Why steal celebs’ dignity in their final moments?

A pall of gloom descended over the country on February 6 when India’s beloved singer Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last. Her family was mourning, celebrities were sorrowful and millions of fans were left heart-broken. But even before her funeral pyre could be lit, sadists flooded social media with miserable last moments of the celebrated singer. A heart-breaking video emerged, claiming to be Lata Mangeshkar’s final moments on camera before her death. And yet again, a celebrity’s right to a dignified death was snatched.
In this week’s #BigStory we hope to create an awakening by bringing forth the turmoil of the family of the deceased, when such undignified content is shared on social media and messaging applications.

Can leaking pictures and videos from the hospital be an inside job?
Lata Mangeshkar was under the care of senior doctor Dr Pratit Samdani, at Breach Candy hospital, who regularly provided updates about the singer’s health. When asked if the alleged video was a security lapse on part of the hospital, the doctor shared, “Some of the videos are not even true in terms of time. It doesn’t seem to be the hospital staff behind the camera, but it could be someone from outside. We follow a strict policy of no photography. Many times it is a family member who takes a picture. Probably in the case of Lata ji, it could have been one of the caretakers. I could hear someone speak to her in the video.”

Demanding strict action against the offender, he added, “Privacy of a patient should be maintained and such videos should be reported to the department of cybercrime. Lata ji’s family is very unhappy about this but it is very difficult to find out the source, although it is not impossible. As far as the hospital is concerned, I am very sure that the staff has not taken the video.”

The pain of the family
Rishi Kapoor remained jovial till the very end, despite a two-year-long battle with leukaemia. He was admitted to a hospital in South Mumbai after his condition deteriorated in April 2020. Soon after his demise, a sneakily captured video of his alleged ‘last moments’ surfaced online. The actor, who lived all his life in front of the camera, was caught in a moment when he wouldn’t want to be filmed. Rishi was unaware that he was being captured and his frail condition shattered fans. His brother, Randhir Kapoor, strongly condemned the act, “It is very painful for a family to see such videos circulating on the internet. It is very hurtful and wrong. Not just celebrities but any person’s privacy invasion is wrong.”

Hemant Kenkre, Asha Bhosle’s ex-son-in-law expressed his disappointment at Lataji’s video being circulated on social media. He said, “To see Didi maushi’s videos, being escorted during her treatment, was disgusting. Is this what we have become? People who pry into personal lives of others? Sadly, the days of dignity and respect are over. We’ve become a nation of ‘voyeurs’, the types that take pleasure in the pain of others. Those videos were a disgrace and a complete disrespect to Lata didi – a colossus who gave a voice to the emotions of all Indians.”

How Dev Anand and Raj Kumar chose peace in their final moments
Heart-breaking videos and image-shattering photographs may be the bane of modern-day world with mobiles but back in the old days, celebrities preferred to go low-key during their final years. “Every common man and every individual has a right to privacy. And especially in the case of celebrities, when you are sick, your physical appearance is not what you want people to see. It shatters the image, that’s why even Dev Anand decided to go abroad during his final days. He knew he was not going to live long, so he went to London because he didn’t want his fans to see him as a dead man. He didn’t want people to see him without his signature style, his jacket and hat. Even when Raj Kumar passed away, no one was informed. People came to know about his demise only after he was cremated,” shared producer Ashoke Pandit, who had created uproar on social media after videos of Rishi Kapoor’s alleged last moments from his death bed in the hospital were leaked online.

‘Lata ji was a Bharat Ratna, such videos of her are disgusting and appalling’

Vinod Khanna, Bollywood’s most handsome hero, was clicked looking pale and frail in hospital scrubs weeks before his demise. This tasteless picture of the celebrated actor with his family members had gone viral on the internet and was apparently leaked by one of his visiting friends. “It was in very bad taste. Social media is being badly misused with these pictures and videos leaking from the hospital. I think hospitals where celebrities are admitted, need to have a very strict protocol so that such things don’t happen in the public domain. This is like encroaching on a celebrity’s privacy,” lamented producer Mukesh Bhatt, who once used to be Vinod Khanna’s secretary.
Reacting strongly to Lata Mangeshkar’s videos, he added, “Stern action must be taken against the person who has shot the video. She is a Bharat Ratna and she should be respected the way the Prime Minister had attended her funeral. Bollywood should come in strong condemnation against those people who have shared this video on social media. The video should be removed and a precedent has to be set by taking action against the person who has done this so that these things don’t happen again. This is a very serious offence. They are public figures and not private individuals. We have to respect their public stature. They carry the reputation of their nation and you cannot share this on social media. It is very degrading. It is disgusting and appalling. What is the government doing? The cyber-crime department should pull the video down! Lata ji is a national treasure and she carries the reputation of the country.”

‘Sushant’s family was hurt when his videos were leaked, but then they felt nothing much could be done’

Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise in June 2020 was closely covered from every angle. Shocking videos and pictures from the late actor’s bedroom were widely shared online. “That was not fair at all and the family was upset. But the family felt that nothing much could be done. Both the sisters were facing cases, so it became very messy for them,” stated lawyer Vikas Singh, who represented the actor’s family in a high profile court case.

When asked what legal recourse is available, the senior advocate opined, “There are a few provisions in law for this. If something personal has been taken from your mobile or laptop then it can be fought under the IP Act. But if your privacy is invaded when pictures and videos are taken then obviously the IT Act will not apply but you will have to go to a general law of court. You can seek an injunction, restraining a person from circulating your private content. In my opinion, the real recourse will come in when the government will bring in a law to protect privacy. The Supreme Court has now said that privacy is a fundamental right, but then there should be some mechanism to protect that right. And parliament should bring in an elaborate law on this subject.”

Vikas Singh also narrated the incident of another celebrity client from Bollywood, whom he did not wish to name. He said, “He wanted me to take up a matter where a completely unknown magazine had published derogatory content about him. I told him if he wants to make the magazine popular only then he should file a case against them. Otherwise no one is going to read that magazine. So invasion of privacy is a very difficult choice to make and as a lawyer, it is important we give the right advice in such matters. In this case, this advice was against my profession, I was not going to get any money, but that was the correct way to go forward.”

We at ETimes chose not to support the mischief makers and share the death bed video of Rishi Kapoor or even the alleged ‘final moments’ clip of Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar from the hospital.

And we also urge our readers, next time you share a video online or forward one on WhatsApp, think twice before hitting that send button. You have no right to steal a celebrity’s or another person’s right to a dignified end.

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