Actor Girija Oak, best known for her role in the 2010 film Shor in the City, has been enjoying some renewed attention on social media after a clip from one of her recent conversations went viral. Netizens have since been calling her "India's new national crush" and so forth. Earlier tonight, the actor put out a video message on Instagram to express her gratitude to fans and followers. The actor called the renewed attention on her "absolute madness" and "crazy and great in equal parts". Girija said that she has been attempting to "figure out how to process" the fact that she is trending online. The actor disclosed that people have been showing an "overwhelming" level of love for her since the clip went viral. However, she also spoke about the flipside of social media, especially when a public figure becomes the centre of attention all of a sudden. "My loved ones and people I know have sent me several posts and memes, and some of them are ridiculously funny and very creative. However, some of them are also AI-morphed images of me, which are not in great taste. They are sexualised and objectified. Beyond comfort, and this bothers me."
While admitting that she is aware of this aspect of social media working like a double-edged-sword, Girija Oak expressed her concern at the non-regulation of the platform. "We all know how this game is played. But what is bothering me is that this game has no rules, and that there is absolutely nothing that is not allowed in this game," she said.
The actor went on to add that while her son is a teenager now, he would soon grow up and discover the morphed images because once something is on the internet, it would remain there forever. "He will know that these are not real, that they are created with AI, just like people who are watching these images right now." Girija Oak added that people access the images, despite knowing that they are fake, because it gives them "some sort of cheap thrill and titilation". At the end of the video, the actor acknowledged that she cannot do a lot about the situation, although she also made a request to the public to stop circulating the aforesaid images. She ended the long video once again on a positive note. "If this renewed attention translates into more people watching my films and series, what else could I ask for?"
