Actress Aishwarya Lekshmi has said she is so much more at peace since stepping away from social media, while acknowledging that the reasons that drove her off the platforms still exist. On the other hand, producer Soundarya Rajinikanth defended the platforms as a necessary professional tool that crosses a line when criticism turns personal.

Aishwarya, who deactivated her social media accounts earlier this year, said the decision has given her a sense of calm she did not have before. “It’s falling in place. I’m happy with my life as it is right now. So much more at peace than I was while I was on social media,” she said in a conversation with Puja Talwar. She added, “I do see that the things that were the reason I made the decision to get out of social media still prevail in certain quantities. But at least I’m not there always watching it and getting affected by things like that. I’m generally in a better place in life.”

Soundarya Rajinikanth, who sat along Aishwarya Lekshmi and Arjun Das during the promotional interaction for their Netlfix series #Love, offered a producer’s perspective on the same issue. “I think you can’t deny the fact that social media does play a part. But where it crosses the line is when professional stops and personal attacks or comments start,” Soundarya Rajinikanth said, adding, “Even for us as producers, we do look into Instagram forecasting. We do want to know the comments. We do want to know how a trailer is received. That’s not something I’m going to deny.”

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

She then drew a distinction between the experience of people behind the camera and those in front of it. “It’s different for our artistes because they’re in front of the camera. It’s different for makers, storytellers because we’re behind the camera. Maybe we don’t get targeted as insensitively as they do. It is difficult for them, so I understand why Aishwarya took the step that she did.”

Soundarya Rajinikanth said social media could work for the industry if the culture around it improved. “If people have a little bit more sensitivity when they come on social media, it’ll make everything pleasant. We do need social media today. But I still feel it can be a lot cleaner than what it is,” she said.

Aishwarya Lekshmi was careful not to dismiss social media entirely. She acknowledged the power the platforms have given to independent creators and cited the example of Hashir, the Kerala-based Instagram influencer and content creator whose popularity on the platform led to him being cast as the lead in Vaazha 2, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films in history.

Story continues below this ad

“The power’s also with them (content creators) now. Earlier, you could say the industry didn’t choose you. But now you also have a way to showcase your talent or build yourself up in a way that you cannot be ignored. In Kerala, one of the highest-grossing films recently was Vaazha 2, which was led by one of the most popular Instagram influencers, Hashir. Wonderful actor. People love him,” Aishwarya said.

But for Aishwarya Lekshmi, the professional benefits of being on social media were no longer worth the personal cost of what it was doing to her mental health. “I do see that side. But personally, I was done.”