Composer-singer Amaal Mallik recently announced that he was unfollowing all fan clubs on social media. A decision, he says, that will help fans focus on their lives.

“I want my fans to pay attention to their studies. It’s only when I stop replying to messages or stories and leave Insta, that they go back to their normal lives. I have requested all of them to work on their career and health than just waiting all day on social media for me to arrive,” Mallik says. His Instagram post had read: ‘I’m going to be unfollowing all my fan clubs here so no one goes crazy thinking ‘DM kab accept hoga, follow kab karenge’.

The musician says he had to take affirmative action to address the issue of depression amid his fans, many of whom were upset if he did not follow them. “I love them and I fear them too, because they will literally wage a war if any ill is spoken about me on the internet. I realised that instead of focusing on their careers, the minute I post a story, even at 3 am, people immediately reply to it. I can’t reply to all, I’m only human. It leads to days of depression for young kids,” says the 30-year-old.

Mallik, who recently lost his grandmother, admits his approach to social media has changed with time. “I used to reply to almost everything spoken against me, with a lot of angst, because I used to feel terrible that people think I’ve had it easy...(Now I know) not everything deserves a reply and everything doesn’t need to be told to idiots. But, if my fans are worried about something, I try to clear the air,” he says.

Instances of his fan clubs sparring with one another or other fandoms also upset Mallik, who wants people to spread love on social media. His message to fans is simple: “I request every human being to be kind to each person you interact with, never let anyone leave unhappy. I’ve learnt this lesson the hard way, after losing my near and dear ones. We all have to chill a little; we aren’t here forever are we?”