Actor Vijay Varma has called on the media to respect the privacy of Malaika Arora and her family, following the tragic death of her stepfather, Anil Mehta. Days after Mehta allegedly died by suicide after jumping from the terrace of his building, Varma took to social media to express his dismay over the media's coverage. Mehta breathed his last on Wednesday and his funeral took place in Mumbai on Thursday (September 12).
In his post on X, the Darlings actor wrote, "Pls leave the grieving family alone… it’s not easy anyway for them. Thoda toh grace rakho media walon 🙏🏻."
His appeal comes at a time when various media outlets have been focusing heavily on the incident. Several speculations and rumours about Mehta's death have also surfaced.
Soon after Vijay shared the post, netizens also echoed the same sentiments and urged media to respect Malaika and her family's privacy.
On Wednesday, actor Varun Dhawan also lashed out at paparazzi as they hounded Malaika and sister Amrita Arora at Mehta's Mumbai residence. He called the paps insensitive for chasing the bereaved family members for pictures and videos.
"It is the most insensitive thing to point cameras in the face of the people who are grieving. Please think what you people are doing or what someone is going through when u do this. I understand it is work but sometimes another human might not be Ohkay with this. #humanity," he wrote on Instagram.
Anil Mehta's death
The news of Mehta's death has sent shockwaves through the film fraternity, with many expressing their sorrow and offering condolences. Over the past few days, several Bollywood celebrities and close friends have been seen visiting Malaika's residence to pay their last respects and be with the family.
The 62-year-old jumped to his death from his Bandra building, where he lived with Malaika's mother Joyce Polycarp. While no suicide note was recovered from the spot, the police stated that moments before his death, he had called daughters, Malaika and Amrita, and had said that he was "sick and tired". He had then switched his phone off.
Mehta's post mortem reports stated that he died due to multiple injuries and broken bones.
