If not now, then when? Geetika Vidya Ohlyan on film industry coming together to support Aryan Khan

Two years back, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan appeared in a discussion alongside Ananya Panday, post which the latter was brutally trolled for talking about the struggle children from film families go through. Recently, the Soni (2018) actor shared a story on Instagram where she stated that star kids do go through their own share of struggle. She followed it up with another story where she reposted a message that read, ‘He (Aryan Khan) did not sign a contract to be a role model for your children or society… cut the kid some slack!’

She believes that the film industry often becomes a soft target when it comes to a larger socio-political issue. Khan’s arrest in the alleged cruise drug case has brought the film fraternity together in support of Shah Rukh Khan and his family. “Isn’t that a good thing? If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” asks Ohlyan.

But what angers her is the widespread vilification of the 23-year-old on social media. “He is a young adult who has neither taken the citizens’ money in the form of taxes nor a responsibility to serve anyone by asking for votes,” says the actor, who has been a part of Thappad and Unpaused (2020).

She goes on to add, “If he has consumed the alleged substances, that’s bad for him, his health and the mental peace of his family. But we all can see that being a star kid, he is being used for purposes other than morality and legality.”

Sharing her views on the on-going debate about the case hogging the limelight, Ohlyan says, “All of us have limited mind space for social media. When certain news is spread wide, others shrink or need to be omitted. But it’s our personal moral responsibility to understand something. On the same day, we had a lot more happening which deserves our undivided attention. We need to set our priorities right.”