Bollywood star, Rani Mukherji and the head honcho of Yash Raj Films (YRF), Aditya Chopra tied the knot on the April 21, 2014. While my interest level in their nuptials is dismally low, I can’t help but be revolted by the reaction of fans across the country. While some are ecstatic, others feel she could have done better. The comments floating around on Twitter and Facebook range from being congratulatory to being downright discourteous and boorish. There were media reports of Uday Chopra being attacked by Twitterati and having read some of the tweets, I am appalled and disconcerted at the crudeness on display. Here are some tweets, I came across: https://twitter.com/Dreamer_Taniya/status/458539490098036736 https://twitter.com/coolfunnytshirt/status/458493259850219520 https://twitter.com/shivillex/statuses/458497774343163904 https://twitter.com/rkxsaurabh/status/458837701555277824 https://twitter.com/ROFL_India/statuses/458496548519698432 https://twitter.com/BathManReturns/statuses/458497455483797504 Criticism of an actor’s work is certainly justified; as the audience, we have the power to either break or make an artist’s career. We have the right to demand value for our money by way of quality films. But one can’t help but wonder what drives people to indulge in personal attacks? How are insensitive comments about an individual’s personal life posted with the sole aim of humiliating the star on a public forum justified? This phenomenon is not limited to the subcontinent alone but South Asians seem to be disproportionately interested in matters that are not their concern and do not hesitate while expressing their unsolicited opinions. Given that buying a ticket to a movie entitles the viewers to watch a movie, it definitely does not give us the right to pry into a performer’s personal life and make unsavoury remarks that have the potential to hurt sentiments. Various stars like Shahrukh Khan, who deserted his Twitter account for months, and Imran Khan, who deleted his Twitter account altogether, have been bullied online by trolls. Anushka Sharma was on the receiving end of public ridicule post her appearance on Karan Johar’s chat show earlier this year for her alleged ‘lip surgery’. My Facebook feed had individuals sharing jokes and having a good laugh at her expense. Since there are no shortcuts to success, these actors invest a lot of hard work to maintain their star status. It’s preposterous that the public, who possibly do not have the ambition and more importantly the talent to reach such heights, are impertinent enough to post rude and unwarranted personal remarks in a brazen attempt to insult the celebrity in question. Online forums offer anonymity and that emboldens people to misbehave while hiding behind a pseudonym. But off late, I’ve come to realise that people have no qualms about behaving in a reprehensible manner even whilst using their actual identity! It’s quite likely that there’s a category of people who feel the need to degrade others to feel good about themselves in order to elevate their self-worth. The fact that they have the power to publically embarrass a celebrity probably exhilarates them. Whatever the case maybe, it’s inconceivable that internet trolls are so emotionally stunted that they do not realise the psychological ramifications of their words. Perhaps deriving sadistic pleasure is the driving force behind such behaviour. Whether trolls are beyond reform is debatable but it would be prudent to pause and think before callously posting vicious tweets or comments online. How embarrassed would you feel if someone left a nasty comment on your Facebook page for everyone to read? Despite repeated humiliation, movie stars are courageous enough to face the camera and audiences alike. So let’s cut them some slack, shall we? It is difficult to wrap one’s head around the unhealthy curiosity levels regarding a celebrity’s life. Details like who stars marry, date or go on vacations with, the names of their new born babies, speculation about their marriages and rumours about pregnancy are not our concern. There are distasteful photographs of Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan where the photographers have zoomed in to draw the viewer’s attention to the actresses ‘bloated’ bellies. The paparazzi culture has gained ground in India because there’s a demand for it. How stars cope with this constant intrusion is beyond my comprehension, but the question in my mind is why do we need to know every minute detail of an artist’s life, details that have no bearing on our existence whatsoever?