Love is Blind star Abhishek Chatterjee, best known as Shake, has said he is “not sorry” for his treatment of Deepti Vempati.
In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday 1 March, Chatterjee told followers he believes he “handled the situation as best as anybody in [his] situation could”.
The second series of the hit Netflix series saw Chatterjee and Vempati become engaged after spending ten days getting to know one another without ever having met.
But their engagement was short-lived. After they met, Vempati chose not to marry Chatterjee during the show’s season finale.
Viewers had initially expressed concern about the future of their relationship after Chatterjee asked Vempati several questions about her weight and physical appearance during the first ten days.
Following their in-person meeting, Chatterjee was seen telling family members that he did not feel attracted to Vempati, often comparing her to his “aunt”.
His comments have been criticised by viewers as well as Vempati and her family members.
Responding to the backlash on Tuesday, Chatterjee said he “doesn’t feel inclined” to pretend that he is sorry.
“I mentioned earlier that there’s certainly things I can work on for myself and get better at,” he said.
“One thing I don’t feel inclined to do is pretend I’m sad or sorry about certain things, certain things that were out of my control. I’m just not going to do that.
“I’m not sorry. I think I handled the situation as best as anybody in my situation could.”
He added: “You don’t have to like me. Only I have to like me.”
Chatterjee’s post comes after Vempati told Buzzfeed that his comments about her were disappointing and hard to watch.
“Shake and I had conversations about how physical intimacy and that chemistry was lacking between us,” she said.
“But to watch it back and see how he did it - it was kind of like: ‘Oh, look at me, I’m this cool dude that’s just gonna talk sh*t about you to my friends.’”
Vempati’s brother, Sunny and his wife Hina also penned a message to Chatterjee on Instagram in which they called him a “loser”.
“You minimised my sister’s life by making some awful and cringeworthy comments about her.”
“You made these statements knowing your own mom would one day watch it; my parents and my entire family had to sit through you talking behind my sister’s back about insecurities she fought her entire life,” they said.
“Despite your comments on and off camera about her body, she continued to only ever be supportive of you, despite our best efforts to convince her to see through your BS.”
“We welcomed you into our home, and you saw it as an opportunity for clout; so forgive me if I’m not sympathetic towards you and the hate you’re receiving,” they wrote. “Good luck with the rest of your life; and stay the f**k away from my sister.”
