Preity Zinta on Saturday took to Instagram to talk about two incidents where she and her daughter Gia were harassed.
The Lakshya (2004) actor wrote a long post on the social media platform and shared how her daughter Gia was “scooped” by a woman who lives in an “elite building”, and she planted a “big wet kiss next to her mouth”. The woman then ran off, saying, “What a cute baby.” In another incident, Preity spoke about how a disabled man has harassed her for money over the years. She also shared a video of the man following her car. The actor also blamed the photographers and paparazzi for not helping her and instead laughing and shooting the video. “Had there been an accident, I would have been blamed. My being a celebrity would have been questioned. Bollywood would have been blamed & a lot of negativity would have spread.”
“I think it’s high time people realise that I’m a human being first, then a mom & then a celebrity. I also don’t need to apologise for my success constantly & be bullied for it cuz I’ve worked very hard to get where I am,” she added.
The Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001) actor also said that her kids should be treated like infants and not celebrities. “Most importantly, my children are NOT part of a package deal & are not meant to be preyed on, so please leave my kids alone & don’t come to them for photos or touch/grab them. They are infants & need to be treated like infants, not celebrities,” she said.
Reacting to her post, Hrithik Roshan commented, "(Red heart emoticon) Well done Pree," while Arjun Rampal wrote, "Next time give me a call will sort them out," followed by a red heart emoticon." Malaika Arora wrote, "You said it out loud and clear," while Lilly Singh wrote, "Good on you for standing up for yourself. I know that can be hard. But it's important and true." Priyanka Chopra also cheered for Preity for sharing the incident.
Preity got married to Gene Goodenough in 2016 and in 2021 welcomed their twin children - boy Jai and daughter Gia. The family of four lives in Los Angeles.
(This story originally appeared on cinemaexpress.com)