Over the past week I have been silently observing the news of the passing away of the legendary Bollywood actress, Sridevi. It indeed came as a shock and sent the shockwave far and wide. In other words, gone too soon. She was someone who had acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films right from the age of four. Some of her songs even today are evergreen that it beats those of today’s generation.
What is interesting amidst all this, is how the Indian media decided to take matters into their own hands and decide what actually happened. Coming from the media background, I sometimes wonder is this what I actually studied to become? Did I learn to bring out actual facts or “sensational scoop” for TRP ratings? What happened to the true sense of journalism? I am suddenly left questioning the very basics.
All I could do was sit back and watch how the Indian media ridiculed the death of a talented and beautiful actress. Let alone ridiculed, everyone was in a rush to bring out their own versions of the cause of death first without verifying and knowing the actual nature of death. After all, first to report, doesn’t matter right or wrong and once things develop will modify the news accordingly and then report. Again, this brings back to the basics of journalism; who is our source and is it a trustworthy one?
It sometimes puzzles me as to how low one can go for TRPs, and is it actually worth it? It’s more like saying, “I don’t care who you are, but I am going to do this whether I insult you or not.” It will be a momentary feeling of cracking the golden egg, and then what? Nothing. Apart from yes, losing our self respect for doing something really low.
Just a humble request to our Indian media, be kind to the departed soul and her family. She has left behind a huge legacy and a huge void in her family’s life, and don’t destroy by trying to bring out the “dark side of her cosmetic surgeries”, or “she was mentally not alright and having low self confidence” etc., etc. It will only hurt the sentiments of her family and not yours, and let her Rest In Peace.
Sridevi was an actress who entertained us for 4-5 decades ensuring we have a smile on our faces while watching her perform. Her eyes, facial expressions and her dance were simply amazing, that she performed with ease and, was and will always be the first female superstar.
So to end this, I hope our Indian media will pull their socks, go back and refresh their memories of what true journalism is, and give hope to the younger generation who plan on taking up this path as their career choice.
christinecherian 