Sushmita Sen's ex-boyfriend Vikram Bhatt reacts to her getting trolled for dating Lalit Modi

Over the past two days, Sushmita Sen has been responding to haters on social media. Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL and a successful businessman, said he was dating Sushmita, and since then, the two have been the target of offensive remarks and memes online. For dating Lalit, Sushmita has even been called a "gold digger" by some. Vikram Bhatt, a director and Sushmita's ex-boyfriend, defended her on Monday, saying she is "the last person who checks her bank balances before she decides to fall in love."

Sushmita reportedly started dating Vikram Bhatt in the middle of the 1990s, after she entered the film industry and won the title of Miss Universe in 1994. The 1996 movie Dastak, which was Sushmita's Bollywood debut, was written by Vikram. A couple of years later, they split up.

Speaking with India Today, Vikram said, “Sushmita is a love digger, not a gold digger. I think making fun of other people's life is entertainment. Someone’s tragedy is someone’s entertainment, that’s always there. When Kareena [Kapoor] married Saif [Ali Khan], even she was trolled. So, I think it goes with the territory, if you are a celebrity and if there is a decision of yours which seems funny to netizens, they start trolling.

He recalled, “Sushmita is the last person who checks out bank balances before she decides to fall in love with someone. I was penniless. I was directing Ghulam, but I had no money. I will not forget that Sushmita was the person who first took me to the US, and she paid for my trip. I had no money. When we reached Los Angeles and there was a limousine, and I was surprised. She said that she wanted to make my entry in the US very special.”