Arjun Kapoor: People get pleasure out of hiding behind a keyboard and trolling others

Actor Arjun Kapoor feels that it’s difficult to stop trolls in today’s times when social media has become so big.

Being famous comes with its own set of disadvantages and actors face the brunt of it all the time. Right from being criticised for their films, their relationships, to even their weight, celebs don’t have it easy, and trolling takes it only a step further.

Actor Arjun Kapoor, however doesn’t take any of this laying down. He says, “First of all, social media has no bearing of male or female. It acts as a kick for people, who get pleasure out of hiding behind a keyboard. There is no binary in the trolling happening — males troll females and vice versa. I find it appalling, but that is society.”

The 32-year-old adds, “It is shameful, but the reality is that trolling exists. You will never be able to stop it, unfortunately, because that is the power of social media. You can say what you want to and get away with it. This can’t be called violation, as it’s everyone’s freedom of speech.”

Women are the primary targets for such trolls, who post nasty comments about almost everything — be it their dressing style or personal life. Arjun’s Mubarakan co-star Ileana D’Cruz had recently said that she often gets trolled for dating an Australian guy, Andrew Kneebone, and has been subjected to “harsh and racist” comments.

“This is what happens with women traditionally in our society — females who are bold and make their own choices are looked upon differently. A majority of people don’t agree with it, but if a man does the same, the society is more accepting,” says Arjun.

The actor elaborates that besides social media platforms, shaming as a phenomenon is prevalent even in the offline world. “Trolling as a word is misconstrued. You might not get trolled [explicitly], but you will get a sense of it when you walk in the room and people look at you differently. That is also trolling, when you are isolated in crowds, and made to feel and treated different, which you are not.”