Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye’s Siri on social media – People are ruthless and need to be more sensitive

Siri Ravikumar knows that criticism, especially on social media, is a part and parcel of an artiste’s life. Being in the public eye is a choice she has made, so the comments – good and bad – will come, no matter what. But ignoring the negatives and moving on is not something she’s learnt to do yet and admits that she does get affected by it occasionally. Speaking to a Kannada digital channel during the promotions of her new film Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, which is currently in theatres, Siri said that people on social media these days are absolutely ruthless and cruel, which is also scary at some level.

Siri Ravikumar on Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye: I had no idea about counselling in a hospice until I played Prerana 

As an artiste, Siri knows that she is looking for the public’s approval and appreciation, but on a professional level. She has tried not to take negative comments to heart, but when they are about her personal space, it gets to her. “Yes, they are our audience and you want your work to strike a chord with them. But the fact of the matter is that actors are not living for them. People have to be more sensitive about commenting. Just because we are in the public eye and put ourselves in front of the camera, that does not give anyone the freedom to say whatever they want. Social media has made it easy though, as it comes with anonymity – what you can’t tell someone to their face, you do in a public forum. Hiding behind a screen is always easy,” Siri said in a recent interview with Kannadiga Agni.

Exclusive | Raj B Shetty says 'With Siri Ravikumar, Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye has become beautiful poetry' 

In Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, Siri plays the protagonist Prerana, a counsellor at a palliative care centre, whose job and problematic married life has been numbing her emotionally. How that changes when a patient called Aniketh (Raj B Shetty) comes into her life and helps her blossom again is what the film is all about. Produced by Ramya, who was the initial choice to play the role, Swathi Mutthina Male also stars JP Thuminad, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Rekha Kudligi, among others. Up next, she has two Rakshit Shetty productions – Abracadabra and Bachelor Party.