'It's important to know what reality is'

Straight talk

Celebrities are often trolled online when they express their opinion and actor Swara Bhaskar says the evil of anonymity on social media is responsible for it.

Swara says Twitter has just become another street for her, where people can misbehave or pass comments by using the default egg profile. “I think the world of Twitter and social media trolling are very stark examples of how our society functions. For me, it has become a place where you can pass comments on girls,” Swara said.

She adds, “You can easily hide your real identity on Twitter. You’re just a Twitter egg and doing things behind that anonymity. And I feel that invisibility is giving you the power to misbehave.”

While some actors prefer to avoid trolls, 28-year-old Swara says she always makes sure to give it back to them. “My way of dealing with social media trolls is to respond. I am constantly involved in ‘quote retweet’, where you can quote and shame those people. “You should never stay quiet, if someone is trying to misbehave with you. Challenge it just like you would react on the street if someone misbehaves with you. You have to respond, you have to not let it slide and that’s what I do.”

Although Swara believes it is important to “respond” to trolls, at the same time she thinks actors should be open to criticism because that is how they will know what reality is.

“On my Facebook page anybody can post anything. And I’ve deliberately not made it private which I can easily do by changing my account settings but I feel like ‘No, I should not’. It’s very important to know what reality is and what people are actually thinking about you.”

“It’s very important to be in touch with them as it’s easy to become dissociated with the real world while sitting in Bollywood. In the industry, you have like-minded people and you feel safe. But that cannot be the real thing. It’s just your group,” Swara said.