Bollywood actress Zareen Khan spoke out against the current paparazzi culture, highlighting the way some photographers pay more attention to women’s bodies and less to their professional work or personalities. In a recent interview to Hindi Rush, Zareen criticized the trend of late of concentrating on individual body parts of celebrity women and called it “disgusting.” She further said that even the audience has become tired of such stuff. She questioned the media’s move of concentrating on random parts of a woman’s body instead of her face and added that people are identified by their faces and work, not by invasive shots taken without permission.
Zareen’s words refer to a bigger problem that has been spoken about by several other women celebrities in recent years. Actresses like Janhvi Kapoor, Shanaya Kapoor, Neha Bhasin, Rashami Desai, Mona Singh, Ayesha Khan, and Manushi Chhillar have all spoken about their disliking of being photographed or filmed in a way that they find intrusive, whether it is being photographed from behind or whether the camera is deliberately zoomed in on some areas of their bodies. Zareen herself recently criticized paparazzi for taking a photo of her from behind at a public event, an episode which created further discussion online.
She stated that what was perhaps regarded as a common gimmick to gain popularity in the past is now losing steam. The fans have also stopped enjoying such material and now start showing their discontent. For Zareen, it is of the utmost importance that the media and paparazzi re-evaluate their strategy towards showcasing celebrities, especially women, in public.
While Zareen has not announced any new film projects, her previous on-screen outing was in 2021’s Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele, she remains committed to raising awareness for issues that affect women in the industry. Her words emphasize respect and dignity being given the priority in media reports on public figures.
