A YouTube thumbnail was all it took to trigger a storm. Social media erupted after Dhruv Rathee used a before-and-after image of Janhvi Kapoor in the thumbnail of a video discussing “fake beauty.” The backlash intensified when some users claimed the video was a response to Janhvi’s recent post supporting Bangladeshi Hindus.
Rathee addressed the claims in a follow-up video, calling the narrative misleading. Reading out a viral post that accused him of targeting Janhvi, he questioned why people were accepting social media claims without basic logic. “Tumhe Bhagwan ne dimag diya hai, kyun nahi istemal karte iska?” he said, pointing out that he had uploaded a 30-minute video the same day Janhvi made her post. “Kya yeh realistically possible hai?”
He also rejected the idea that he would criticise someone for speaking up on Bangladeshi Hindus, noting that he had himself made content on the same issue. “Main jo bolna hota hai mou pe bolta hoon,” he said, adding that the video focused on plastic surgery and its impact on society, not Janhvi Kapoor. “Iss poore video mein maine Janhvi Kapoor se koi sawaal nahi kiya.”
The clarification slowed the speculation, but the episode once again pushed Rathee into the centre of online debate.
Who is Dhruv Rathee?
Dhruv Rathee was born in 1994 in Rohtak, Haryana, into a middle-class family. His mother was a school teacher, his father an engineer. Travel came early in his life, first across India and later abroad when his father took up work in Malaysia. It was during a visit there in 2003 that Rathee picked up a camera for the first time and shot his earliest video, a small moment that stayed with him.
As a teenager, his interests shifted from animation and detective stories to documentaries and global affairs. The turning point came in 2011 during the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, which sparked his interest in politics and public accountability.
Education and the YouTube pivot
Rathee moved to Germany for higher studies, completing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Renewable Energy from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in 2018. His academic background, however, ran parallel to a growing interest in economics and political science, which he later pursued through a second bachelor’s degree.
YouTube became his outlet. His early videos broke down political events using data, timelines and sources, a format that steadily found an audience. Over time, his content expanded to include environment, social issues, misinformation and digital literacy. Today, Rathee is based in Berlin and runs multiple channels with a combined viewership in the billions.
Personal life and public persona
Rathee met his wife, Juli Lbr, in Germany in 2014. The couple married in Vienna in 2021 and welcomed their son in September 2024. Despite his political commentary, Rathee has maintained clear boundaries around promotions, publicly stating that he does not endorse political parties or products linked to alcohol, tobacco or gambling.
Currently, Dhruv Rathee remains one of India’s most influential digital voices. And as the recent controversy shows, his work continues to spark strong reactions, both online and off it.
