Charrul Malik, a former news anchor-turned-actor, is not one to talk about her personal life in front of the media. She feels that once a public figure starts to shield it from them it stays that way.
“Personal and professional are two different words and should not be mixed. I firmly adhere to the principle in my life that personal is personal, and professional is professional. I believe it’s a straightforward concept. As an actor, I don’t find it challenging to shield my personal life from the media. It depends on us and what we choose to reveal. Today’s media connected to Bollywood and TV are not very investigative, except for the paparazzi, and we all know they primarily follow those who are extensively popular. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s difficult to protect one’s personal life. It’s in your hands—how you shape it, deal with it, and handle it,” she said.
“I keep my personal life very private. I believe it eventually stays protected if you don’t share too much. It’s completely in your hands. Secondly, when you’re working on set with your co-actors and the team, you should only discuss what you want. Keep your personal life to yourself and keep it protected,” she added.
Charrul also emphasised that it has become a trend for some to share every aspect of their life. She believes that it does give them publicity but at the cost of their privacy.
“On social media, work-related content used to be predominant, and not everyone was as active. However, the landscape has changed, and now everyone is on social media, eager to share every aspect of their lives. It seems like we are willingly removing the layers of privacy. For instance, today I might feel like posting about myself, and tomorrow I might share family updates if it garners attention. On YouTube, people have a keen interest in the personal lives of actors. And celebrities seem to be adapting to the trend, going with the flow, and catering to an audience that craves glimpses of their personal side,” she said, adding that it becomes more important once they start trending.
“The influence of social media is evident, as everyone strives to trend, sometimes forgetting the distinction between what’s considered good or bad. The desire to trend leads people to go to any extent. While some actors are strategic and cautious, thinking before sharing anything, others are more protective of their personal lives and families. However, a significant portion of the crowd seems eager to publicize every detail. It appears to be a trend that many are blindly following,” she added.
She also spoke about how new parents these days reveal their baby’s face soon after the birth. She feels this is one side of the money-driven platform that social media is.
“In the past, social media didn’t exist, but now they’re prevalent and commercialised and everyone is aware of it. Consequently, people have become more commercially oriented. They reveal their baby’s faces for likes and seek attention for their accounts. The consideration of whether or not to share such personal aspects seems to be overlooked. In my opinion, the quest for attention has led people to post their baby’s faces and openly discuss them,” she said.
“Now, YouTube is also part of this trend. It has become a money-centric game for many, including celebrities. They strategically plan and become the talk of the town, consistently making headlines in newspapers, magazines, and gaining attention on social media. Undoubtedly, it’s all part of the money game. On the other hand, there are individuals who remain unaware of the commercialization of social media,” she added.
So where do you draw the line? “For me, I choose not to discuss my personal life. I am the one who can decide where to draw the line, and I believe I have delineated it finely by deciding to discuss only up to a certain extent. I prefer to keep my family away from public attention. I have no intention to unnecessarily highlight my family. This inclination has been intrinsic to me since day one, and I remain protective of my family, choosing not to disclose any details. My intention is simple – personal life is personal, and professional life is professional. These words themselves carry a clear and distinct meaning,” Charrul ended.
