New Delhi: Instagram’s favourite India-Pakistan lesbian couple—Anjali and Sufi—is no longer together after revelations of cheating were made in coordinated posts. Now their followers are losing hope in love, with some even hoping the breakup is a lie. Others have turned it into a geopolitical issue.
Photographer and content creator Sufi Malik on Saturday took to Instagram to announce the calling off of her wedding to Anjali Chakra, an Indian wedding planner. Malik went on to explain that she made an “unrecognizable mistake of betrayal by cheating” on her partner just weeks before their wedding.
The New York-based couples’ relationship was a poster love story that transcended religion, country, and norms of sexuality. They were a same-sex couple from two different South Asian communities—an Indian Hindu and a Pakistani Muslim. Their first photo shoot in 2019, which announced their relationship, took the internet by storm. They got engaged in 2022 after Malik proposed to Chakra at the Empire State Building.
While the duo’s YouTube channel has ‘couple goals’ written all over it and their photoshoots have been inspiring the internet so far, their recent breakup announcement has left people confused.
And the infidelity admission has left fans heartbroken. Both Malik and Chakra addressed infidelity as a reason for the breakup.
While there might be a rise in the ‘discourse’ on infidelity and love, most people on the internet are shocked that the couple shared the reason for their breakup online. Some of the sceptics believe that this might be a prank.
What if they say sufi cheated on anjali with [insert xyz product] and this was all a big prank or product placement… weeks before the wedding is like 🤯🤯🤯
— callmebyyourusername (@later_gaytor) March 24, 2024
the template took me out plus anjali going "❤️" under sufi's post… is this what being normal and unproblematic is… or is it a prank… we'll never know
— chudi hui alto (@saddsnacc) March 24, 2024
If this denial is the first stage of acceptance or is a correct hunch, only time will tell.
Others believe if Anjali and Sufi can’t make it, ‘there’s no hope’ for them too. Phrases like “Love is not real”, and “please be a lie” are doing rounds all over the internet.
Sufi cheated on Anjali RIGHT BEFORE THEIR WEDDING y'all I be saying love isn't real https://t.co/VflsL1iEDt
— Jorjor wel🐾🍉🔻 (@Salemschild_) March 24, 2024
me when i was a freshman in college: i cant wait to have a love story like sufi and anjali one day 🥹
me now: pic.twitter.com/aiOzPFNbDH
— klaudia (@lexavillanelle) March 24, 2024
Users also pointed out that with this breakup, an example of a healthy queer couple is lost. Many of the couples’ followers were teenagers from the subcontinent.
heard about anjali and sufi it’s a real shame considering how few positive representations of queer desi love we have. hope you’re doing okay haha we should catch up some time x pic.twitter.com/qOCCrloMy5
— angbeen 🇵🇸 (@angb3en) March 25, 2024
Also read: Pakistani Hindus ‘of course’ exist and are happy—new Instagram trend is busting myths
A geopolitical situation
The relationship and their upcoming wedding were an awaited, and almost public affair. Both Chakra and Malik used to regularly share updates about their wedding—it had the internet hooked.
While their personal Instagram handles gave a sneak into their lives, their joint YouTube channel has 1,37,000 followers, who tune in to watch their vlogs where they share bits about their relationship, their travel experiences, and other snippets that made people go “aww”.
They even had an online wedding registry, where they hoped to crowdfund their IVF treatment for when they wished to have kids. The registry has now been taken down.
However serious the issue is, Pakistanis’ sense of humour and obsession with politics never dies. One user said Sufi’s infidelity reflects poorly on Karachi, where she’s from.
Never heard of Sufi and Anjali before today, but Sufi’s infidelity reflects poorly on KHI. Yes, we have Zardari, but we’re good people.
— Amna Mirza (@amnamirza) March 25, 2024
Other internet users are concerned that this might affect the geopolitics of the region. Pakistan and India relations have taken a “setback” as Sufi and Anjali were the “last hope” of reconciliation, are some recurring comments.
what kind of cricket diplomacy is gonna fix the pakistan-india rift after sufi anjali breakup…zia ul haq baby I was so wrong
— 𓆟｡˚𖦹mimi𖦹˚ ｡𓆟 (@1ovetheism) March 24, 2024
People taking sides on the Sufi – Anjali cheating scandal and now the Desi Queer world is in shambles.
It’s like whenever Pakistan and India play cricket or when the Partition of India happened 😭 https://t.co/sCZDeOYGhl
— Sharon Adarlo (@sadarlo1) March 25, 2024
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)