Actor Vikas Grover who is famous for his work in ‘Maaya 2’, 'Noise', and more recently sat with ETimes for a heart-to-heart conversation on the issues of celebrities and their privacy. The conversation’s starting point was Virat Kohli’s video, which went viral on social media, as some fans without the cricketer’s consent recorded and shared the clip of his room from the hotel.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Virat Kohli was recently flabbergasted by the invasion of his privacy. Fans often cross paths with celebrities. Have you ever had an incident with a fan?“What happened to him was unexpected; such things are very wrong, and from now on, it will break his trust even with normal, good fans. I know what goes through fans' minds when they see their favorite personalities; they want to capture that moment and share those pictures. Or videos were taken with the celebrity, but just to show off in public, invading somebody's privacy is wrong. If someone says that he or she is someone's fan, that means they have respect and love for that person, and if you are doing such wrong things, that means the person is not a real fan. Also, people should respect each individual's privacy, whether it's a celebrity or a normal person. Fortunately, I have never come across such an incident, but I am really frightened after this one.”
Do you feel safe when you travel and stay in hotels? Are you worried about your private moments being captured?“Yes, to date, I have not had any concerns with my stay in hotel rooms. But after this incident, I am worried if this can happen to Virat Kohli, who is one of the well-known personalities of our nation, so this can happen to anyone else. I love my privacy and always want to keep my professional and personal lives separate. When I spend time with my close friends or with my family, I don't want that somebody should record or capture those moments and put them up on social media.”
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What are the basic checks you do when you travel or stay in hotels to ensure safety?“I plan my stays only in good hotels because of the security and privacy. I call the staff before going to the hotel and ask them about security and services. Also, I always keep in mind that whenever some housekeeping staff enters my room, I keep an eye on that particular person. These are all the basic checks I do.”
Where should fans draw the line?“When you call yourself someone's fan, that means you admire that person and you have learned from and been inspired by him or her, so doing such wrong things is disrespectful. Being a fan is not wrong, but doing certain stunts to show off on social media by invading the privacy of your favorite celebrity is not acceptable. A person may be a public figure, but his privacy is not public property, so I request everyone that whenever you meet your favorite celebrity, do respect them and don't do such wrong things.”