Alia Bhatt has once again raised her voice against invasive paparazzi practices, this time after a video of her new home in Mumbai’s Pali Hill began circulating online.
The property, built on the site of the late Raj Kapoor’s Krishna Raj bungalow, has been under construction for the past three years. Recently, clips of the six-storey residence went viral, sparking reports that Alia, Ranbir Kapoor and their daughter Raha had already moved in.
The actor has now responded with a strongly worded statement on Instagram, reminding both media and fans that private spaces are not fair game for content.
“I understand that in a city like Mumbai, space is limited — sometimes the view from your window is another person’s home. But that does not give anyone the right to film private residences and push those videos online,” she wrote. Calling the circulation of the video a “serious security issue”, she urged publications to take it down and requested that audiences resist forwarding such material.
This isn’t the first time Bhatt has confronted such behaviour. Only earlier this month, she was seen firmly asking photographers to leave her building premises after they followed her inside. The moment was captured on video and shared online by Indian outlets.
In 2023, Bhatt had to call out paparazzi for filming her in her living room from the window. “In what world is this okay and allowed? This is a gross invasion of someone’s privacy! There’s a line you just cannot cross, and it’s safe to say all lines were crossed today!” she had written in an Instagram post.
Bollywood stars have long dealt with a paparazzi culture that often pushes the boundaries of personal space.
In 2021, Anushka Sharma publicly called out a photographer for photographing her and Virat Kohli at home, despite their repeated requests for privacy. Sharma also criticised publications that chose to carry those images, describing them as a blatant disregard for consent.
Following that, she and Kohli issued a statement requesting that their daughter Vamika not be photographed, a plea that was only partially honoured.
Similar requests have since been made by a number of other celebrities.
While celebrity culture thrives on visibility, Indian actors are increasingly voicing the need for boundaries. The pushback is not against photography itself, as stars continue to appear at film premieres, red carpets and promotions, but against the normalisation of filming inside homes, children’s schools or private holidays.