Sushmita Sushmita Sen extends support after Alia Bhatt slams paparazzi over 'invasion of privacy'
Feb 22, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 22 : Sushmita Sen extended her support to Alia Bhatt after she publically called out paparazzi for "invading her privacy" and clicking pictures of her in her house.
On Tuesday, Sushmita took to Instagram stories and re-shared a note originally written by author Huma Tanweer, where she spoke about the media 'frequently blurring the lines between personal and social lives' of celebrities.
The note read, "In a world made smaller by the virtue of the internet, technology and social media, privacy is but a myth. And if you are a celebrity, you have it worse. With the paparazzi culture at its peak, there is little that can be kept hidden."
"Guys, how can you catch someone off guard despite their repeated requests to the media for privacy? When are we going to draw the lines? Are we becoming nothing more than PR machinery? Our right to privacy cannot be in any manner violated. Media frequently blur the lines between personal and social lives. They substantially confuse the two and the outcome is obnoxious and unscrupulous. Since we all have a psychological need for privacy, there should inevitably be a dichotomy between a celebrity's private and public lives. The media should refrain from intruding on this demarcation line. The practice of using such news to boost channel ratings and garner the most viewers is by no means appropriate," the note stated.
Sushmita also tagged Alia, her sister Shaheen Bhatt and Mumbai Police.
Last year, Sushmita slammed the social media users calling her 'gold digger' after rumours surrounding her wedding with former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. She posted a picture with her daughters on Instagram and wrote, "I am in a happy place!! NOT MARRIED...NO RINGS...Unconditionally surrounded by love."
After Alia's post, Mumbai Police contacted the actress, asking her if she was willing to lodge a formal complaint.
A senior Mumbai Police officer has revealed that Khar Police have contacted the actress and asked if she wanted to file a written complaint against the photographer. The police have also assured her of proper investigation about the matter henceforth.
The senior police official also informed that Alia's PR team is in touch with the media organisation whose employees were allegedly standing on the roof of another building to take her pictures.
Recently, Alia accused the paparazzi of invading her privacy by clicking some pictures of her in her house, without her consent.
She posted a collage of pictures of herself, taken inside the house without her consent. She wrote in the long note, "Are you kidding me? I was at my house having a perfectly normal afternoon sitting in my living room when I felt something watching me.... I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of my neighbouring building with a camera right at me! In what world is this okay and allowed?"
In her post, she also tagged Mumbai Police, after which the latter swung into action.
Tagging the Mumbai police, she added, "This is a gross invasion of someone's privacy and it's safe to say all lines were crossed today! @mumbaipolice."
Apart from Sushmita, many actors came out in support of Alia. Anushka Sharma, Arjun Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Karan Johar took to Instagram to slam the paparazzi.
Alia hasn't lodged any complaint with the police yet.