It was in 1990 that the original Aashiqui, starring Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal, was released. Both were unconventional, in their looks and talent, and their love story was one that was lapped up by millennials and Gen X. Though Aggarwal only did a handful of movies later, Roy went on to star in quite a few movies — some of them which gained cult status — including Junoon (where he played a man who turns into a tiger on a full-moon night) and Mahesh Bhatt’s Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi.
Cut to 2026, and the actor is facing intense trolling on social media. Why? He appeared in a Reel by a creator called Dr Vanita Ghadhage Desai, shot like an old-school music video set to the song Tere Dar Par Sanam (which is a song from one of Roy’s films itself). Why is it being mocked? Well, because it’s not aesthetic. And it’s on the handle of a not-so-fancy creator. And, because audiences feel Roy looks uninterested and bored.
Though he shouldn’t have, Roy felt the need to defend himself after multiple reels were made mocking him. And he said, “I do my work with honesty and modesty. I have some legal matters to pay for… At least I am earning through hard work, not by mocking others.” He also highlighted the fact that he had suffered from a brain stroke.
Way to go, people. We are faced with a multitude of influencers every day who peddle and hype up everything from serums, to proteins, to luxury bags, iPhones, to fancy vacations (Coachella or Japan, anyone?) and hotels, to sneakers, and make-up, and Hyrox, and restaurants, and sun screen, and jewellery, and clothes, and innerwear, and watches, and blah blah blah, and you want to laugh at an actor just trying to earn some honest money? Do you even know how hard it is to get a decent role in a show or film these days? We now just scroll, and comment freely and meanly as we sit at home comfortably, many of us too afraid to go out and really risk anything, just because we are scared of judgment. Bhai wah!
If watching an unsuspecting lady (trying hard to be a creator) gyrate in front of an unfeeling-looking Roy in a mini music video on Instagram is cringe to you, you’d better wake up. This is what should be making you cringe today: Creators who sell everything and anything, as long as the money is good. Are you telling me every serum, every sunscreen, every shampoo, every body butter, is the best you’ve ever tried? It’s so good that your fingers can’t stop tapping on its packaging (which is adding to all the pollution in the world)? What’s cringe is everyone hyping up a phone they got for free. What’s cringe is everyone telling you to go for a vacation they went on for free. What’s cringe is everyone’s asking you to buy something you don’t need, just because they got it free, and they are getting paid to say so! This is not a review in a newspaper or magazine, where, contrary to what you think, journalists do not do “paid reviews”. What’s cringe is that influencers don’t care if you should be buying this, if you have resources to buy this, and if this is good for the world, environment or planet. These are not collaborations; these are advertisements.
If you are okay with them peddling stuff because a brand paid them, then why are you so shocked that a once-successful actor appeared in a “cringe” reel just because it paid him?
We, as audiences, need to be more discerning in what we define as cringe or embarrassing on social media now. We need to up the game, to ask for more of the creators and influencers to whom we give so much of our time and energy. It’s time they gave us authentic, real and genuine content that matters, that’s unique, and that adds to our lives in some way, not just to sell stuff. Roy is just doing his best. The rest are taking advantage of what the system has become — where the influencer with the fanciest aesthetic and the biggest brand catches the worm.
It’s time to introspect, and ask the right questions.
See you next time.
Ranting and raving about all that’s trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at @aasthaatray on Instagram.
Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.