Are we so consumed by celebrity gossip that our excitement has overtaken human decency? Rumours of Palash Muchhal cheating on his fiancée Smriti Mandhana, have gone viral. While the family has not confirmed any rumours and has requested privacy, is it fair for netizens to draw conclusions and bash out on social media?
Filmmaker–composer Palaash Muchhal and the Indian women's cricket team's vice-captain Smriti Mandhana were all set to tie the knot on Sunday, November 23, in Sangli, Maharashtra. But just as the celebrations were about to begin, reportedly, Smriti's father suffered a heart attack. A day later, fiancé Palaash was also admitted to a hospital in Sangli following reports of a sudden health issue.
Image courtesy: IG/palash_muchhal
Amidst all this, what caught netizens' attention was that Mandhana had deleted all wedding-related pictures with Palash! An Instagram user named Mary D’Costa shared screenshots on Reddit, of what she claims are her chats with Palaash. While the account has been deactivated, the chats have gone viral.
Netizens soon bashed Palash and called him a ‘cheater’ online.
But this isn’t an isolated incident. We’ve seen this play out many times before, especially when it comes to celebrity couples. Remember Dhanashree and Yuzvendra Chahal? A simple Instagram update became “proof” for an entire narrative of infidelity. A change in a username or a missing photograph suddenly turns into a national investigation!
The scrutiny becomes even more uncomfortable when the situation is not romantic drama but personal grief. Take the recent case of Dharmendra’s passing.
Paps tried picturing Bobby Deol, Dharmendra’s son, who was visibly emotional, trying to sit in his car. That was not reporting; it was intrusion disguised as curiosity.
The same disregard for boundaries affected Palak and Dharmendra earlier. A family dealing with illness suddenly found their private struggles turned into sensational storylines online. What should’ve been a time for empathy was turned into social media content.
On Monday, Palak took to Instagram Stories and shared a message, which read, “Due to Smriti's father's health, Smriti and Palash's wedding has been put on hold. We would request you all to respect the privacy of the families during this sensitive time.”
At some point, we need to collectively decide whether we want to be informed audiences or intrusive spectators. Whether we want humane storytelling or emotional exploitation. Whether the person behind the celebrity tag deserves empathy or just engagement metrics.
