Hounding a young actor is depth of meanness
For the 16-year-old Dangal girl from Kashmir, Zaira Wasim, online trolling isn't new. Way back in 2015, when young Zaira decided to take to Bollywood, as a co-star with actor Aamir Khan in Dangal, her role of a wrestler demanded that she get her hair trimmed. The first gush of objections came from her family which did not approve of her decision to act in the film (due to her Kashmiri origin). The next came from the conservatives in Kashmir valley who questioned her morality. She was ridiculed, mocked and abused. Back then, like now, she received threatening calls too. However, there's a stark difference between Zaira then and Zaira now. The divergence lies in the way the teenager actor handled both situations. Earlier, in 2015, Dangal was still underway, and she was unknown. When the news about her role in the film spread, and people started criticising her, she candidly said, “I believe in positivity and have learned how to deal with such comments.” This time again, Zaira was trolled on social media for the success of her film Dangal and also for meeting Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who praised her for her shining performance and called her a Kashmiri role model. However, the young actor was branded as an ‘Indian agent’, and one who had hurt the sentiments of Kashmiris. The trolls were so powerful that the actor not only had to delete her online post, but also tender an apology for having met the Chief Minister. What a shame! Instead of catapulting young Zaira, who possesses talent and has shown courage, her success has led to insult and injury — so much that she was forced to deny she was a role model for anyone.
A closer look into this incident will highlight two things. First, this is a clear case of hate-mongering on the part of the pro-separatist camp which wants to rake up any issue to keep the atmosphere in the valley tense. In fact, this is more of a battle of cultures, ideologies and freedoms, where women are worst targeted. At the receiving end is not just the victim, but also the family which is subjected to threat and abuse. Second, social media has become a breeding ground for misogynists to target and attack people remorselessly. How often do we encounter the word ‘troll’IJ Frequently. Very frequently. It was only a month back that cricketer Mohammed Shami faced ire on social media over his wife’s dress. A troll is best defined as something ugly, but more than that it is an assault on an individual's freedom, so much that it shames them and generates a sense of fear. Zaira’s' trial has brought back memories of the fate of Pragaash, an all-girl Kashmiri band from Srinagar, which had to disband due to a fatwa issued against its performers. The girls had to undergo similar harassment for having participated in a Western music singing competition, where they grabbed the third prize. But for this achievement, they were branded as “un-Islamic”. Subsequently, what followed next was political abuse. All parties in the State grabbed the opportunity to display their own versions of freedom of speech. The event was highlighted in the media so much that the girls requested for privacy and matters ended. Zaira too has received support from big names in the Hindi film industry, but more than that she requires the support of the Government and society.