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Neena Gupta joins Kareena Kapoor in calling out Prada over Kolhapuri chappals

Luxury brand showcased similar footwear at Milan Fashion Week

Neena Gupta

The brand’s use of a traditional Indian design without acknowledgement

Getty Images
Gayathri Kallukaran
By Gayathri KallukaranJul 08, 2025
Gayathri Kallukaran

Gayathri Kallukaran is a junior journalist at Eastern Eye, with over two years of journalism experience, covering entertainment, culture, lifestyle, travel, and technology. Her areas of interest include human-interest stories, inclusive storytelling, and people-focused features.

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Key points

  • Neena Gupta posts a video wearing Kolhapuri chappals gifted by late actor Laxmikant Berde
  • Joins Kareena Kapoor in highlighting resemblance to a Prada sandal design
  • Luxury brand showcased similar footwear at Milan Fashion Week without reference to Indian origins
  • Both actresses emphasised the value of original handmade designs

Neena Gupta backs Kolhapuri chappals after Prada controversy

Veteran Indian actress Neena Gupta has weighed in on the ongoing conversation around Prada’s recent footwear collection after actress Kareena Kapoor earlier pointed out the brand’s use of a traditional Indian design without acknowledgement.

In a video shared on Instagram, Gupta showcased a pair of handmade Kolhapuri chappals gifted to her by the late actor Laxmikant Berde. Sharing the story behind the slippers, she said, “So, these Kolhapur slippers are in great demand these days. Once I did something with Laxmikant Berde—I don't remember what it was—so I asked him, can you get me these slippers from Kolhapur? He said yes. So he got them for me. This is the most beautiful slippers I have ever had. Most beautiful and handmade. I love them. Thank you, Laxmikant. You are not there anymore, but love you.”

Gupta concluded her post with a caption that read, “Real toh real hota hai..”, praising the authenticity and craftsmanship of traditional Indian footwear.

Kareena Kapoor earlier criticised Prada

Gupta’s post comes shortly after Kareena Kapoor’s Instagram story where she posted a photo of her Kolhapuri chappals with the caption, “Sorry not Prada…but my OG Kolhapuri.” The comment was interpreted as a subtle response to Prada’s new sandal design, which many users online noted bore a strong resemblance to the traditional Indian style.

Prada presented the footwear at its Men’s Spring/Summer 2026 show in Milan on 22 June. The design, referred to as ‘Toe Ring Sandals’, did not include any reference to its resemblance to the Indian Kolhapuri chappals, sparking debate over cultural appropriation and lack of credit to traditional artisans.

Current projects

Kareena Kapoor was last seen in Singham Again, alongside Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Tiger Shroff.

Neena Gupta recently appeared in Metro In Dino, which was released on 4 July.

kareena kapoor khanpradaneena gupta
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Richard O'Sullivan dies at 82, second 'Man About the House' star lost in 18 months

Richard O'Sullivan

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Richard O'Sullivan dies at 82, second 'Man About the House' star lost in 18 months

Highlights:

  • Richard O'Sullivan, best known for playing Robin Tripp in Man About the House and Robin's Nest, has died at 82.
  • He passed away peacefully at Brinsworth House, the Royal Variety Charity's care home in Twickenham, where he had lived for the past 23 years, surrounded by family.
  • Brian Murphy, who played landlord George Roper in the same show, died in February 2025, aged 92, making O'Sullivan the second of the sitcom's central cast to die within roughly 18 months.
Richard O'Sullivan spent eight years playing the same trainee chef trying to share a London flat with two women who weren't supposed to be interested in him romantically, at least not according to the landlord downstairs. Man About the House made him one of the most recognisable faces on British television in the 1970s. He's died at 82, and with his death, a show that once felt like it belonged to an entire country keeps losing the people who actually made it.

British actor Richard O'Sullivan, the star of several television series of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

How did O'Sullivan actually build his career?

He started as a child, not a heartthrob. At eight years old, he appeared in the 1954 thriller The Stranger's Hand, and by his teens he'd already worked opposite Audrey Hepburn in The Nun's Story and appeared in two films alongside Cliff Richard. In 1963, still only in his late teens, he played Ptolemy XIII opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra, one of the most famous productions in film history.
By the early 1970s he'd moved into television comedy, first as a nerdy doctor in Doctor at Large, then into the role that defined him. Man About the House ran for six series on ITV from 1973, casting O'Sullivan as Robin Tripp, sharing a flat with Chrissy and Jo, played by Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett. When the show ended in 1976, he carried the character straight into a spin-off, Robin's Nest, running it for another five years. In between, he took the title role in the period adventure Dick Turpin.

Why does Brian Murphy's death matter to this story?

Because O'Sullivan wasn't the only person carrying that show. Man About the House ran on the chemistry of its central cast, and two of the biggest names in that cast are now gone within a short stretch of each other. Brian Murphy, who played landlord George Roper opposite Yootha Joyce's Mildred, died in February 2025 at the age of 92. Joyce herself died decades earlier, in 1980. What's left standing from that original ensemble has gotten noticeably smaller over the past two years, even as the show itself keeps being repeated on British television for new viewers who never saw it the first time round.
What's confirmed
DiedAged 82
Best known forRobin Tripp, Man About the House and Robin's Nest
Also known forTitle role in Dick Turpin
WhereBrinsworth House, Twickenham, his home for 23 years
Co-star also lost recentlyBrian Murphy, died February 2025, aged 92
Career beganAge 8, in The Stranger's Hand (1954)

What have people who knew him said?

Giles Cooper of the Royal Variety Charity, which runs Brinsworth House, described O'Sullivan as "a master of effortless charm and impeccable comic timing," a fitting description for an actor whose whole screen persona ran on making difficult comic timing look effortless. His son, James O'Sullivan, spoke in simpler terms, remembering his father as a doting grandfather and a wonderful dad, and saying he was every bit as funny and warm at home as he appeared on screen.

What does this loss actually mean for the show's legacy?

It means fewer people left who can tell the story of how Man About the House actually got made, at a moment when British sitcoms were still working out how daring they were allowed to be. The show was considered genuinely bold for its time, built entirely around the premise of a man sharing a flat with two single women, and it went on to spawn the American hit Three's Company. O'Sullivan spent close to a decade of his career inside that one character. What he leaves behind isn't just a body of work. It's one of the last direct links to how that particular era of British comedy actually got built.

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