In a surprising turn of events, Twitter has restored verification badges on several high-profile celebrity accounts with millions of followers, just days after the microblogging platform culled the legacy blue checkmarks for non-paying users. The move assumes significance as Indian celebrities and top politicians from Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lost verified blue ticks on their Twitter accounts this week after Elon Musk-led microblogging site started removing checkmark icons from accounts that did not pay a subscription fee.
Film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prakash Raj, on Sunday welcomed Twitter’s move of restoring verification badges on high-profile celebrity accounts, days after the microblogging platform culled the legacy blue check marks.
Indian celebrities such as Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Rajinikanth, among others lost verified blue ticks on their Twitter accounts after Elon Musk’s microblogging site started removing check mark icons from accounts that did not pay the monthly subscription fee. Later, the social media platform reinstated the badges.
Bachchan, thanked Musk in a reference to the hit ‘90s song “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” from the film “Mohra”.
“Hey Musk bro! Thank you very, very much for reinstating the blue tick in front of my name. I feel like singing. Will you listen? So, listen. ‘Tu cheez Musk Musk, tu cheez badi hai, Musk,” Bachchan tweeted in Hindi.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas expressed surprise over getting the verification mark being restored. “Woah! Dunno how but the blue tick is back. I’m Priyanka again!” the actor wrote on the microblogging site.
An excited Nayanthara shared a picture of hers dressed in a traditional Kanjivaram saree and captioned it as: “‘BLUE TICK’ Verified.” “The blue tick is randomly back again? What is happening?” wrote Malavika Mohanan.
The coveted verification made a surprise comeback on accounts of these celebrities starting late Saturday. It was not immediately clear whether or not these accounts have paid for the verification. While there is no official word from Twitter on the reinstated blue ticks, the company is reportedly restoring the verified status for accounts with high follower count.
Earlier this week, Twitter started removing the blue tick that had verified the identity of the user behind an account, from the profiles of thousands of celebrities, politicians and journalists on Thursday.