Preity Zinta claims being harassed in Mumbai: I'm a human being first, then a mom & then a celebrity
Mumbai (PTI): Actor-entrepreneur Preity Zinta has opened up about allegedly facing harassment on two separate occasions during her recent visit to the city, saying the incidents have left her a "bit shaken".
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Zinta wrote that a woman tried to take a photograph with her toddler Gia, but when the actor "politely" refused, the lady "suddenly scooped my daughter in her arms & planted a big wet kiss next to her mouth & ran off saying what a cute baby."
"This woman lives in an elite building & happened to be in the garden where my kids were playing. If I wasn't a celebrity I probably would have reacted badly but kept my cool as I didn't want to make a scene," the actor, who shares twins Gia and Jai with husband Gene Goodenough, said.
Detailing the second incident, the co-owner of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab said she was rushing to the airport when a disabled man started getting "aggressive" as she couldn't offer him money due to lack of cash at the time.
"I had a plane to catch & this disabled man kept trying to stop me.Over the years he has harassed me for money & I have given it to him when I could.This time when he asked for money I said sorry today I have no cash, just a credit card.
"The lady with me gave him some money from her purse. He threw it back at her cuz it wasn't enough & started getting aggressive," she wrote alongside a video of the disabled man following her car.
The 48-year-old actor, based out of Los Angeles, is currently in India to attend the ongoing IPL 2023 tournament.
Zinta, known for starring in movies such as "Dil Se..", "Soldier", "Kal Ho Naa Ho", "Koi... Mil Gaya", "Veer-Zaara" and "Lakshya", said it's high time people realised that celebrities are "human beings" first.
"I'm a human being first, then a mom & then a celebrity. I also don't need to apologise for my success constantly & be bullied for it cuz I've worked very hard to get where I am.
"I have an equal right like anyone else in this country to live the way I want so please think before you judge & please stop blaming celebrities for everything. There are always 2 sides to a story," she wrote, adding that her children are "not part of a package deal & are not meant to be preyed on."
"They are infants & need to be treated like infants, not celebrities."
Zinta also called out the paparazzi for laughing over the situation instead of helping her.
"The photographers found this incident funny. Instead of helping us they filmed & laughed. NO ONE told him not to follow the car or harass us as anyone could have gotten hurt. Had there been an accident, I would have been blamed. My being a celebrity would have been questioned. Bollywood would have been blamed & a lot of negativity would have spread."
She hopes the photographers that "ask us for photos, videos & sound bytes also have the grace, humanity & maturity to act & help in the future instead of filming & laughing cuz most of the time it's not funny."
Zinta found support in her film industry colleagues. While Hrithik Roshan lauded her for voicing her concerns, Arjun Rampal asked her to give him a "call" whenever she is in any difficult situation in future.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Malaika Arora and Lilly Singh also praised the actor for taking a stand.
Two events this week have left me a bit shaken pic.twitter.com/fbq6jr9gyV
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) April 8, 2023
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
