Ayesha Khan slams lack of consent in paparazzi culture

Ayesha Khan, who has been receiving widespread appreciation for her song Shararat from Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, recently spoke about the flip side of visibility and fame, touching upon online judgement, AI-generated content, and the lack of consent in paparazzi culture.

‘You become an open book’

Speaking about the downside of public attention, Ayesha told Pinkvilla, “The downside of course is that you’re like an open book. Everybody has an opinion about you and they start writing in it.” She admitted there are moments when the constant scrutiny feels overwhelming. “Sometimes it feels like, I wish we had an option to just switch this off,” she added, urging people to be mindful of the emotional impact their words can have on others.While she acknowledged that over time one develops resilience, she pointed out that not everyone is equipped to deal with such pressure.

‘AI thing that has started is very scary’

Ayesha expressed deep concern over the misuse of artificial intelligence, calling it disturbing and alarming. “The AI thing that has started is very scary. You have made a whole app to sexualise women on the internet... I can’t humanly process this information that this is happening,” she said, adding that such content has dangerously become normalised.

Recalling a personal incident, she revealed how her mother once came across an AI-generated video of her. “There was a picture of me and Vijay sir... it was turned into an AI video where we are hugging each other. I had to tell her that this has never happened before,” Ayesha shared, pointing out how convincing such content can be for people unfamiliar with AI technology.She added that she has seen several such morphed images of herself online.

“They’ve just made it from a picture and it actually looks so realistic... it’s sad how most people would not know that it’s AI,” she said.

‘People don’t understand consent’

Addressing the issue of paparazzi videos and viral clips, Ayesha stressed the importance of consent. “People don’t understand consent. You can’t do these things without asking,” she said, reacting to comments that often blame celebrities for their clothing choices.Drawing a stark comparison, she remarked, “I also bathe, but you can’t bathe me.

It’s my choice... Who gave you the choice?” reiterating that consent cannot be assumed.

Calling out ‘oops moment’ culture

Ayesha didn’t shy away from calling out the culture of capturing and circulating uncomfortable moments. “They know it’s wrong... you’re capturing someone’s oops moment and even posting that publicly,” she said, questioning the ethics behind such content.At the same time, she acknowledged that not all paparazzi operate the same way. “There are good people. There are good paps,” she said, adding that many photographers respect boundaries when she communicates discomfort. “If I say, please don’t post it, they won’t post it,” she noted.Concluding on a balanced note, Ayesha said she chooses to focus on the positives. “Like everything else, there’s always a good side and a bad side... we take care of the good ones,” she said.