April 21, 2018
Outspoken actress Swara Bhaskar, who has made a name for
herself in Bollywood with strong roles in some offbeat films, says she loves to
take hateful trolls head on as it very important "to expose the hatred and the
low level of humanity of so many of these trolls" that are often paid for by
vested interests.
In an interview, Swara said "the path to stand up
for whatever is right will always be harder", and she always kept reminding
herself that "this is a good fight".
"I do take on trolls head on," she
asserted courageously.
She defended Bollywood artistes for not often
speaking up on issues, because no one wants to "become vulnerable to such crazy
hounding in the kind of climate of India where it seems there is no
accountability for any kind of a heinous crime."
"If we don't have
respect for artistes then we don't have respect for the freedom of expression.
We don't have respect for dissenting opinion," said Swara, whose parents come
from academic and services background.
Excerpts from her candid
interview:
Q. For better or for worse, you have become a voice that is
heard on the social media. Does that put a responsibility on you?
A. Well
yes, I suppose I never saw myself as raising my voice or speaking out on social
media as part of the responsibility. An artiste and as a thinking person, you
engage with the world around you and then the thing with social media is that
sometimes things that you see on it are so extreme and they are so horrifying
that you forced into the reaction.
Q. And then comes the backlash?
Yes, if you speak honestly, perhaps because there are not enough people
speaking honestly... And then you know of course there is sort of a public
profile because of my film work, because of that people start paying more
attention to you and yes it puts more responsibility on you.
Q. Why has
there not been more intense response from Bollywood to the Kathua outrage?
A. I think as far as this particular case is concerned, the whole outrage
that has happened where everyone -- whether it's the people from Bollywood, even
citizens and common people and people who are not actors, the outrage is really
genuine and widespread, as it should be because the crime is so horrifying and
so heinous. It says something so scary about our society, especially as you
know, what the attitude of the government is in both these cases (Kathua and
Unnao).
Q. How important is it for celebrities to speak up and why do we
see so little of the film fraternity voice their protest apart from the token
tweets?
A. Very honestly, people say celebrities should speak up and
voice their opinion when such incidents happen and someone said that they need
to be responsible. But look at them when they speak! Look at this placard
campaign we initiated.
So many of my friends and colleagues from the film
industry participated in it and it was a success. It really brought attention to
the issue...and look at the kind of hate that has come to all of us.
Q.
Hatred from whom, where?
A. Especially from the organised trolls of the
Sangh Parivar and BJP itself, the kind of vicious trolling and frankly
irrelevant, stupid hateful messages that have been coming. And then you actually
ask yourself why Bollywood actors should put themselves out there and become
targets of such hateful, horrible paid trolls.
Q. Does this thought deter
you from your campaigns on the social media?
A. Actually, now I am more
engaging with activism in Bollywood and activism as a Bollywood personality, and
now I realise why so many stars remain silent on so many issues. Because why
would you want to put yourself out there?
Bollywood personalities are so
vulnerable because everyone knows our faces. Most of them know our dresses,
shoes, bags, homes, whereabouts... so we become vulnerable to such crazy
hounding in the kind of climate of India where it seems there is no
accountability for any kind of a heinous crime.
Q. So you think Bollywood
has no reason to take up social causes?
A. Frankly, I really don't think
the onus should be on Bollywood anymore because this is not a society that
deserves that artistes speak up because you don't have respect for artistes, and
if we don't have respect for artistes then we don't have respect for the freedom
of expression.
We don't have respect for dissenting opinion. Why is India
not responsive to issues of citizen rights, social responsibility or freedom of
expression of the people as in the US?
Q. How do you deal with all the
hatred and trolls?
A. Yeah, it is tiring to see the kind of hatred and
violence but not only hatred but also at the ignorance and illiteracy that is so
much on social media. I know some of them are paid for, but I don't know what
kind of comfort these paid trolls provide.
What kind of society have we
become that people take money to write these horrible things about the gang rape
of an eight-year old girl? I try to brace against this hatred. I am trying to
get used to it. I try to tell myself that I am fighting a good fight.
Whenever a society goes through a terrible phase, as ours is going through, then
the path to stand up for whatever is right will always be harder then to stand
up with the dominating narrative. I keep on reminding myself that this is a good
fight. I do take on trolls head on.
Q. Most trolls just want attention?
A. People ask me, why do you reply to trolls, they are nobody, let them be.
It isn't that. The point is that they maybe nobody, but there maybe ten people
who are reading their tweets and get influenced by their bullsh*t.
I
think it is very important to expose the hatred and the low level of humanity of
so many of these trolls. And some of them are public figures who have
verification ticks on them. So it is important to call them out because silence
in the times like this is termed as complicity .