Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; May 29, 2018)

From starting her career as a part of the allgirls pop band Viva to singing some of the most popular Bollywood numbers of our times, singer Neha Bhasin has come a long way. In a recent interaction with us, she talks about the importance of social media for artistes today and trolls. Excerpts...

How do you look back at your Bollywood journey? And as someone who started her career with a band, what are your thoughts on the struggles faced by bands in India?
It has been 16 long years and I have seen many ups and downs. Over the years, I have learnt not to take everything too seriously. I just try to be excellent at what I do and so, I want to work with everyone and do well in Bollywood. At the same time, I am trying to do my bit for non-filmi music too. Talking about bands in India, the sad reality is that there are limitations. Yahan pe bands ka era toh kabhi tha hi nahi.

For artistes today, how important is it to connect with fans on social media?
I don’t know whether it is important but I do it because I enjoy the interactions. Besides, there were several wrong perceptions about me in people’s minds and I have successfully managed to change those by being myself on social media. While being on social media too much can be a distraction, it’s also a great way to communicate with fans.

Celebrities are easy targets for trolls these days. How do you deal with them?
I think there are two ways of looking at it. A lot of people come and advise you, “Aap toh successful ho, you should just ignore these people.” While many people choose not to respond, I feel that there has to be a limit. Just because the medium offers you the advantage of anonymity, does that mean that aap kisi ko kuch bhi bologe? How can bullying someone online, or writing demeaning things about them, be acceptable to anyone? Sometimes, it’s important to report these trolls and give it back to them. Bekaar log hain yeh, once you hit back and report them, they will be scared to do it in the future.