Archana Puran Singh on being body shamed: My trolls are the most vella and useless people on this planet

Actor Archana Puran Singh, 60, refused to be silenced when a troll on Instagram attempted to ridicule her appearance recently. On Monday, Archana shared a photograph of herself with her husband, actor-director Parmeet Sethi, during their trip to Switzerland. While most of the comments poured in with love and positivity, one particular comment stood out, targeting Archana’s appearance. The now-deleted comment read, “Woman kam, man zyada lag rahi ho. Kapil sahi kehta hai bohot time laga aapko roop parivartan karne mein.”

Refusing to let such negativity go unaswered, Archana responsed to the troll, “Kitni ghatiya soch rakhti ho tum itni kam umar mein…”

Asked what triggered her to react the way she did, Singh tells us, “Being a woman, if you are going to disrespect other women, shame them for their body, height, appearance, or weight, especially when somebody is elder to you, then how can you expect men to respect you? That is what I was trying to convey.”

While saying usually avoids engaging with trolls, she explains why she felt it was necessary to respond in this instance. “Sometimes, a reply from a celebrity helps to reinforce good social media engagement. If more celebrities come out and voice their actual opinion, then maybe it can bring about a change. Maybe a lot of people will read my reply and understand the point I am trying to make,” she stresses.

That being said, the 60-year-old is quick to add that this one a one-off case when she reacted to something like that and otherwise these haters should not be taken seriously.

“My trolls are the most vella (idle), useless people on this planet. The reason these trolls comment is to get attention and mileage from celebrities, that’s why I avoid replying to any,” she adds, while acknowledging that she doesn’t expect people on social media to like her. “But at least do not comment on somebody saying that ‘you look like a man’. First of all, what is the problem in anything like that? And then saying this to degrade somebody is appalling. I have moved on after my reply, but I am sure that girl got her two minutes of fame.”

Given that Singh often gets to hear such comments from actor-comedian Kapil Sharma on his comedy show, where she is the special guest, does people take leverage of that and feel it’s okay to make a remark like that?

Singh defends the show and says, “Comedy is meant to be irreverent and it has to underline certain things for the purpose of humour. It is not meant to hurt anybody. We are openly disclosing on The Kapil Sharma Show that it is a comedy platform and nothing over here has to be taken seriously.”

Emphasising on the importance of humour and satire in the entertainment industry, Singh goes on to praise Kapil’s wit and light-heartedness. ”His tone also gives a little lightness to the joke and he has a high spirit. When Kapil says it, it is full of humour, love, and naughtiness. He knows he is taking a panga; woh sorry bhi bolta hai when I jokingly say, ‘Main aakar maarungi’. It is so wholesome. Don’t look at a comedy show and think that he is giving a social message,” she concludes.