Saqib Saleem asks trolls to show up in real world: ‘If you have the courage, abuse me to my face’
Saqib Saleem says people have wrongly interpreted the freedom of expression which doesn’t allow a person to abuse someone but enables a person to share his/her point of view.
Saqib Saleem has been quite active on screen with multiple online releases, including his recent show Crackdown and his upcoming film Comedy Couple. The actor has, however, chosen to not invest much time in social media and had even quit Twitter over abusive trolls in July. He has now opened up about the same and said that if any haters have any grudges with him, they should instead meet him in person so the two can have a real talk.
Saqib is active on Instagram. On being asked if it felt better to keep away from negativity on social media, the actor told Hindustan Times in an interview, “If I could, I would quit all social media platforms because it’s full of filth.”
Watch: Actor Saqib Saleem asks trolls to abuse him on face, not online
“When these networking platforms came into existence, they were made to connect people, their ideologies. I just watched the film, Social Dilemma, which talks about how when Facebook was launched, people found organ donors and it united long lost friends. Look what has become of it now,” he added.
Elaborating on the issue of online trolling, the actor said, “When you are behind a computer screen and your real identity is not there, all you do is abuse people. I am from Delhi and I want to say to all these people, ‘If you have the courage, abuse me to my face.’ These are the same people who will be the first ones to run to meet celebrities if they spot them. I feel we interpret freedom of expression in a very wrong manner. Freedom of expression doesn’t mean I can abuse people, it means I can share my point of view. You are allowed to share your point of view, I am open to any sort of criticism but don’t abuse my mother, sister. What kind of criticism is this?”
In a direct message to trolls, he said, “You are not even real, you have hidden your identity behind a computer screen. The day you find courage, come and abuse on my face.” The actor believes that trolls are anyway fake accounts and says, ‘If you are real, come in the real world.”
Saqib had posted a note on Twitter as his last post in which he said that he doesn’t need that kind of vibe in his life. He firmly believes in having a conversation and sorting out an issue and said, “I was sitting one day and read a few messages and I replied that ‘okay, let’s meet up and we can talk. I will sort it out for you. Whatever grouses you have, tell me.’ Anything can be sorted if you actually want to sort it out. But if are already so full of angst and hate, how will you change then!”
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