RGV claimed he had coronavirus, then said it's a joke
What's the story
Ram Gopal Varma just cracked a joke about an ongoing global pandemic. Obviously, nobody laughed! Late last night, the filmmaker thought it would be funny to tweet out that he contracted the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has killed thousands across the globe, just because it was April Fool's Day. After he was slammed by fellow Twitter users, the 57-year-old apologized.
Details
Doctor told me I tested positive with corona, RGV tweeted
On Wednesday, RGV, the award-winning director of movies such as Satya, Shool, Company, and Sarkar, tweeted, "My doctor just told me that I tested positive with Corona." Within a span of some 15 minutes, he said it was a "joke". "Sorry to disappoint, but now he tells me it's a April Fool joke...it's his fault and not mine (sic)," he wrote in another tweet.
Twitter Post
This was RGV's (unfunny) joke
My doctor just told me that I tested positive with Corona
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) April 1, 2020
Twitter Post
And then, he came up with this
Sorry to disappoint, but now he tells me it’s a April Fool joke 😳 it’s his fault and not mine
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) April 1, 2020
Reactions
Twitter users called out RGV for the insensitive joke
Obviously, fellow users on Twitter did not find it funny of RGV to trivialize an ongoing pandemic, that continues to wreak havoc in countries all over the world. They called RGV "sick" for coming up with such an "insensitive" joke. "You are sick...Your virus is called mentally unstable virus," wrote one. "Is the doctor ok now," inquired another, on a lighter note.
Quote
After the backlash, RGV apologized
After facing the heat, RGV apologized for the problematic joke. In another tweet, he wrote, "Anyway I am just trying to make light of a grim situation but the joke is on me and if I dint offend anyone I sincerely apologize to them (sic)."
COVID-19
COVID-19 has killed nearly 50,000 around the world
RGV's so-called joke comes at a time when the entire world is reeling under the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to 50,000 people have lost their lives, and nearly a million got infected around the world. In India, the novel virus has grown exponentially over the last few days. The country has witnessed over 50 confirmed deaths and more than 2,000 infections.