Following criticism for sharing a chat wherein her friend called Nigerian footballer Alexander Iwobi a "gorilla", Esha Gupta said, "[I've been] wrongfully accused [of racism]." "I know...many parents who tell their children 'bandar lag raha hai yaar'. It doesn't mean they're saying in...racist undertone," she added. Esha further said people in India "don't know" that such words "mean anything racist".