Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar met through work, experienced initial hurdles in their relationship, but eventually tied the knot in 2022. Like most public figures, the couple also had to go through their share of trolling. Shibani said that she had to deal with tags like ‘gold digger’ when she started dating the actor-filmmaker. She also recalled that people would say, “Who was she before her marriage with Farhan Akhtar?”
In a recent conversation with Rhea Chakraborty on her podcast, Chapter 2, Shibani Dandekar revealed how she handles trolls. She said, “I think social media comments should only strike a chord with you if there is any kind of truth to it that you believe, and that impacts you somehow. If there is no basis for that comment, or whatever that people are saying, how can something that is so untrue can affect you?”
Recalling what she experienced herself, Shibani continued, “On a daily basis, when I started my relationship with Farhan, people used to say these two things to me– ‘love jihad and gold digger’. What am I supposed to do with that? I am not going to cry myself to bed because people are saying these things. I am not a gold digger, and the truth of the matter is that he does come from a Muslim home, and I do come from a Hindu home, and we got married, and we are very happy with our marriage. That’s the reality of our situation. So, people can say whatever they want about us, it is what it is.”
“I get comments like, ‘Who is she?’, ‘Who was she before marrying Farhan Akhtar?’ and I am going to sit and read that comment, and think ‘S**t, have I done anything with my life, was I anybody before I married him?’ or do I know I lived a whole 39 years before I met him. Am I going to believe some random person or am I going to believe my own journey? There is also a difference between what is true and what someone is saying to get at you, to cut you off the knees, to feel like you don’t matter, to put you in a position where you feel weak. To be able to understand and decipher that is very important,” added Shibani.
She further said, “I can get on my phone right now and I can make 15 nasty comments on random pages for random people for no reason other than I want to. It’s not up to us to figure out why these people are doing what they are doing because we will never get that. It is up to us to know how to handle ourselves.”
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After four years of dating, Shibani — a singer, model and TV host — tied the knot with Farhan February 19, 2022. The couple exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony at Farhan’s Khandala farmhouse, with just close family and friends in attendance. This was followed by a reception in his Bandra home on February 21. Farhan was previously married to Adhuna Bhabnani, with whom he has two daughters.
In an earlier interview with indianexpress.com, talking about trolling, Farhan Akhtar said, “There was a time it was tough and mattered, but now it doesn’t. I’m not on social media to seek validation, I’m there to share the joy of what I love doing and the various aspects of my work. If that can bring a smile to someone’s face, that’s enough.” In the same interview, Shibani shared her views and said, “Absolutely, it can be tough, but we choose to rise above it. We believe in the power of kindness and try to block out the negativity. We also make use of privacy settings and report any extreme cases of harassment. Our focus remains on our work and our genuine connections with our audience, who have been incredibly supportive. In the end, love and positivity always outweigh the hate.”
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