‘On social media, people take advantage of anonymity to vent’
AR Rahman spoke on how a ‘gang’ is sabotaging him in the Hindi film industry, sound designer and editor Resul Pookutty tweeted he was shunned by Hindi cinema after an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire (2008). “..I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar... There were production houses told me at my face ”we don’t need you...”
Actor Niti Taylor recently tweeted about being subjected to merciless trolling for years and how it made her think “50 times” before putting anything on social media. “I get trolled for almost everything. Don’t know what did I do to deserve all these abuses and threats. Someone recently even wished that I suffer from Covid. So, now I do check comments and delete negative ones…,” says the Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan actor. Moreover, when she tried blocking these trolls, fresh ones would pop up in no time. “This seems like a vicious circle. I was shocked and scared. Initially, these meaningless trolls did affect my mental peace. I’m thankful to those who’ve been nice to me,” she adds. In her tweet, Taylor also spoke about how the guard of her apartment in Mumbai was paid for “information” about her guests. “I shifted to a new place within two days of finding it out... These morphed and naked photos were sent to my family on Instagram. My father saw it first, we stopped my mother from checking her inbox. Messages and videos of romantic scenes from my TV shows were also sent to my to in-laws,” she says. While the actor, 25, has full support from her fiancé Parikshit Bawa, she admits such things can be really embarrassing. “I’ve deactivated my accounts before, I might do it again. These people have a problem with me getting married too,” she says, adding she sought legal help after things got out of hand. “We started getting abusive calls. I’ve reported these accounts to the cyber cell and complained against these numbers,” she informs. Taylor is also trying to keep these ‘jobless trolls’ at an arm’s distance from her mind. “The more you react, the more you serve their purpose. Too much attention to them destroys your sanity,” she signs off.
Social media is fun, but it’s also time consuming — this is the thought behind Richa Chadha’s decision to make her Twitter account private. “I realised that I spent nine hours in a week on the platform. I have several things to complete, and I can’t meet any deadlines with this waste of life on social media. I haven’t vacated my space, but just made the account private to limit engagement, because I have to finish a book I started writing,” says the actor, 36. A lot has been spoken about toxicity on social media affecting one’s mental well being. Of late, a number of Bollywood celebs, including actors Sonakshi Sinha, Aayush Sharma and Saqib Saleem, quit Twitter due to negativity on the platform. Undoubtedly, incessant trolling, threats, etc takes a toll. Chadha, however, does not take social media too seriously, and says it’s a “medley and battle of bits, bytes and bots based on algorithms and can’t replace human interaction”. “The platform is toxic because the world has become toxic. People take advantage of anonymity to find relevance and vent. This is the behaviour of cowards and must not be taken seriously,” she asserts. There is, indeed, negativity on social media, but it has its advantages as well. Chadha is thankful that she isn’t addicted to social media, and admits that she has had her fair share of positive interactions on the platform. “As an artiste, you are pleasantly surprised to find fans in Norway and Turkey, thanks to social media. You may not get to know how loved you are either, if you aren’t online, in certain cases. I love social media, but like everything else in life, it has its demons,” she signs off.
The industry has given me so much, and I have only gratitude for everything that I have,” says actor Manav Gohil. A popular name on the small screen, he has worked in numerous shows, including Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Kkusum, among others. “I have worked in all mediums. I was born on TV, and I’ve been a part of some really good, content-driven shows. I also did theatre, ads and some good films. Of course, the big film that I was a part of never released,” says the actor, hinting at director Dharmesh Darshan’s 2007 film Bhanvraa, which got shelved. Discussions on favouritism and nepotism in the industry have gathered steam recently, but Gohil believes that even if nepotism exists, “you can’t do much without talent”. “There are camps in the TV industry, but not in a harmful way. Usually, it’s the people who get along the most. The camps are more about comfort than shutting anyone out. One can’t sabotage anyone on TV, as talent gets its due. As for me, I don’t like socialising or partying much. I do have some really good friends in the industry, but I don’t advertise it on social media. I’m sure that if I am in a dire strait ever and need work, they will happily find a role for me in their shows. But my bond with them is without any agenda, so I wouldn’t call it favouritism,” he explains. Gohil, who has been shooting for a new TV show for over a week, admits it’s scary to be on set. “The good part is everyone is scared (laughs). Work can’t be stalled forever… This will be a new way of life, till we find a vaccine,” he ends.
The platform is toxic because the world has become toxic... This is the behaviour of cowards and must not be taken seriously. Talent gets its due... Camps are more about comfort than shutting anyone out.