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Rapper Talha Anjum made headlines last week for draping an Indian flag over his shoulders during a concert and dividing the internet. Some praised the rapper for respecting his fans and keeping his art free from jingoistic nationalism, while others were upset at him for holding up the flag of a country that has been openly hostile to Pakistan.

Anjum was initially brazen in his response, saying he’ll “do it again” in a post on X. He said “art has no place for hate” and that “Urdu rap is and will always be borderless.” He has since deleted the post and was pushed to apologise on TV by an unnecessarily aggressive Nadia Khan on Rise and Shine on Thursday.

During the interview, Khan repeatedly interrupted the rapper, talking over him and demanding he apologise for wearing the flag on his shoulders. Sarcastically referring to him as “*beta”, asking if he was “sleeping” and repeatedly using the word “*tum,” the interview was coloured by her aggression. At one point, she punctuated his every word with “okay” and “and?”, until her fellow host told her to allow Anjum to complete his sentence.

The entertainment industry isn’t too happy with the way Khan spoke to the rapper and made its displeasure known in a series of posts and stories on Instagram. Khaqan Shahnawaz and Yasir Hussain both drew comparisons between her and Arnab Goswami — the firebrand Indian anchor famous for his loud TV rants.

They weren’t alone, others also jumped to Anjum’s defence, echoing his stance of art transcending nationality. Kashmir’s lead singer Bilal Ali and singer Saif Samejo agreed that art was never supposed to be confined to borders.

Ali said many Pakistani hosts would “happily jump at the first opportunity to join an Indian project,” reminding people of the number of artists who got their big breaks in India.

Samejo said the reaction from Pakistani media anchors and TV hosts “exposes a deep insecurity and illness of mind”. He criticised Khan’s “aggressive, ultra-patriotic tone — the kind that gives people a free pass to attack anyone”.

Actor Sonya Hussyn felt Anjum was entitled to more respect, as a celebrated artist who represents Pakistan well. “No artist deserves to be treated like a criminal, least of all on national television! Being moved by the audience’s love and expressing it by raising a flag does not make anyone disloyal to their country,” she wrote.

She also said the conversation with Khan could have been conducted with “far more grace, understanding and respect”.

Fellow actor Tooba Siddiqui wanted a diss track from Anjum, the king of diss tracks, and even offered some lyrics.

Actor Kinza Hashmi praised the rapper for displaying both patience and character under pressure.

Comedian Ahmed Ali Butt was either confused or angry, we’ll let you decide which.

Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir went a step further, saying Anjum actually disproved the Indian narrative of mutual hatred between the two countries.

“A Pakistani artist waving an Indian flag handed to him by a fan primarily shows his respect for the fans. With India specifically, it reflects respect for our shared culture, language, and music. It is, in fact, the best response to the hate routinely spewed by the BJP and Bollywood,” he wrote on X. “Talha Anjum exposed all the testosterone-driven artists in India who wear their patriotism on their sleeves to curry favour under the BJP. It was a very G thing to do.”

Nasir said serving him a legal notice or berating him on a talk show looks “cheap, shows a desperation for a viral moment, and is indicative of cultural impoverishment”.

Much like our celebrities, the general public has also been divided on Anjum’s act. While some are out for blood, angry that someone could show a hint of softness towards India, others are taking a far more tempered approach and applauding him for showing Indians that Pakistanis don’t have hate in the hearts.