Fight your battles wisely, says Vishakha Singh after taking on Facebook abuser

June 16, 2015

Vishakha SinghMumbai, Jun 16: Vishakha Singh, actor and producer, shot to notoriety recently when she decided to not ignore a lecherous comment directed at her on social media. When she put up a photograph of herself on Facebook, one MD Mustakim Saifi responded with “Nice looking & nice boobs”. Singh saw red and cut him down to size with her own comment, in which she wrote (among other things),"Have the guts to say it on my face?? Else, get off my page." Soon after, Singh took this post, which had gone viral, offline. "Deleted the post that went viral," she wrote as explanation. "Not afraid of anyone but simply tired of unwanted negativity. A big thanks to all those who supported."

Currently, in Italy on a work trip, Singh took time out to speak to us about this incident.

As a woman celeb, what has been your experience on social media?

Being on social media is an occupational hazard. It's a great way to connect with the audience during film releases and feedback. However, the incessant harassment by a few people can make the experience unpleasant.

How and why did you decide to reply to this particular comment?

People assume that I woke up one fine day and just did it. No, I have had such experiences before. My social media team tries and blocks/report and delete such comments. But it's a mammoth task.

This particular person had been sending lewd messages to me in my inbox for a while. However, when he came commented on my wall; especially hiding behind a child's picture, I decided to reply. It was as simple as that. I have no idea why everyone else decided to get involved.

You said that you got negative publicity.

I am in Rome currently. Just the fact that I was trending in India was itself a shock to me! The next day I woke up to a picture being circulated that showed my official fan page liking a similar comment earlier. Fortunately my social media team informed me that it was not authentic. We wrote to websites that circulated it and asked if they had proof of the picture's authenticity. They did not. And hence most took it down. Some even wrote an apology.

Why didn't you take legal action?

I believe in conflict resolution. Simple emails were enough to resolve issues with certain websites. But yes, we have sent legal notices to some. Classic Threader community on FB was shut down after being served. We received an apology from them as well. Some others are also being served.

Do you think India needs better cyber laws to protect women in particular?

Yes, most certainly. Stricter cyber laws and a well defined code of ethics for online media as well.

With the Internet, harassment has moved online. How do you think women can tackle this?

I am lucky as I come from a privileged background. I have access to good lawyers and have a strong support system. However, for millions of Indian women this may not be the case. They are in survival mode and wish to avoid unnecessary confrontations. This is understandable. Until we reach a point where a stricter law is in place; stay strong, stay safe. And fight your battles wisely.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 10,2020

New Delhi, Apr 10: Actor Akshay Kumar has pledged to contribute Rs 3 crore to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to assist the making of personal protection equipment, masks and rapid testing kits to help the battle against COVID-19.

Film critic and movie trade analyst Taran Adarsh announced on the same on Twitter on Friday and wrote, "After donating Rs25 crores to the PM CARES fund, Akshay Kumar contributes Rs3 crores to BMC to assist in the making of PPE, masks and rapid testing kits."

The 'Good Newwz' actor has been informing people about the necessary precautions to be taken to stay safe amid the coronavirus outbreak through his social media handles. On Thursday, Akshay acknowledged the contribution of all essential workers during the lockdown period, and encouraged people to use the hashtag 'Dil Se Thank You' to express their gratitude to the people "who work to ensure our safety."

Earlier, the 'Mission Mangal' actor joined hands with actors including, Kartik Aaryan, Tiger Shroff, Taapsee Pannu, Kiara Advani and launched a hope anthem - 'Muskurayega India,' and made an attempt to pump up Indians with positivity amid the testing times of coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday informed that India's total number of COVID-19 positive cases now stands at 6,412.

Out of the total cases, 5,709 are active patients and 504 of them have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 30 new deaths reported in the last 12 hours, the death toll reached 199, according to the ministry.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 30,2020

Mumbai, Apr 30: Rishi Kapoor, the romantic star of many a Bollywood film who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, died in a Mumbai hospital on Thursday, his brother Randhir Kapoor said. He was 67.

Rishi, a third generation actor of the famous Kapoor dynasty, is survived by his wife Neetu Kapoor, actor son Ranbir and daughter Ridhima.

"He is no more. He has passed away," Randhir said.

Rishi was taken to the H N Reliance hospital by his family on Wednesday.

His death comes a day after after his "D-Day" co-star Irrfan Khan passed away, also of cancer. Three months ago, the disease claimed his sister Ritu Nanda.

"Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45am IST in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last.

He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him, the family said in a statement.

Rishi returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for his cancer in the US for almost a year.

In February, he was hospitalised twice.

He was first admitted to a hospital in Delhi where he was attending a family function. At the time, he had said he was suffering from an "infection".

After his return to Mumbai, he was again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon after.

Rishi made his first screen appearance as a child artiste in his father Raj Kapoor's film Shri 420 , where he appeared in the song Pyaar hua ekraar hua . This was followed by "Mera Naam Joker". But it was in 1973, with the blockbuster Bobby , again directed by his father, that he made his debut as a romantic hero. He continued to be a favourite romantic hero for almost three decades.

His notable films as a romantic hero are "Laila Majnu", "Rafoo Chakkar", "Karz", "Chandni", "Heena" and "Saagar".

He was, however, more proud of his second innings as an actor, which he found more satisfying. His notable films as a character artiste are "Do Dooni Chaar" with wife Neetu, "Agnipath" and "Kapoor & Sons".

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
March 24,2020

Los Angeles, Mar 24: In a bizarre video shot from her rose petal filled bathtub, pop star Madonna has called the coronavirus pandemic "a great equaliser".

The music icon said the virus doesn't discriminate between rich and poor.

That's the thing about COVID-1. It doesn't care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell.

It's the great equaliser and what's terrible about it is what's great about it. What's terrible about it is that it's made us all equal in many ways, and what's wonderful about is, is that it's made us all equal in many ways, Madonna said in the video while having a milky bath in tub full of roses.

The 61-year-old singer, who had to cancel two of her concerts in Paris due to coronavirus outbreak, also referenced her 1995 song Human Nature in the video saying we are all going down together .

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death toll from the virus globally has risen to 14,641 with 336,000 cases reported in 173 countries and territories.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.