Swara on social media negativity: Our public discourse is disgusting

Swara Bhasker

Swara Bhasker's new web series, Flesh, has been receiving a lot of appreciation from across quarters. But did you know that it was quite a challenge for the actress to shoot for the show, considering it's her first action project? In this exclusive chat with mid-day.com, Swara talks about Flesh, dealing with social media negativity, and how Bollywood has become a soft target these days.

Starting off with the coronavirus lockdown, Swara Bhasker shares that the long break wasn't actually that bad for her. She says, "The lockdown has been going excellently for me, and I know it's a kind of odd thing to say because these are tough times. But I've been privileged enough that it has been a good lockdown. For the first 50 days I was in Mumbai, and I adopted a rescue pup so I spent all those days getting to know him and bonding with him."

She added, "Later, however, my mom hurt herself and so I got the required permissions and drove from Mumbai to Delhi with my five pets, and I've been in Delhi with my parents ever since, which has been beautiful. I did some work with NGOs who were working with migrants, dubbed for two of my shows, including Flesh, wrote a chapter for a book, and had two releases in the lockdown - Rasbhari and Flesh. So I've had a productive year."

Also read: Swara Bhasker: With Flesh I Got The Opportunity To Experiment With Something New For The First Time

Talking about Flesh and what made her take up the project, Swara says, "The issue highlighted in the show, human trafficking, is very important. It's something we've not seen enough of on the screen, apart from maybe Mardaani and Love Sonia. I don't think it has been dealt with in a concerted manner by Bollywood. I thought it was important for the story to be told. And I'd never played a cop before, so it was a great opportunity for me."

Does she relate with her character Radha's stance of killing sex traffickers? Pat comes her reply, "It's not my job to relate with my character. It's my job to find the emotional motivation behind her actions and play that part. If you ask me, personally, what my opinion is about encounters, quick-fixes and instant justice, then I don't agree with it. I think that there's a reason why we have the judiciary and the law. I think the basis for any democratic and civilised society is that even criminals deserve a fair trial."

Talking about censorship on OTT, Swara is quite clear that it's unwarranted. "I don't support it. The reason why OTT is a special and fun place is precisely because there's no censorship. I don't think a show like Flesh can be made in its raw grittiness (if it was censored). I do believe in regulation and certification. I think the audience should also self-regulate, and parents should regulate what their children are watching."

Also read: Swara Bhasker: Film Industry Is Being Made Out As Villainous Place With Heartless People

Coming to social media, the growing negativity on it, and people taking a break from it as a result, Swara has this to say: "I think our public discourse is the pits, it's disgusting. I don't think anyone can remain sane if they subject themselves to that kind of content regularly. As a society, we're incapable of listening to each other, we're only accusing each other. It's a mess." About how she deals with the negativity herself, Swara says, "I just don't tune into it. I don't need that kind of rubbish in my life. Whatever's happening on Twitter is not a reflection of who I am or the work I'm doing."

In conclusion, Swara Bhasker has this message to give to the audience: "I would urge people to watch Flesh, it's the first time I've done action! Watch it and judge me for it. Also, I would urge people to not fall for every salacious rumour that they hear, to not fall for every toxic and perverse fantasy that is cooked up about Bollywood. Actors are also human beings, we're just doing our job. And I say this at a time when Bollywood is being vilified ceaselessly. Just try to apply the same logic that you apply to your daily life when you hear things about Bollywood as well."

Watch the interview with Swara Bhasker below:

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