Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.bhaskarenglish.in
Actress Esha Deol has criticised the way paparazzi treat veteran actors Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini, also raising concerns over the trolling they face on social media. She said senior artistes who have contributed to Indian cinema deserve respect.
Esha said photographers should not be the only ones held responsible for inappropriate behaviour. She pointed out that paparazzi agencies and the people directing them also play a role in shaping how celebrities are covered.
‘The photographer alone cannot be blamed’
Speaking about accountability, Esha compared the situation to parenting. She said, “A child grows up and becomes a teenager. If he does not behave properly, whom do you blame? The parents. You say he was not brought up properly.”
She added that powerful people and agencies also influence paparazzi culture by directing photographers and deciding what content gets promoted. According to Esha, such content is often pushed to attract likes and increase traffic on social media.
She stressed that the focus should be on understanding the root of the problem rather than blaming only the person behind the camera.
‘Veteran artistes deserve respect’
Esha said her family had experienced such situations and that she did not consider the treatment of senior actors respectful. Without naming anyone, she emphasised that veteran artistes had played a significant role in shaping the film industry.
She said they had given audiences cinema and deserved to be treated with the dignity and respect they had earned through their work.
Esha also said that some artistes liked joking and laughing with the paparazzi, but it was not right to treat everyone in the same way. She urged people to understand their boundaries and respect the comfort of others.
Jaya has repeatedly expressed her displeasure with the paparazzi’s behaviour
Jaya Bachchan has repeatedly expressed her displeasure with the paparazzi’s behaviour in public places and their intrusion into her privacy. At a fashion show, she instructed the paparazzi not to behave rudely and to take photographs quietly.
When Jaya was asked by Barkha Dutt in an interview, “What kind of relationship do you have with the media?” she replied, “My relationship with the media is very good. It is true that I am a product of the media, but I have no relationship with the paparazzi; it is zero. Who are these people? Do they represent the people of this country? Do you call them the media?”
Hema Malini was trolled in January
Meanwhile, a video of Hema Malini went viral during the MP sports competition in Mathura in January. In it, she was seen distributing medals to students without smiling. People on social media trolled her for her demeanour.
After this, Hema arrived to cast her vote during the BMC election in Mumbai and smilingly showed her ink-stained finger to the paparazzi. Responding to the trolls, she said, “I am smiling, okay? Now don’t complain that I don’t smile.”
