Preity Zinta shares 2 harassment incidents that 'left her shaken'; Bollywood colleagues offer support
Chandigarh, April 9
Actor Preity Zinta was recently captured by the photographers as she got in her car while a man in a wheelchair kept following her even as her car started moving. After the video of the incident went viral and several people criticised Zinta for the behaviour, the actor has lashed out at the photographers present on the scene who laughed at the incident.
Two events this week have left me a bit shaken pic.twitter.com/fbq6jr9gyV
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) April 8, 2023
View this post on Instagram
“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,” she wrote.
“My being a celebrity would have been questioned. Bollywood would have been blamed & a lot of negativity would have spread. I think it’s high time people realise that 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,” she added.
Preity clarified that she had a plane to catch and did not have any cash on her. She stated,
“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. As u can see he followed us for some time & got more aggressive.”
Preity also spoke about another incident where a stranger walked up to her daughter and wanted to take her photo. The actor said, “When we politely asked her not to she walked away, then 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.”
“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. Most importantly my children are NOT part of a package deal & are not meant to be preyed on so please Leave my kids alone & don’t come to them for photos or touch/grab them. They are infants & need to be treated like infants, not celebrities,” continued Preity.
“I sincerely hope that 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,” she concluded.
Preity, who recently travelled to India, stays with her husband Gene Goodenough and their children–Gia and Jai, in Los Angeles.
Bollywood celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan, Arjun Rampal, and Malaika Arora among many others extended their support to the actor.
Reacting to the post, Hrithik Roshan commented, “(Red heart emoji) Well done Pree.”
Arjun Rampal said, “Next time give me a call will sort them out (red heart emoji).”
Malaika Arora wrote, “You said it out loud and clear (person raising both hands in celebration emoji).”
Priyanka Chopra posted a person raising both hands in celebration, face with open mouth, and clapping hands emojis. Lilly Singh’s comment read, “Good on you for standing up for yourself. I know that can be hard. But it’s important and true.”
