Hours after performing the last rites of his actor-partner, Shefali Jariwala, a distraught Parag Tyagi, with folded hands, requested the media and paparazzi to not make fun of the departed, and stop filming the unfortunate event. Tyagi’s request came after a day of what could be best described as grief voyeurism — from paparazzi and mediapersons filming him taking out his dog for a walk, pushing camera and microphones in the faces of those grieving, to shooting Tyagi kissing the mortal remains of his beloved. Shortly after, Bollywood star Varun Dhawan took to Instagram to question the need to cover “someone’s grief”. Many in the industry echoed his sentiments.

It’s not the first time the moral and ethical lines of reportage have been crossed in the face of a celebrity death. It’s also not the first time the media and paparazzi have been criticised for displaying insensitivity. Veteran Bollywood photographer Yogen Shah, a prominent member of the fraternity, poses a blunt question: “Tell me one thing — why cover celebrity funerals at all? What’s there to show?” 

The events after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death were also widely photographed. PIC/RANE ASHISH