Alia Bhatt's strongly worded Instagram post on the viral video of her and Ranbir Kapoor's under-construction Krishna Raj bungalow in Bandra has drawn attention to the privacy challenges faced by celebrities. But it is her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who has put the situation in perspective with a candid reaction.
Recently, a video of the couple's Rs 250 crore six-storey property went viral on social media. Alia wrote on Instagram, "I understand that in a city like Mumbai, space is limited, sometimes the view from your window is another person's home. But that does not give anyone the right to film private residences and push those videos online. A video of our home, still under construction, has been recorded and circulated by multiple publications, without our knowledge or consent."
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Mahesh Bhatt addressed the security breach and the wider issue of media intrusion.
"Let's face the fact that a goldfish has no hiding place. We are living in bizarre times, and the walls have crumbled. Invasive journalism is now legitimised. You have everything that is happening to people being covered. You can keep on complaining and keep on talking about the values of privacy, but that's the ideal world that was; now it's a different time. I am not saying that you should not use the means you have to avoid that. They (Alia and Ranbir) have personally gone out there and begged them and said don't do it. It's a trauma. Alia, particularly, is very, very concerned about this because the child (daughter Raha) gets attention, which can scar the child's formative years," he said.
He continued, "Somebody wants it. There is a demand, and somebody is there to supply it. How do you control that? But I think the parents are very very, very intelligently handling the situation and Alia, particularly, is very careful and very cautious. Repeatedly, with folded hands, they request the paparazzi, and I must say that the paparazzi have been... though it's their source of income. They live for every click they take. They stand in the rain, they stand in heat, winter, and they have to somehow go back with something, or they will lose their jobs. So, where do you stop it?"
Bhatt concluded, "Everybody wants to be a fly on the wall in your house... With the advent of time, you are going to feel more and more vulnerable."
Meanwhile, Mahesh Bhatt's next production, Tu Meri Poori Kahani, directed by Suhitra Das, is set to release in theatres on September 26.
Also Read: Alia Bhatt Reacts Strongly To Viral Video Of Her New Luxury Bungalow In Mumbai: "It Is A Violation"
