Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar claims that she was told her letter was stupid during a recent interview.
A few weeks ago Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar received a massive backlash for her bold open letter criticizing the makers of Padmaavat for glorifying Jauhar. She received backlash for using the word ‘vagina’ in her open letter.
Talking about the massive criticism, Swara Bhaskar revealed that she was told her letter was stupid. The revelation came during her interview with MidDay.
When told that her letter was quite bold, Swara told the tabloid, “And an incredibly stupid one too, I hear.”
She further said, “I didn’t even know that I was so famous, or my voice mattered this much. Although in a twisted, warped way, it did remind me of the reach I had. However, the Bollywood I know deserves more credit than we give it because the hatred I received for writing that letter came from social media users, not the industry. Bollywood braves too much criticism. It has accepted me the way I am and given me the space to thrive. Fundamentally, I have fierce opinions. And if I have them, I must be prepared to deal with trolls. In Bollywood, however, everyone is only trying hard to hold their ground, despite all odds. So, this is not the industry that must be blamed.”
She also told the tabloid that she is often cautious of what she says in the public space. “I have to be careful about the things I say because it will be up for scrutiny. Words are twisted out of context to imply something else. This is also probably the reason behind artistes’ hesitation to back issues that they feel strongly about,” she said.
An Indian Express report quoted her as saying, “Now I know I have more trolls than fans. But I am not a flippant person, and I stand by everything I say. Trolling is a different kind of bullying and I don’t want to give in. But yes, I am now more aware of the kind of hatred out there. I did not speak anything that’s disrespectful or vicious and so I am not really bothered.”