follow the shuttler back, leading some fans to question whether there was any tension between them.

In an interview with YouTuber Subhojit Ghosh, Saina clarified that she hadn’t even noticed the follow-unfollow situation until it was pointed out, explaining that her schedule — packed with training, tournaments and events — left little room for such details.

“Actually, I did not notice this and na kabhi dhyan gaya hain ispe. Kyuki life has been so busy with my training and tournaments and events ki iss cheez pe dhyan nahi gaya. Jitna bhi baatein hui hain humari, it's not like ki friends ban gaye the kuch… in a few sessions I was also like a professional telling her ki maine life mein kya-kya kiya, maine kuch bola hi nahi ki maine friendship kari thi ya kuch.”

Addressing the heart of the speculation, Saina underlined that there was no personal issues between her and Parineeti. Instead, she reiterated that their interactions were limited and strictly professional, centred entirely around the making of the 2021 biographical sports drama Saina.

The film, directed by Amole Gupte, traced her journey from a young girl in Hyderabad to becoming a world No. 1 shuttler and Olympic medallist, and Parineeti’s performance as Saina was widely appreciated by critics and audiences alike.

Saina elaborated that during the shoot, their time together was limited to a few sessions aimed at helping Parineeti understand her life and career for the role. Saina shared, “It was totally professional work for which she was there, and I knew that. I was busy with my training. I also could not give so much of time. Ki hum dinners ya lunch pe jaaye. Utna kabhi hua nahi. Jitna bhi 1-2 ghante mein, once in 2-3 weeks hum milke, director saab was there.”

She continued, “And I explained to her about my journey and all that. Aisa kuch bhi nahi tha ki humne bohot time spend kiya taki hum friends ban sake, it was mostly about the work which she was about to do… But humne kuch zyada friendship nahi banayi thi to follow or unfollow.”

As of now, neither Saina nor Parineeti follow each other on Instagram, a fact confirmed by Saina in her remarks.