Zeenat Aman called the tabloids out for failing to properly fact-check their reporting and for stepping over privacy lines. Actress Zeenat Aman, known as the “Insta queen” for her entertaining and humorous Instagram postings, took a trip down memory lane on Saturday as she reflected on the culture of gossip and magazines in Bollywood.
The senior actress posted an old magazine cover featuring her on Instagram on Saturday, creating a contentious narrative around her. The 1979 edition of the magazine is referenced.
Zeenat Aman wrote: “If the headlines were to be believed, in 1979 I had cursed myself, in 1982 I was being picked on, in 1984 I was out of sync, in 1985 I was marching towards self destruction, and in 1998 I was shattered. There was a time that I subscribed to glossies and tabloids, but that passed very quickly. I could not relate at all to the person they presented me as. The headlines would be adulatery one day and vicious the very next.” Zeenat Aman criticised the tabloids for failing to properly fact-check their articles and for invading celebrities’ privacy.
She further mentioned in her note: “There was little by way of fact-checking, and no remorse for errors made. When they got the story right – it was usually a colossal breach of privacy. When they got it wrong – those blatant lies would be taken as the gospel. These “scandals” took their toll. It was its own form of public humiliation, and I remember the anxiety, outrage and grief that came with these. At some point my skin toughened, and the realisation dawned that it was impossible for me to challenge the persona that they wanted to create.”
Zeenat Aman then reminisced about confronting a senior editor, whom she didn’t name, who showed no remorse for false reportage: “The one time I confronted an erstwhile editor about a malicious story, she was full of excuses but not a single apology. I made up my mind then not to take it personally. Undignified as it was, their only interest was selling their magazines.”
“All this is just to say – people will always find reason to talk, and so it’s probably best not to allow their opinion or perception to define your life. You can do that for yourself,” the Don actress concluded.
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