Cyber bullying, Shaming & Trolling Female Actors

With the predominance of social media, the era of matinee idols and demigods has ended. Instead, a more heinous trend of cyber bullying especially of female actors seems to be taking predominance.

Nandita Chatterjee spotlights the trend of cyberbullying and trolling actors on the social media.

The sun has begun to set in rural India as the sound of the conch shell vibrates through the air bringing in worshipers looking for a bit of solace and strength. As one enters, the scent of sandalwood wafts through the atmosphere as a welcoming embrace. You walk towards the alter energized to see whatever version of the Almighty may be perched on the throne, but wait…. what lies before you is no deity depicting the divine, but instead quite the opposite, A FILM STAR!!

Films in India have always been a magnificent escape to reality - the average citizen’s word tour to foreign lands that they will likely never see, wearing clothes that would not be included in their wardrobe this lifetime. This larger-than-life aura of the industry gave the actors in these films a demigod status, mistaking their reel life persona for the “real life” personality. Temples have even been constructed to pay homage to some actors, in the hope that their good fortune and heroic abilities will rub off on the devotee before him. The culture of celebrity worship however has taken a drastic turning the last few years. A parallel version of socialist upheaval of sorts were offspring of seasoned actors were ridiculed and trolled for their easy entry into the industry with the predominance of social media the average person found a voice that could tangibly affect the being of the chosen matinee idol (no longer seen as the idols they once were).

While one would appreciate the shift in attitude as the demigod status was long overdue to end, the new evil that has risen is a culture of cyberbullying. Female actors seem to be getting the brunt of this constant criticism and shaming by a society that is still significantly developing when it comes to women’s equality. Recently we witnessed the merciless trolling of bereaved actor Mandira Bedi. While she grieved the loss of her husband and father to her young children (one of whom is an adopted girl child that she was ridiculously trolled for as well) she bravely spearheaded the traditional Hindu cremation ceremony in which women were once barred from even attending not long ago. Regrettably, instead of lauding her strength and commitment citizens decided to brand her as sac religiose and go as far as to determine her husband’s fate in the celestial world. While the country takes pride in the advancement of women, apparently that sentiment is somehow exempt from the entertainment industry.

Shehnaaz Gill, a young Bollywood aspirant who made her mark in the country’s most sought-after reality show “Bigg Boss” hails from a small village in Punjab. Despite coming from a rural background, she was known to be brazen enough to go against her family and pursue her dreams. While in the Punjabi industry, she was ostracized for simply giving her opinion on the project of a senior artist, in mainstream Indian entertainment she was met with a new set of hurdles. Her relationship with her co-contestant Siddharth Shukla received scrutiny for a variety of regressive reasons. For starters despite obvious instances on the reality show that the two were romantically involved, people dubbed it as a father–daughter? (for someone only 12 years older than her?) or subordinate association. It was deemed impossible that an urban idol known for his educated outlook as well as commercial success could fall in love with what they deemed a country bumpkin (despite her being college-educated and fiercely independent).

Things took a turn for the worse when she openly expressed her love for her co contestant and people were quick to label her “characterless” for no apparent reason. Even archaic concepts such as caste differences were spit out in what was nothing more than the inability to accept the success of a rural girl that dared to defy the patriarchy. Last but not least we look at the worship of the immortal bond of the Late Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Bano. Their 22-year age difference is seen as a beautiful connection between two souls and appreciated by one and all. However, in the same vein when a Malaika Aurora dates a younger Arjun Kapoor, she is labeled a cougar and a vamp of the first order. So while we are advancing as a nation with 5G connectivity, let hope our mindsets receive a reboot as well!