X is up in arms for Meera after clips of the actor being interviewed by journalist Irshad Bhatti for her new film Psycho went viral on Sunday. She stars in the movie alongside Shaan Shahid, Sonya Hussyn and Javed Sheikh.
The video was taken from the intro of an episode of Bhatti’s podcast which released on Sunday. Shahid, who also wrote and directed the film, joined Meera on the episode.
Now, it would be perfectly reasonable to assume the questions would revolve around her film and her past work with some talk of future projects, but no, the journalist felt this was the right opportunity to grill the actor on rumours surrounding her marriage and private life.
Calling the interview invasive would be a sheer understatement, with the host quizzing a visibly uncomfortable Meera on gossip, to which she kept asking him to watch the film she’d worked hard on.
In the end, she got up from her seat, thanked Bhatti for coming and tried to leave, but not before the journalist could slip in one last question about the controversy surrounding the actor’s marriage to businessman Ateeq-ur-Rehman.
Netizens were understandably upset at the interview, which many users called “harassment”. One said this wasn’t a one-off incident and it was increasingly common to see hosts “make women uncomfortable under guise of questioning”.
Others were wondering what made the journalist think any of this was ever okay for him to do.
Almost everyone seemed to agree Meera handled the situation with remarkable grace and patience. One user even said they’d be watching the film specifically because of what the actor was willing to endure to promote her work.
A couple of people felt her reaction was too peaceful.
Netizens felt they had misjudged the actor and said the clip made them realise what kind of a person she really was. One person who had worked with Meera earlier said she was super sweet in person and a pleasure to interview — if, of course, you ask normal questions.
Lastly, a user said what almost everyone was thinking and called Bhatti a “manchild”.
The fact Meera handled Bhatti’s entirely inappropriate line of questioning with such composure really speaks to who she is as a person. The unfortunate reality, however, is that it can get even worse.
In a media landscape where unfounded accusations are wildly thrown at women in the entertainment industry and their private lives become public discourse, it’s not a surprise Meera and so many accomplished professionals like her have had to grow a thick skin.
We wish people would stop putting their noses in other people’s business and hope Psycho does well when it comes out in theatres on Eidul Azha.
