There's a strange, unspoken rule in our society: if you're born into wealth or fame, the public demands you be perfect. Stumble, and you're mocked. Speak your mind, and you're silenced.
As Thudakkam, the acting debut of Vismaya Mohanlal, approaches its August 7 release, a loud section of the internet has spent the last few weeks ruthlessly trolling her instead of evaluating her actual performance. They've dissected seconds of a preview video, mocked her body language, and aggressively attacked her for expressing an opinion on the recent NEET student protests.
Why do people do this? Because attacking someone who sits in a position of privilege offers a cheap, temporary thrill. But these critics are largely ignoring the human reality of her situation.
🏰 The Reality of the "Golden Cage"
The public assumes being the daughter of a legendary superstar is an absolute advantage. Financially, yes. But psychologically? It's often a life of real isolation.
Children of massive public figures rarely get to experience a fully "normal" life. They don't get to make mistakes in a crowd, blend into society, or learn to navigate public scrutiny organically the way most people do. Their upbringing often requires a level of isolation just to stay safe. So when they finally step onto a public stage and show signs of stage fear or slight hesitation, the instinct to mock misses the point — they're navigating a world they were previously shielded from.
🗳️ The Right to Show Compassion
The heaviest backlash against Vismaya came after she voiced support for students protesting the NEET paper-leak fallout — after police used barricades, lathi-charges, and tear gas to disperse a march from Jantar Mantar toward Parliament.
WHAT SHE ACTUALLY POSTED
"Is this how a democratic country should treat its own citizens? When citizens raise their voices, if the response is brutal suppression instead of dialogue, we must ask ourselves what kind of democracy we are becoming."
In the world's largest democracy, expressing basic empathy for students shouldn't be treated as a crime. Yet the response included calls to boycott her debut film, comments dragging her father into the controversy, and accusations of being "anti-national" — a pattern that, notably, several other film personalities who voiced similar support also faced in the same wave.
"A single post showing empathy for students is not a reason to tear down someone's debut."
🤍 A Call for Empathy
It's worth stepping back from judging people purely by the weight of their parent's name. A few seconds of a preview clip isn't enough to define anyone's talent — just as one social media post supporting students isn't a reason to try to end a career before it's begun.
As Thudakkam heads to theaters, setting aside the pile-on and offering some basic moral support costs nothing. She's stepping out of a fairly isolated upbringing, finding her own voice publicly, and standing her ground under real pressure.
That alone takes courage.
And courage deserves respect, not ridicule.