Bangladesh reacts to cyber abuse of Bengal’s tele-star

KOLKATA: The film industry in Bangladeshi is upset with the news of cyber abuse of Madhumita Chakraborty’s aka Pakhi of ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’ fame on portals in their country.
Sohana Saba, who has made her Tollywood debut with ‘Shororipu’, said that it’s unfair to upload fake news. “It doesn’t matter which nation it has been done in. If the fake news is about a sex racket, it is an even bigger crime.The worst is if it is done to increase the hits of a portal,” Sohana said.
The actress doesn’t know Madhumita personally. “I haven’t come across this news either. But I understand how an actress can feel once subjected to such abuse. Even if she was a common person and not a celeb, I would still understand that such acts can lead to the harassment of the entire family. I can completely empathise and understand how difficult it can get to handle this situation,” Sohana said.
Bangaldeshi actor Jaya Ahsan, who made her debut in Arindam Sil’s “Aborto” and has now acted in his “Egoler Chokh”, is disgusted by the incident too. “Sadly enough, women have always been a target of such abuse. People feel women are readily available and hence pass any kind of comments. Crossing the decency line is so common,” she said.
Jaya too has been a victim of such abuse. “So many things were said about me when I did ‘Rajkaahini’. I had played a sex worker in the film. I didn’t write the script. I didn’t direct the film. I was playing a part and did the scenes the way I was directed. Yet, I had to hear all kinds of things. People don’t realise the impact such comments can have on an individual,” she said.
What’s worse is that many feed on the vulnerability of heroines. “There are people who can get misled too. It becomes very difficult for heroines to handle such situations. I remember being told that I was living-in with someone. That was completely untrue,” Jaya said.

Sohana Saba
Jaya had decided to remain silent when such fake news had surfaced. “These are small websites that have mushroomed all around. They operate from individual houses. Attention and hits are all that these sites want. Pakhi is hugely popular in Bangladesh. During Eid this year, girls have committed suicide because they were not given Pakhi dresses! I fail to understand how these people can humiliate an artiste who is their favourite too,” she said. Joya wants Madhumita to get justice. “It will be my revenge against those who tormented me digitally,” she said.
Sohana too wants justice to prevail. “It’s important to learn to protest. It’s fair that Madhumita has decided to protest. It’s time we all learnt to speak up,” she said.