Pooja Hegde admits she was a victim of targeted trolling: ‘If you’d like to stop it, this is the amount’

Actress Pooja Hegde was surprised to learn that individuals are being compensated to harass her on social media. In a recent interview, Pooja mentioned that it is strange how PR strategies are frequently used to attack and undermine actors, emphasizing the dark aspects of the entertainment industry.

In a discussion with Filmfare, Pooja spoke about adverse PR tactics and focused harassment.

Pooja said, “Many times, and to me, it was a shock. The one thing I’m really bad at is PR. I remember there was a time when I was constantly getting trolled by meme pages, and I was like, why are they constantly talking negatively about me? It looked targeted. People are spending a lot of money on pulling down other people. When I found out about it, my parents and I were very bothered. But I also took it as a compliment because if someone feels the need to pull you down, it means you are above them. I kept reassuring my parents that it was okay. But after a point, it became too much. I found out that people were spending lakhs just to troll me”.

Pooja also disclosed that upon instructing her team to investigate the source of the negativity by contacting popular meme pages, she was appalled to discover that the trolling was, in fact, a monetised endeavour, with individuals being paid to spread malicious content.

She added, “I told my team to connect with the meme pages and ask them what the problem was. And they said, ‘This is how much they are paying us. If you’d like to stop it or troll them back, this is the amount.’ To me, it was just bizarre. People believe such things but don’t know why I’m being trolled or what the reason behind it is. Sometimes, I see a horrendous comment, go to the profile, and find that there’s no display picture or any posts. These are just paid bots.”

Pooja was last spotted on the big screen in Deva alongside Shahid Kapoor. The movie received a tepid reaction from reviewers and did poorly at the box office, lacking a lasting influence on viewers. Next, she will appear alongside Varun Dhawan in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. It is referred to as a “commercial entertainer.”