The Indian entertainment industry has been in a state of disarray since Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death in June this year. Amid the consequent nepotism row and the insider vs outsider debate, the general atmosphere has been that of anger, agitation, and widespread outrage. As netizens agitate against an elitist industry, a lot of star kids and industry insiders have been vehemently trolled and bullied in the past few months.
In fact, a lot of celebs including Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt, and Sonakshi Sinha have also spoken about their ordeal and how they have been receiving rape threats and abusive messages on social media all this while. Consequently, some of these celebs including Aayush Sharma, Neha Kakkar, and Saqib Saleem have quit social media of late. Sonakshi Sinha is also one of these celebs who quit Twitter back in June stating that this is what she needed to do for her peace of mind. Shortly after that in July, Sonakshi launched an online campaign called ‘Ab Bas!’ to spread awareness on cyberbullying.
In a recent interview with a digital media platform, Sonakshi talked about the problem and the idea behind starting her campaign. She shared “Cyberbullying and harassment are increasing day by day and it has become a huge issue. People feel that by just hiding behind the screen they are anonymous and can say whatever they want to, and in whichever way they want. Definitely, democracy has been misused when it comes to social media and online harassment. People are really taking freedom of speech for granted and mistaking it for freedom to abuse – to which they don’t have a right. That’s why we are trying to create some awareness and what actions can be taken against those who perpetrate it.”
Speaking on the need of making the internet a safer place for everyone, Sonakshi further added, “I took a stand against bullying and have been at the receiving end of it ever since I have joined social media. A lot of famous personalities go through the same, irrespective of their field, be it sports or cinema. I really wanted to do something about it, create awareness, and inform people about the laws that are in place and what they can do. They don’t have to sit back and take it anymore. The online world is such a big part of our lives now and we spend so much time on it, there really needs to be a safe place where people can go and be themselves.”
In the interview, Sonakshi also shared how she has constantly been trolled for the most ludicrous of reasons including the times when she was bullied for standing against bullying itself. The actress shared, “Yes, I was trolled and bullied even for taking a stand against bullying. People without thinking of anything just go out there and vent their frustration. Especially during the lockdown as people have less to do which is why a lot more negativity and hate are coming out online. Initial thoughts are that it is battle but it’s definitely one that needs to begin and we need to fight back.”
She further added, “I was getting a lot of trolling and hatred for even the ‘Ab Bas!’ videos. It’s become a trend you don’t see what the person is posting or what they are doing, they just put hate out there. There have been complaints and FIRs that have been registered against certain abusers online and now the authorities will take necessary actions.”
Sonakshi has been using the campaign to initiate a dialogue on mental health as well as the legal repercussions of cyberbullying. She has been organising Insta chats with cybercrime experts as well as mental health professionals. “AB BAS! It’s time to put a full stop to cyberbullying and trolling,” she says and we are fully with Sonakshi on this.
Featured Image: Instagram
