'Zyada toh nahi lagi?' Shehzad Poonawalla's Rise & Fall thrashing sparks reactions

Shehzad Poonawalla, former BJP spokesperson, was seen getting attacked by a co-contestant – Siwet Tomar – on the OTT reality show Rise & Fall.

Updated on: Sep 28, 2026, 15:12:21 IST

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Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla was seen getting thrashed by a co-contestant in the latest episode of the reality show Rise & Fall, which airs on Prime Videos, flooding social media with reactions, including those from politicians, as videos of the incident went viral.

The episode showed an argument between actor Swara Bhasker and Shehzad Poonwalla turning ugly and ending up with another co-contestant, Siwet Tomar, joining the ruckus and thrashing the former BJP leader.

The argument between Swara Bhasker and Shehzad Poonawalla on Rise & Fall 2's Episode 3 appeared to be centred on their political and ideological differences.

Right before getting beaten, Shehzad Poonawalla could be heard referring to a tattoo of Siwet Tomar and saying despite getting that inked, he was siding with Swara Bhasker — who is considered left leaning. Among the many tattoos on his body, particularly left arm, Siwet carries a tattoo of what appears to be a Trishul, as seen on videos and his social media posts.

Poonawalla could later be seen showing his torn kurta on camera.

Opposition reacts to Shehzad Poonawalla's thrashing

Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj was among the politicians who reacted to the incident, saying on X, “कैमरे के सामने @Shehzad_Ind को इस तरह पीटना बेहद दुखद है। कड़ी निंदा! [Seeing Shehzad Poonawalla getting beaten on camera like this is extremely sad. Strong condemnation]”.

Former Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV also reacted to a video of the brawl. “शहजाद भाई, ज्यादा तो नही लगी…? कड़ी निंदा [Shehzad bhai, hope you didn't get too hurt. Strong condemnation]”.

Rashtriya Janta Dal national spokesperson Priyanka Bharti said the former BJP leader probably thought it was a studio and someone will come to save him.

"What has happened? I think the former BJP spokesperson was thinking, the anchor will come to save me! If not the anchor, then the analyst will surely save me! If not the analyst, then the "senior journalists" will surely save me!" she wrote in Hindi on X.

Shehzad Poonawalla's brother, Tehseen Poonwalla, added a reaction in the flood of commentary on social media. Reacting to a post which called Shehzad Poonawalla a “Shame for his family and brother,” Tehseen said on X, “Dude, never ever feel bad for me! I am a starwill always remain one.. Don't need sympathy ever! Let me be clear …”

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