“The moment we get too attached to the projected image is when we get stuck between what’s real and not,” feels Himanshu Malhotra, who rose to fame with his stellar performance in ‘Shershaah’.
Social media has become an integral part of human existence. Whether it’s good or bad, many of us are hooked on it. ‘Shershaah’ actor Himanshu Malhotra talks about how much he indulges in social media on a daily basis. He also talks about the effect it has on our lives and how he deals with the same.
“I don’t have a count of the time I spend on social media but I usually don’t scroll it a lot throughout the day or enjoy looking at what others are doing. I just share some stories and the posts are mostly done by my team,” he says.
Himanshu Malhotra does not see social media as a mood lifter. “I enjoy learning from the medium and just checking on what’s happening around. If there is someone I can encourage or uplift I would love to do that via the medium. There is a boy called Shubham Shyam and his poems are very beautiful. I happened to come across his page while browsing and I have tried my best to encourage him. I try to take his words to the masses through my page,” he adds.
Many have opined that the world of social media is fake, yet they want attention on it. “We can’t tell the difference between real and fake these days. There is freedom of expression so it’s up to people what they want to express. Yes people enjoy projecting an image where everyone looks nice and wears nice clothes and are happy. Good that the platform showcases good things but that does not make the other not-so-good things a lie. The moment we get too much attached with the projected image that is when we get stuck between what’s real and what’s not. It’s a space to express but you should take care of what you say or showcase so that it doesn’t hurt people’s sentiments in any way,” he says.
Many casting directors these days often take notice of one’s follower count before calling them for parts. Same happens with brands.
Agreeing, Himanshu Malhotra adds, “Yes on the basis of followers your popularity is judged. Talent should not be based on such things. It should be about what you do in between the action and cut. No one knew much about Prateek Gandhi but after the ‘Scam 1992’, his followers increased. This has happened to many others. Today if anybody enters ‘Anupamaa’ that person would become hit within a month. If people know that things are paid then it’s a situation to think about. Talent should be given importance. The makers have to understand that the followers can be boosted or bought.”
People including celebrities keep saying that they prefer keeping their personal life private a bit then they end up posting very personal photos too.
"Yes there is a dichotomy there, but then there is a reason behind it. As actors, we want to express freely through our handles and it comes out as it is. But when the media asks us questions we don’t want to say much because the meaning often gets twisted leading to unwanted trouble or controversy. People might have different points of views here, but this is how I see it," he ends.