Indian man asked Selena Gomez to chant 'Jai Shree Ram'. Watch what she did next in viral video

Selena Gomez politely said 'thank you honey' to the Indian man and did not chant 'Jai Shree Ram'.

A brief encounter between American singer and actress Selena Gomez and an Indian fan has set off a flurry of discussions online. The video, originally posted on Instagram, shows Gomez politely sidestepping a request to chant “Jai Shree Ram,” a popular Hindu slogan, while interacting with an Indian admirer.

In the now-viral clip, Gomez is seen posing with the man, who asks her to repeat the phrase “Jai Shree Ram,” which translates to “Victory to Lord Ram” in Hindi, and is a traditional chant among Hindus.

The man, in broken English likely tells Gomez, it is “India’s best slogan.” However, Gomez, seemingly taken by surprise or unable to understand him, instead responds with a polite “Thank you, honey,” side-stepping the request.

The video was first shared by Indian photographer Pallav Paliwal, who captioned it, “One of our followers met Selena Gomez and she said ‘Jai Shree Ram’ on the occasion of Diwali.” Paliwal claimed the encounter was recent, though many fans pointed out inconsistencies, noting that Gomez’s outfit in the video matches her look from the Cannes Film Festival last year.

A hindu man met Selena Gomez and asked her to chant Jai Shree Ram, only to be ignored by her. pic.twitter.com/WSJqCCfF2t A (@atmanirbhar_kid) October 31, 2024

Social media reactions were swift, with a wave of criticism directed at the man for what some deemed an uncomfortable and unwarranted request. A commenter wrote, “I don’t know what people get by embarrassing themselves.”

Another post critiqued the fan's actions, saying, “What was the need to ask her? She’s not Indian; she won’t know this.” Some highlighted Gomez’s reaction as the redeeming moment of the exchange, with one user commenting, “How perfectly she brushes off this clown,” adding, “Every cell in my body cringed so hard.”

The video, shared widely on Instagram and other platforms, has since fuelled discussions on cultural sensitivity, with many users suggesting that such requests risk coming across as forced and misplaced. As one observer put it, “What do you get by saying this?”

Selena Gomez, 32, a Disney sensation and pop icon, has the highest number of Instagram followers for any woman in the world. She is also among America's youngest female self-made billionaires.