Like a Whatsapp forward tells it – A Celebrity dies… Foreign Media – RIP. Indian Media – TRP.

The sudden and mysterious death of screen legend Sridevi, unfortunately, has seen the electronic media in India break the limits of decency. The ugliest headlines, crude and thoughtless ‘recreations’ of the scene of death, aspersions and conspiracy theories galore – there is not much we haven’t seen in the days since Sridevi’s death on February 25.

If one ‘report’ had a reporter scrunched up and reporting from inside a bathtub, another channel ran continuous stories about ‘Maut ka Bathtub’. If one channel reconstructed the sequence of events leading up to her final hours by showing a floating Sridevi in a bathtub, another claimed to show all the details of “Sridevi’s last 15 minutes in the bathroom”.

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In her piece for the Washington Post, under the title ‘#NewsKiMaut: The way Indian media has covered Sridevi’s death has been shameful’, noted journalist Barkha Dutt writes, “The coverage has veered into gossip disguised by claims of grief and has elevated scurrilous rumour over reportage. India’s prime-time news has scraped the Don'tom of the barrel in the hours since 54-year-old Sridevi died in the bathtub of her Dubai hotel room on Saturday night.”

“Ludicrous, tasteless, misogynistic and tawdry” is how Barkha summarised the ‘salacious scavenging’ amongst some news channels, adding, “Above all, it is so unfair to the two young daughters of Sridevi, whose loss has been compounded by the furious scrutiny of their (fiercely private) mother’s life.” The 'sensational' reporting sparked off a wave of criticism on social media. Several film personalities have also come forward to call out the TV media’s “graceless” and “insensitive” reporting of Sridevi’s death.

Farhan Akhtar minced no words when he wrote, "There's no bottom in the barrel of the graceless." Vidya Balan made a strong yet heartfelt plea on behalf of the deceased actress, as she tweeted a poster of Sridevi from her film Sadma and wrote, "May they let you rest in peace...." Even Hema Malini tweeted, “The whole film industry is trying to come to terms with this tragedy. We have lost a wonderful member whose life has been dedicated to the entertainment field for so many decades. It is only right that we be allowed to grieve in peace.”

https://twitter.com/FarOutAkhtar/status/968171750302285825

Amitabh Bachchan advised, "Get back to love .. it is the only sustainable!!," while the straight-spoken fashion designer Masaba Mantena declared, "Do yourselves & your family a favour... put that TV off, I am amazed that news channels are stooping to this level & people think it's ok to come on a panel & discuss this! There are two very young girls who lost their mom, please please stop this."

https://twitter.com/SonuSood/status/968185690906398720

Sonu Sood wrote that he was “ashamed to live in times where we have to see such a standard of reporting on reputed channels. Shame on you... let someone rest in peace." Rohit Roy shared, "It is very very sad the way certain news channels are treating the passing of a lady, a daughter, a wife and most importantly, a mother of 2 young girls.. agreed, she was an actor and the people want to know details, but this? Sridevi ji sorry but they won't let you even rest in peace."

While filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor wrote, "Don't know which is a bigger tragedy. Sridevi passing away or the mad feeding frenzy of it by the media.. heart goes out to Boney sahab. I hope he is ok," Anubhav Sinha tweeted, "Several hundred years later history books will mark these years for the death of journalism."

https://twitter.com/renukash/status/968151961278341120

Actress Renuka Shahane wrote a long post saying, “Dear News Channels, please allow Srideviji's soul to rest in peace. Please allow her family, friends & fans to grieve in peace. Imagine if it was your family member! Would you like a dissection like this about your loved one? Please have a modicum of respect for one who has passed. There is a thin line between news and salacious gossip. Do not be so disgusting. And all those writing Facebook posts with great concerns about "health" issues and other "cosmetic changes" that could be detrimental for health; would it be possible for you to wait at least for some time before passing judgement and giving unsolicited advice? Discuss it with your family and friends if it is that important to you. Live your lives the way you want to but let others live their lives the way they choose to and for heaven's sake, let them be in peace after they have passed away.”