Arjun Kapoor opened out about how he dealt with the ‘extreme’ trolling he received when he and girlfriend Malaika Arora made their relationship official.

The couple’s 12-year age gap has been fodder for social media trolls, who frequently harass both Malaika and Arjun Kapoor.

Arjun remarked in an interview with HT City that he expected bad reactions when they came out as a couple in 2019. In an Instagram post on Arjun’s birthday in 2019, Malaika announced they were dating. Arjun remarked in the interview that the trolling didn’t bother him because he’d gone through worse.

Citing examples from his personal life, Arjun said: “I was prepared for the reaction to be extreme from trolls. Nothing prepares you except going through it. I’ve been through situations in life that have been far worse — seeing my parents split up, losing mom, having to go through seeing the upheaval of my father, losing out on a loved one, his wife Sridevi — you do realise that life is very fickle and temporary, and only love is permanent. Sometimes, you don’t have to make the grandest gestures and the loudest noises. You can actually be silent and still stand up for something or someone that you believe in. You’ve to also understand the circumstances, the complexities, and give it time.”