The sudden and tragic demise of actor Shefali Jariwala at the young age of 42 from a reported cardiac arrest on June 27 has shaken the country. Shefali Jariwala became a household name after appearing in the Kaanta Laga remix song from 2002.
Her cheerful and energetic screen presence even made her go famous as the Kaanta Laga girl. Jariwala has been the childhood memory of countless 90s kids across India. So the news of her death hit many people hard.
On Friday night, her husband, actor Parag Tyagi, rushed her to the hospital; however, she was declared dead on arrival, according to reports.
This is, of course, a trying time for her family and friends; however, in the midst of all this, the behaviour of the Indian media and paparazzi has really come under scrutiny.
Atrocious Behaviour By Media And Paps
We have all seen the paps and media outside the houses of deceased celebrities. Even seen parody videos of the same scenario, where celebrities climb out of their cars and go inside the house to pay respect to a celebrity or family/relative of a celebrity in some cases.
They’re always there, capturing who has arrived and who skipped the ceremony. However, what is happening right now with Shefali Jariwala’s death seems to have crossed a line.
Since news broke out of Shefali’s death, the media have essentially camped outside her building 24/7, with cameras and phones ready and waiting, to get anything and everything, no matter how small.
ANI, on their YouTube page, has live-streamed at least 3 different videos, all crossing a whopping 9 hours, or an 11-hour limit. Basically, just plopped the camera in front of her building and recorded everything happening there, with no regard to even the other residents there who have probably given no consent to their lives being captured like this.
This YouTube Short by Pinkvilla is another example of the insensitive behaviour shown by the media. The grieving husband is pleading and begging, folding his hands, and the channel is doing the exact thing that he’s requesting them not to.
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It seems that the priority of the Indian media has been made ultra clear by their behaviour, which is just to get views, and nothing else. All humanity, sympathy, and empathy can go in a ditch, as long as they get their clicks and traffic.
Family members of the deceased have been captured in various moments of distress and grief, unable to control their emotions and what has happened. And all those moments are being captured by the media, slapped on some clickbait title, with emojis and the most trending hashtags to make sure they reach as many people as possible.
Parag Tyagi, Shefali’s husband, has repeatedly asked and requested the media to stop following them, to give them privacy. However, all those videos are only posted on their pages, not even understanding the irony behind it.
Tyagi in one instance asked the media not to sensationalise the matter, saying, “Please mazak drama mat banaega main sab se request karta hu, meri pari ke liye pray kijiyega aap sab log (Please don’t make this into a joke or drama. Pray for my Pari, you all). Wherever she is, she stays happy and is at peace, that’s all I want.”
Even with people in the comments calling out the paparazzi, asking them to stop is not enough.
This behaviour of the media and paparazzi has also been called out by other actors, including Varun Dhawan, Tina Datta, Jahnvi Kapoor, and more.
In an Instagram story, Varun Dhawan wrote, “Again, one more passing of a soul being insensitively covered by the media. I just don’t understand why do u have to cover someone’s grief. Everyone looks so uncomfortable with this. How is this benefiting anyone? & my request to my friends in the media, this isn’t the way someone would want their final journey covered.”
Jahnvi Kapoor reposted Dhawan’s story with the caption “Finally someone said it.”
TV actress Tina Datta also posted on her Insta Stories, writing, “The media has no shame showing someone’s body during cremation, filming last rites, and commenting on mourners like it’s a spectacle. This isn’t reporting. It’s exploitation. Let people grieve with dignity. Even death deserves respect. Shoving the cameras in someone’s face and asking ki kitna dukh ho raha hain, like seriously?? It’s unbelievable… Let them grieve in peace…”
It is instances like these that put a light on how far some people can go just to get some soundbites or that next big viral thing, letting go of all humanity and empathy, or even journalist integrity.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Shefali Jariwala, Shefali Jariwala death, Shefali Jariwala media, Shefali Jariwala husband, Shefali Jariwala husband media, Shefali Jariwala paparazzi, paparazzi, indian media, indian media behaviour, indian journalism
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