Ever since her diagnosis in April last year, Chhavi Mittal has been vocal about her battle with breast cancer. The actor has often taken to social media to update her followers about her journey, the highs and lows that came with it, undergoing surgery and finally being cancer-free. But recently, she took to Instagram to express her shock and disappointment at the insensitivity that certain users displayed in the comment section of one of her posts, where she can be seen in a bikini at the beach.

One particular comment that irked her stated: Brest cancer mein breast kaatne nhi padte (sic)”. Mittal tells us, “I like to go through the comments that come on my posts. And this one caught my attention because it had a lot of engagement. The comment was very uncalled for. While putting the curiosity to rest, I wanted to address that this is not the way you talk.”

While she understands the “curiosity around breast cancer and surgery”, the 42-year-old says it’s the insensitivity that hurts her. “They don’t know about it, so I understand the curiosity [but not the insensitivity]. I, too, didn’t know much before I experienced it myself. So, I’m wise enough to understand. But sometimes, you avoid asking questions from a survivor. This person obviously didn’t,” she says.

Subjecting celebrities to such comments and treating them like “commodities” is extremely unfair, Mittal asserts, adding, “What really ticked me off was the comment that said celebrities are used to such comments. That was very harsh. It was literally saying that celebs are commodities so we have every right to talk about them.”

The actor adds that she is aware that a lot of this public scrutiny comes with her profession: “I don’t mind that because you are in the public eye and it’s okay to be spoken about. But when somebody has gone through an ailment like this… There is a lot that I have gone through and a lot that I have shared, but there’s also a lot that I haven’t shared. A little bit of sensitivity goes a long way.”

This entire discourse, she feels, is misdirected because instead of focusing on the disease, people are discussing the body part in question. “If I had lung cancer, nobody would ask me, ‘How are you breathing?’ So, why such questions?” Mittal ends.