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I don’t remember any time that they abused a male actor online for endorsing an alcohol brand ever; they idolized actors like Shatrughan Sinha for their alcohol endorsements.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who was the Telugu Film Industry’s sweetheart until her recent divorce with Naga Chaitanya, is again the target of hate for simply living her life.
From various speculations that the marriage ended because of her song “O Antava” in the pan India blockbuster movie Pushpa which didn’t go down too well with the Akkineni family to her non-interest to become a mother or the abortion rumours and more, people are quick to blame her for the divorce based on unverified reasons.
The recent reasons for the online abuse are her association with a premium alcohol brand, and her dress at the recent Critics’ Choice Awards.
The fact is that people tend to be starkly judgemental of women only because they view them as soft targets, have a moralistic stand on what women can or cannot do, and think they can get away with the abuse.
It’s amusing that people are finding fault for Samantha’s endorsement of an alcohol brand. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were queuing up in the wee hours of the morning to buy alcohol.
India is one of the fastest growing markets for alcoholic beverages worldwide because of the rapid urbanisation, a growing middle class population with increased spending power, and a stable economy.
Global celebrities have endorsed alcohol brands, and their female brand ambassadors have not faced selective outrage and flak for it. There is an increasing number of women who are consuming alcohol, but there is a stigma attached to them as opposed to male drinkers in India – we even had a Ram Gopal Varma tweeting to shame women seen at alcohol shops.
It’s true that alcohol is a double-edged sword, and there are dangerous implications for its consumption. Instead of moral policing women for drinking alcohol, the focus should be on the awareness around responsible alcohol consumption, behaviour and responsible driving, apart from regulation – which works the same way no matter what your gender!
Also, it’s unfair how people pigeonhole a woman’s worth to marriage and motherhood alone. Everything else is immaterial, especially a woman’s achievements and evolution.
Maybe that’s just it, even in Samantha’s case! Sheer rage and envy at a woman’s audacity to pave her own path and follow her ambitions at the cost of family and motherhood! So, let’s just tear her down and mock all that she does.
Before judging someone else’s life from our myopic lens, let’s pause and look at the other side of the coin as well.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu has a charitable side to her. She’s known for routinely donating to various social causes.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu co-founded Pratyusha Support in 2014, a charitable trust along with Padma Shri awardee Dr. Manjula Anagani, India’s leading laparoscopic surgeon, obstetrician, gynecologist and an infertility specialist. The team has been serving underprivileged sections, especially the most vulnerable populations of women and children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions, and sheltering the poor. They have also been organizing free medical awareness camps, check-ups, vaccination drives, blood donation camps, and surgeries.
A pet mommy to Hash and Saasha, Samantha turned to a plant-based diet during the pandemic. She advocates plant-based foods, veganism, and urban-home-farming that propagates ‘putting food on the table.’ She is an investor and the Chief Millennial Farmer of ‘Urban Kissan.’
While it’s easy to judge someone’s life from afar knowing nothing about them personally, maybe it would be better if we could use that time to do something constructive for our society instead.
First published here.
Image source: YouTube
Tina Sequeira is an award-winning writer and marketer. Winner of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award in association with the Government of Telangana, Orange Flower Award by Women’s Web, India's leading website for women, read more...
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