As privileged as their lives may seem from a distance, the truth is that celebrities are more prone to cyberbullying and trolling than the rest of us. Sometimes the social media discourse gets so harsh and hostile that it gets out of hand for them. The latest example of the delicate relationship between celebs and internet bullying is Chunky Panday’s daughter Ananya Panday.
Not long after the Student Of The Year 2 star was accused by an ex-schoolmate for lying about her alleged admission in the University of Southern California (USC), Ananya decided to set the record set. Shutting down all the rumours, Ananya shared pictures of her acceptance letter with a long caption on how she was accepted by the university back in 2018 but had to postpone it owing to her Bollywood commitments.
Ananya wrote:
“I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t feel like I needed to explain myself to anyone, but the rumours that I faked my admission at USC have been doing the rounds for a while now. They’ve been getting out of hand, and it’s even more unfair and sad that my family and friends have to go through this. As I’ve stated earlier, I was accepted by Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC for a major in Communication in the Spring 2018 semester. But since I was shooting for my first film and the release date later got pushed, I had to request for a deferral (which means postponing my admission) twice – first to Fall 2018 and later to Fall 2019, both of which they gracefully agreed to do. In my case, I could only defer my admission two times so I will not be attending university (for now), since I’ve decided to pursue my career in acting.“
It all started when the star kid revealed in an interview that she didn’t go to college despite being accepted for a communications program at the USC because she wanted to focus on her acting career. Soon after, an Instagram user who goes by the name Anieeepeee (and claims to be Ananya’s classmate) rubbished the actress’ claims and said that she never applied for any foreign university or took the SATs. She also spilt some details about Ananya’s dating life.
But now, dismissing all the rumours, Ananya has hit back at the bullies. The 20-year-old not only shared pictures of her acceptance letter but also talked about how bullying can affect lives, not only of the one who is being bullied but also of their friends and family members. “It’s never okay to bully anyone – creating fake conversations, stories and screenshots is very dangerous and can seriously damage people’s lives,” wrote the actress.
Adding to the fact that Suyash Panday is her father Chunky Panday’s real name, she said, “As for the people who have been trying to pull me down with these accusations, I would like to send you all lots of love, peace and positivity. And would also like to say that even though they’re claiming to be my classmates (nameless and faceless) – I’m sure they aren’t because I’ve grown up with the people I went to school with and they would never do something like that.“
It’s sad that people can bully someone into having to prove something true. Ananya didn’t owe anyone any explanation about her college acceptance and yet she had to submit proof to defend herself and her family. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and we agree with Ananya on how hateful posts and comments on social media can damage lives. More power to you, Miss Panday.
Images: Instagram
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