Actor Fardeen Khan recently spoke out in defense of his Heeramandi co-star, Sharmin Segal, who has faced severe criticism for her performance in the Netflix series. Fardeen empathised with Sharmin, giving his own experience of being trolled in the past. He deemed the situation unfortunate for anyone to experience.
Expressing his disappointment at the trend of online trolling, Fardeen stressed that while everyone is entitled to their opinions about performances, the act of trolling is unjustified.
Speaking with Zoom, he said, 'I think it’s unfortunate the whole trolling aspect of it. Everyone has the right to like or not like someone’s performance, but this whole trolling aspect is something that’s just simply wrong and not done.'
He praised Sharmin for her portrayal of 'Alamzeb' in the series, acknowledging the complexity of her role and the challenge of working with esteemed actors.
Fardeen viewed her performance as a commendable start to her acting career.
Drawing from his personal encounters with trolling, Fardeen emphasised the importance of developing resilience and called out such behaviour. He asserted that trolling reflects more on the perpetrators than the individuals targeted.
'I have been a victim of trolling myself. It’s unfortunate signs of the times. It is what it is. You have got to develop some thick skin and when it’s wrong, you need to speak up and call it out. It reveals more about the people trolling than the person being trolled,' he said.
Actor Richa Chadha had also condemned the trolling of Sharmin Segal previously, criticising the hateful comments directed at her co-star. Richa urged for constructive criticism instead of hate, highlighting the impact it can have on one's mental health. She called for empathy and kindness, urging people to move beyond the trend of online hate and focus on more significant issues affecting the world. Richa wrote, 'Guys? Offer constructive criticism, but this much visceral hate? It’s one thing to reject someone’s performance, theek hai! Mat karo pasand, aapka haq hai. Par aise chatkare le ke troll toh mat karo? Please?'
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