Filmmaker Raj Chakrabarty on Sunday defended his wife, actress Subhashree Ganguly, following a barrage of hate comments from netizens for posting a picture with football legend Lionel Messi after the fiasco at the latter’s Kolkata event.

Messi’s highly-anticipated event in Salt Lake Stadium turned awry on Saturday after fans failed to catch a glimpse of their hero due to scores of influential people surrounding him.

The football icon’s brief, tightly ring-fenced appearance — his first at the venue since 2011 — left large sections of the crowd frustrated as they failed to see their superstar despite paying hefty sums for tickets.

The crowd surrounding Messi included minister Aroop Biswas, his security detail, a motley group of men and women, members of the organising team, sponsors’ representatives and a bevy of photographers. This angered fans who could not get the opportunity to see their hero for once.

Following the event, Subhashree shared a series of pictures with Messi from the event. This added fuel to the fire, with netizens slamming the actress and pointing out the perks of “privilege”.

A viral video shared after the post showed a man mocking the actress saying, “I came to see Messi after paying twelve-thousand rupees for the ticket but I got to see Subhashree’s dance instead.”

Raj Chakrabarty took to Instagram on Sunday to support his wife. “Certain political leaders who are making comments without being present before or after the incident, asking “Why did a film actress need to be there?” I would like to ask: how well do you really know Shubhashree Ganguly? Does being an actress disqualify her from being a Messi fan?”

“A person carries multiple identities shaped by gender, profession, and relationships. Similarly, Shubhashree is a mother, sometimes a sister, sometimes a wife, sometimes an actress, sometimes a friend, and sometimes simply a fan. Above all, she is a human being. Yet, crossing all boundaries of basic humanity, political leaders and a section of the media are targeting actress Shubhashree Ganguly by creating memes, trolling her, and building an alternate narrative,” he added.

Raj asked whether the narrative would be the same if Subhashree was a Bollywood actress. “Because she is a recognisable face, everything from her body to her identity as an MLA’s wife, and even her child and family, is being dragged into public criticism. Why? Because she is a woman? Because she is an actress from the Bengali industry? Had she been a well-known Bollywood personality, would the narrative have been the same?” he said.

The filmmaker insisted that the event that unfolded at Salt Lake Stadium had no connection to Subhashree. “Those who are trolling must remember that how they treat a person, especially a woman, will leave a lasting imprint. The next generation will learn from this behaviour. There is a vast difference between protest and humiliation, and it is crucial to understand and explain that difference,” he said.

“Like all of you, she had also gone there to see a footballing legend. She too is deeply hurt by what happened,” Raj mentioned, acknowledging that the event was an insult to Bengal and all Bengalis. “Let discussions and criticism lead to solutions, not to a culture of trolling,” he signed off.

Following the intense backlash on Instagram, Subhashree has turned off the comments section of her latest post.