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.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Mumbai, Jan 28: A 33-year-old woman has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that Bollywood choreographer Ganesh Acharya used to make her watch porn videos whenever she visited his office in Mumbai.

In a complaint filed with the police, the woman, an assistant choreographer, has alleged that Acharya and two women assaulted her during a function of the Indian Film and Television Choreographers Association (IFTCA) held in suburban Andheri on Sunday.

Besides Acharya, the complainant, Divya Kotian, has named Jayashree Kelkar and Preeti Lad in her complaint for assault, a police official said on Tuesday.

Calls made to Acharya for his reaction remained unanswered.

In her letter to the NCW, Kotian, a resident of suburban Bhayandar, claimed that Acharya forced her to watch adult videos whenever she visited his office.

In her complaint with Amboli police station, Kotian alleged that Acharya was demanding a commission from her for working in the film industry.

Kotian is also a member of the IFTCA.

Acharya, who was elected as a general secretary of the IFTCA, used to frequently call the complainant at the office in Andheri, the police official said quoting the complaint.

On January 26, when Kotian reached the IFTCA office, Acharya shouted at her and announced that she was being "suspended", he said.

Acharya grew furious after Kotian told him that she is a member of the IFTCA and allegedly asked his team member, Jayashree Kelkar, to slap her, the police official said.

"Kelkar and Preeti Lad hit me in public view which was captured on the CCTV," the complaint stated.

Police have registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence and investigating, the official added.

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May 24,2020

Los Angeles, May 24: Filmmaker Frank Marshall, one of the producers behind Jurassic World: Dominion, says the forthcoming film is not a conclusion of the franchise.

Colin Trevorrow, who rebooted Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park franchise with 2015's Jurassic World, is back on the director's chair after sitting out on second movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).

Asked about the upcoming movie, Marshall told Collider: "It's the start of a new era."

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are coming back for the third film, which will also feature original stars of 1993's Jurassic Park -- Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill.

The producer also revealed how he sees the film franchise extending into the future.

"The dinosaurs are now on the mainland amongst us, and they will be for quite some time, I hope," Marshall said.

The film was three weeks into production when it was shut down over coronavirus concerns, but the producer said the team has the sets built in London and will be "back in business" once they have guidelines from the British government.

Dominion is still slated to be released on its scheduled date of June 11, 2021.

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Agencies
May 17,2020

Mumbai, May 17: TV actor Manmeet Grewal, who worked on shows like "Aadat Se Majboor" and "Kuldeepak", committed suicide after struggling with dwindling finances amid lockdown, family friend-producer Manjit Singh Rajput said.

Grewal, who was originally from Punjab, hanged himself on Friday night at his Kharghar residence here where he lived with his wife. He was 32.

Rajput, who had known Grewal for nearly seven years, said the actor was facing "financial crisis" and wasn't able to earn due to the lockdown. 

"He was going through a major financial issue and he was also in depression. The added pressure of not being able to repay loans amid this (no work phase) got to him. His wife is completely shocked and devastated," Rajput told PTI.

The producer said last rites of the actor were performed on Saturday. 

Grewal was working on projects like a webseries and some commercials, which were put on hold due to the nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

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