Apoorva Mukhija calls kalawa row her breaking point, questions faith ‘rules’

Content creator Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, has opened up about the backlash she faced after cutting a kalawa before attending the Coachella music festival, describing the controversy as the “breaking point” after months of criticism and trolling.

Speaking in a new Storytime video on her YouTube channel, Mukhija said her mental health had already deteriorated following the India’s Got Latent controversy and that she increasingly felt she could do nothing without attracting abuse or being “cancelled”. The subsequent outrage over her Coachella video, she said, pushed her to the edge.

“My last breaking point was the kalawa controversy,” Mukhija said, recalling how she cut the sacred thread from her wrist while filming a “get ready with me” video at Coachella in April.

‘God doesn’t come with rules’

In the original video, Mukhija had said the thread would interfere with the “aesthetic” of her Coachella photographs, despite mentioning that a priest had told her not to cut it. The clip went viral and drew sharp criticism online, with some users accusing her of disrespecting a religious symbol for the sake of appearance.

Reflecting on the episode months later, Mukhija said her relationship with faith was relatively new and that believing in God had begun giving her peace. She said she did not view faith as something governed by rigid rules and, at the time, did not believe cutting the thread amounted to disrespect.

“I just started believing in God. It gives me a lot of peace to believe in God. But I don't think God comes with rules,” she said, adding that she believed God would not mind her cutting a thread.

Mukhija, however, acknowledged that other people who shared the same faith were upset by what she had done. She said that despite having faced bigger controversies, the reaction to the kalawa episode became the point at which she felt overwhelmed.

Backlash took its toll

The influencer said the episode came after an already difficult period following the India’s Got Latent controversy, when she faced widespread trolling and criticism. She recalled waking up with anxiety and feeling that she had lost motivation in her career.

Mukhija said she found herself comparing her response to those of Tanmay Bhat and Samay Raina, who, according to her, appeared motivated to continue working despite the controversy, while she felt she had “given up”.

The creator said the repeated controversies eventually left her feeling that regardless of how carefully she thought before speaking or acting, she would inevitably end up doing something wrong.

Following the kalawa controversy, Mukhija travelled alone to Bali. She has since moved to New York to pursue an MBA, describing the shift as both a long-held ambition and a major change from the life and career she had built in India.

Mukhija, who built a large social media following through videos and personal Storytime content, has also appeared in The Traitors, Lock Upp 2 and made her acting debut in Nadaaniyan.