Two days after meeting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, 16-year-old ‘Dangal’ movie star Zaira Wasim on Monday tendered a public apology online “for her public appearance with politicians”.
“This is an open confession/apology. I know that many people have been offended and displeased by my recent actions or by the people I have recently met (sic),” wrote Ms. Wasim Facebook. The post was deleted later.
Wasim’s move comes in the wake of criticism she faced on social networking sites and on a day when Ms. Mufti described her as “role model” and “inspiration” in the Assembly. Ms. Mufti met Wasim, who has been lying low in Srinagar, on Saturday in Jammu.
"...First and foremost thing is that I am being projected as a role model for Kashmiri Youth. I want to make it very clear that I do not want anyone to follow in my footsteps or even consider me as a role model. I’m not proud of what I’m doing and I want everyone, especially the Youth to know that there are real role models out there whether they be in this time or in our history (sic),” wrote Wasim on her FB page.
Ms. Wasim said she know that many people “have been offended and displeased by my recent actions or by the people I have recently met”. “I want to apologise to all those people who I've unintentionally hurt and want them to know that I understand their sentiments, especially considering what has happened (in Kashmir) over the past six months," she added.
A student from old city of Srinagar, Ms. Wasim's Class 10 examination results were declared last week.
Ms. Wasim’s FB post came after she was trolled online for meeting Ms. Mufti. “I hope people can also understand there are certain circumstances that emerge which one cannot control. I hope people still remember that I'm a just a 16-year-old girl and treat me accordingly. I'm sorry for what I did, but it was not a deliberate decision and I really hope people can forgive me," she wrote.
Zaira Wasim played the younger Geeta Phogat in the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Dangal’ movie. Her close associates told The Hindu that she was deliberately lying low in the Valley, fearing "unnecessary attention". She even faced challenges at the family level to work in the movie, they said. Meanwhile, she has signed another with Mr. Khan recently.
Before deleting the FB post, she wrote: “This was post was not meant against anyone, just wanted to make sure that people were not hurt by what I was doing. From media to everyone else, please don’t blow this out of proportion. Neither was I forced (to apologise) nor am I against anyone. Hopefully this post just stops this once and for all.”
