A well-known media house published a picture of Alia Bhatt chilling in her house. The actor took to her Instagram and called it an invasion of privacy. Many …
Alia Bhatt recently hit ETimes when the media house’s Instagram account shared a picture of the actor sitting in her living room. “This is a gross invasion of privacy,” the Darlings actor explained.
Photographed by an employee of the media company
Photographer Varinder Chawla cleared the air around the post shared by ETimes. He made a revelation that the picture was clicked not by paparazzi, but by employees of the media house. He wrote in a caption on Instagram that no one under paps would cross such a line and urged everyone to disregard the image clicked by the paparazzi community
All lines have been crossed
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Bhatt shared the watermarked images to ETimes and wrote, “Are you kidding me? I was at home, spending a normal afternoon in my living room, when I felt something watching me.”
“I looked up to see two men on the patio of my neighboring building with a camera pointed straight at me! In what world is that okay and allowed?” she asked.
“There is a line you simply cannot cross and it is safe to say that today all lines were crossed!” the actor exclaimed, tagging the Mumbai Police asking for their intervention in the case.
prominent reaction
Arjun Kapoor
As they shared Alia Bhatt’s story, many celebrities responded in support of her. Arjun Kapoor called the paparazzi’s act “absolutely shameless.” He pointed out that if a woman doesn’t feel safe in her home, it crosses all lines, “forget she’s a public figure,” he added.
He also said that a person who professionally photographs celebrities should know that it is inappropriate and pathetic. He said actors trust media representatives to do their job without making a woman feel unsafe or invading her privacy. “It’s nothing but stalking,” the actor said.
Shaheen Bhatt
Author, screenwriter, and alias sister Shaheen Bhatt rhetorically asked, “So it’s totally cool to be pointing zoom lenses into people’s homes, while now you’re hiding in neighboring buildings to find content?”
She pointed out that adult men with cameras were hiding across the street and secretly taking pictures of an unsuspecting woman in her “home” without her “consent.” She also pointed out that the person in the photo might be a celebrity, but that’s not okay. She added that if it had been someone else instead of Alia, it would have been a case of harassment and a complete invasion of privacy.
“This lack of basic human decency is frankly appalling.”
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma came in support of Bhatt and confessed that some paparazzi did the same to her two years ago and actor and cricketer Virat Kohli challenged her for the same reason. “You would think that by doing so, they would be more respectful of people’s space and privacy,” she added.
The actor also mentioned the incident where her daughter Vamika was clicked by dads despite the couple’s repeated requests not to click her.
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Comments on the ETimes post
Although many people have pointed this out, ETimes has not deleted the post. Fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni commented: “It’s not cool guys!!! So wrong!”
Actor Mini Mathur also wrote: “This is ridiculous. An actor spotted chilling in his own home is not news or entertainment…just harassment!!! Pooh!.”
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legal aspect
We have connected with Attorney Nitin Yadav, the practicing barrister at the Delhi High Court. He said it was right for actors to call it an invasion of privacy. Although there is no separate law for it, it could be included under Article 19(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution, which speaks of the right to privacy. The Supreme Court has also said in KS Puttaswamy Vs Union Of India (2017) judgment that the right to privacy is implicit under Article 21 which guarantees every citizen of the country the protection of life and liberty.
We also spoke Madhu Gadodia, Deputy Managing Partner – Naik Naik & Co.She said: “Anything that is done by a celebrity is made public and circulated to the audience in the form of ‘news’. While this is acceptable in most cases, there is a limit that must not be crossed.”
She also said that the Supreme Court has ruled on various occasions that every person in India has the right to control the display of their image and the commercial use of their identity. When it comes to celebrities, there needs to be a balance between the information that is available to the public and that which is not.
Having regard to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 354C which deals with voyeurism, the photographing of a person’s privates. Both experts agree that in this case it would not be maintained.
Lawyer Yadav also pointed out that even if a person clicks on a celebrity’s photo, they must ask for permission. “It looks like a spy sitting over her neighbor’s patio.”
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