Being a celebrity, in the social media age today, is increasingly becoming tough. Something rarely misses being noticed and scrutinized by the netizens. Arbaaz Khan, who has grown up in the limelight being scriptwriter Salim Khan’s son, gets it.

The actor states, “Social media ki wajah se bahut zyaada ho gaya hai. Chhoti si galti agar ho gayi... face pe camera leke aa jaayenge log. If you move that camera and someone’s phone falls down, you will lose out on endorsements or people stop casting you. The loss for our actions is far more. Today, there is a punishment for everything. God forbid if you lose your cool, that is unforgivable. People judge celebs with a different lens.”

The 55-year-old, who recently turned host for a chat show, adds invasion of privacy is also too common for public figures now. “Sometime such cons are of little concern. What a lot of us say or do is judged very differently. Small things like holding a glass in hand, getting into an argument — these are normal things. We are expected to have an immaculate image and behaviour, to the extent that our opinion too has to be measured. You cannot have an outburst. Uska bada pressure rehta hai,” Khan confesses.

And this is why celebs are guarded when it comes to expressing their views on anything. If they speak, or they don’t, in both instances it can backfire, he feels. Explaining, he says, “If celebs hold an opinion, they are judged, boycotts and bans follow. And if you don’t, your silence is questioned, ki itni badi cheez ho gayi comment nahi aa raha. It’s a double-edged sword. Karo toh phas jaao. But overall, there are only pros to being famous, many doors open and many opportunities come. A lot of power is invested in you. Kisi bhi cheez ke saath negativity toh aayegi. You have to manage, it’s a package.”