On Tuesday, Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt slammed the media portal for invading her privacy. The actress took to her social media account to express her disbelief. On Tuesday, Alia expressed shock over the incident and wrote, "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? This is a gross invasion of someone's privacy! There's a line you just cannot cross and it's safe to say all lines were crossed today!" She also tagged the Mumbai Police in her post.
After which the Mumbai Police has taken legal action against the publication. The police department has now said that they have approached Alia regarding the matter but the actor has said that her team is in contact with the concerned media house.
A Tweet by ANI read., "Mumbai Police has contacted actor Alia Bhatt & asked her to file a complaint in the matter where a photographer clicked her private pictures & these pictures were published on an online portal. The actor has told police that her PR team is in touch with the concerned portal: Police."
Actors came out in support of Alia Bhatt.
Shaheen Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Sushmita Sen, Janhvi Kapoor.
Alia's sister, author Shaheen shared her disappointment, "So it's totally cool to point zoom lenses into people's homes while hiding in neighbouring buildings for "content" now? Grown men. With cameras. Hiding across the road. Taking surreptitious photos of an UNAWARE woman. Without her CONSENT. In her HOME."
Following her post, several celebrities shared similar experiences and questioned celebrities' right to privacy. Alia's mother, actor Soni Razdan added, "Shocked and dismayed at this blatant disregard for a person's privacy. Are we really turning into 'that country' now? Where all our cultural norms simply cease to exist when it comes to 'getting the picture'? Hope someone can address this and fast!"
Sushmita Sen
Sushmita shared the post by Huma and tagged Alia, her sister Shaheen Bhatt and Mumbai Police. The elaborate post 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? The post further read, "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."
Janhvi Kapoor recalled she was clicked through the glass door when she was working out inside the gym and termed the incident "disgustingly intrusive." Arjun Kapoor called it an incident of stalking and termed it "absolutely shameless".