# Swara Bhasker calls Shehzad Poonawalla a troll as Rise and Fall 2 begins

Published 2026-09-26T07:35:31Z

> Swara Bhasker and Shehzad Poonawalla, both contestants on Amazon Prime Video's Rise and Fall 2, have traded sharp words in separate interviews, with Swara calling him a troll and Poonawalla warning he will hit back over her views.

Actress Swara Bhasker has entered Rise and Fall 2, the Amazon Prime Video reality show hosted by Virendra Sehwag. Her rivalry with fellow contestant Shehzad Poonawalla has been buzzing on social media ever since their names were announced. Now both have spoken about each other in separate interviews, and neither is holding back.

Swara reportedly called Poonawalla a troll, and maybe now "an elevated troll", saying she had only just discovered him. According to reports, she feels the makers needed a rivalry once she agreed to the show, and that he is there because of her. She also said he keeps giving interviews and making videos about her, and called him one of her many trolls.

Poonawalla, a political commentator who recently left the BJP, has a warning of his own. Reports say he called Swara's views "extremely problematic" and pointed to her stand on the Ram Mandir, Kashmir and her comments around Padmaavat. He said he would hit back if she brought such issues into the show, but would have no problem if she stuck to its daily matters.

He also shared how he landed the show. Poonawalla reportedly said he watched the film Hanuman Ansh while planning his next move, and got a call from the show the next day. A believer in Neem Karoli Baba and Hanuman ji, he saw the offer as a sign he could not reject. He added that years of TV debates had prepared him for reality TV, and that he wants viewers to see his fun, decent side.

For Swara, saying yes was not easy. The mother of a three-year-old daughter, Raabia, reportedly had to leave her on her birthday and will be away for six weeks. She said she passed on Bigg Boss 20 because three months felt too long, and that the show's idea of workers in the basement and rulers in the penthouse appealed to her leftism. She also praised Salman Khan for taking a stand against trolling after Katrina Kaif was body shamed.

Rise and Fall 2 streams every day at noon on Amazon Prime Video.

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Source: https://clapnumber.com/news/swara-bhasker-calls-shehzad-poonawalla-a-troll-as-rise-and-fall-2-begins
Retrieved: 2026-09-26