Choreographer and influencer Dhanashree Verma has taken a lighthearted dig at the persistent “gold digger” label she has faced since her divorce from Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal. Appearing on Ashneer Grover’s reality show Rise And Fall, streaming on Amazon MX Player, Dhanashree cleverly turned the trolling into humour.
In a promo for the upcoming episode, contestants were asked to choose between a gold bag worth Rs 2 lakh and a silver bag worth Rs 1 lakh. Dhanashree was paired with actor Arjun Bijlani, who jokingly remarked that only gold suited him. With perfect comic timing, Dhanashree replied, “Yeh line toh main bol nahi sakti. Agar maine yeh line bol di toh jo mujhe pyaar milne vala hoga vo bhi nahi milega (I cannot say this line. If I say this, I won’t even get the love I am supposed to get),” a witty reference to the online hate she has faced.
Dhanashree and Chahal tied the knot in December 2020 after meeting during the COVID-19 lockdown. Their marriage hit a rough patch in 2022, and they started living apart. In February 2025, the couple jointly filed for divorce by mutual consent, which was finalised in March 2025.
During the proceedings, Dhanashree faced intense online trolling, which escalated when Chahal appeared at the final divorce hearing wearing a T-shirt that read, “Be Your Own Sugar Daddy.” On the Humans of Bombay podcast, she later revealed her disappointment with Chahal’s public gesture, saying, “Are bhai, WhatsApp kar deta. T-shirt kyun pehna hai? (You could have just sent it on WhatsApp. Why wear the T-shirt?).”
In Farah Khan’s vlog, Dhanashree recently shared that things have “settled down” between her and Chahal and that they remain in touch via messages.
Her playful comment on Rise And Fall shows that she is embracing humour and choosing to move forward despite the criticism, turning negativity into a moment of empowerment.