South Indian actress Aishwarya Lekshmi didn’t take long to win audiences over with her brilliant acting. Even so, like other stars, she has faced trolling over trivial matters. Some time ago, Aishwarya Lekshmi took part in a jewellery exhibition. She never imagined, however, that netizens would start trolling her over the outfit she wore at that event. The actress could not easily accept this behaviour from people online, prompting her to question Indian culture.
According to reports from several Indian news outlets, including Aajkaal and The Indian Express, Aishwarya Lekshmi does not believe ordinary viewers should get to decide where celebrities go, what they wear, what they eat, or who they associate with.
In her words, trolling public figures over matters unrelated to their work reflects a mean-spirited mindset. Those who do this, she said, fail to understand that artists have a separate life beyond the screen. The actress has requested an end to trolling over such ordinary matters.
In a recent interview, bringing up her appearance at the jewellery exhibition, Aishwarya said it wasn’t the outfit that made her uncomfortable at the event — rather, the behaviour of some photographers present embarrassed her. In her words, the camera’s focus was on her body rather than her face, which violated her personal boundaries. She lamented that while netizens noticed her discomfort, they failed to understand the real reason behind it.
Responding to the trolling, the actress asked directly: “Is culture limited only to a woman’s body or the length of her clothing?”
In her view, modesty isn’t confined to clothing alone — it is expressed through behaviour too. She added that it is worth pondering why such lengthy discussions happen over women’s clothing while important issues like the country’s GDP or the abandonment of elderly parents go ignored.
After Aishwarya Lekshmi’s comments came to light, fresh debate has emerged in the entertainment world over society’s double standards on women’s clothing and morality. Many have expressed support for the actress’s bold stance.
Beyond the jewellery exhibition incident, Aishwarya Lekshmi has also spoken about the impact of trolling on her acting career. In her words, after the success of “Kurup,” her film “King of Kotha” was released following a two-year gap. It failed both critically and commercially. Beyond the film itself flopping, its cast, particularly lead actor Dulquer Salmaan and herself, faced trolling. That trolling had one effect: her work opportunities in Malayalam cinema declined.
She said that after that incident, filmmakers grew hesitant about casting her, and the scale of trolling grew so intense that her confidence about working with Dulquer again also dropped. As a result, she later turned down an offer to appear in an advertisement with Dulquer Salmaan.
There was concern that if people started trolling or mocking their pairing again, it could harm the brand involved. Aishwarya Lekshmi believes any criticism should be backed by sound reasoning.