YouTuber Payal Malik Apologizes After Goddess Kali Look Sparks Controversy—Was She Really Wrong?

Indian YouTuber Armaan Malik and his wives Payal and Kritika often find themselves in the limelight, both for the immense love and for the hate they receive online. This time, the family has landed in controversy after Payal Malik posted a video in which she dressed as Goddess Kali—a gesture that quickly went viral for both positive and negative reasons.

Payal explained at the outset, “First of all, I apologize to everyone with folded hands for my video. My daughter is a great devotee of Kali Maa; she spends her whole time chanting Kali Maa’s name. So, I wanted to create this look for my daughter. Maybe I made a big mistake.”

Her video, meant to honor her daughter’s devotion, triggered a severe backlash from certain sections of the public and from religious leaders. National General Secretary Deepanshu Sood commented, “Such actions have hurt religious sentiments.” The controversy escalated, leading to widespread debate on social media and even in public places.

In response to the outrage, Payal traveled to Patiala and personally apologized at a Kali Mata temple. She sought forgiveness not only for herself but also advised other influencers, “Please, do not repeat my mistake.” As an act of atonement, she was asked to serve in the temple for an hour, which involved washing dishes and serving food to devotees—a moment captured on video and widely shared online.

Social media exploded with reactions. Some users expressed support: “There’s nothing wrong in what she did; the world is just like this. Don’t worry, Payal di, we’re with you.” Others felt the controversy was unnecessary: “This is a common practice here—people create Kali Mata looks all the time! Why are people targeting her?” Another noted, “What’s the issue? Every woman has a divine element in her—what’s wrong in Payal’s video?”

Still, some users believed the backlash was justified, saying “I feel bad, this shouldn’t have happened; but Payal was not at all wrong.”

Now that Payal has apologized and accepted the temple’s punishment, opinions remain divided. Was Payal’s creation of a Goddess Kali look for her daughter an innocent gesture of devotion, or an insensitive misstep?

Tell us what you think—was Payal really at fault? Leave your opinion in the comments,