Saba Azad spills the truth about her experiences with paparazzi: ‘you can very well exist without attracting attention’

Saba Azad, who is often in the spotlight for her relationship with actor Hrithik Roshan and her popular electronic band Madboy/Mink, is making headlines once again — this time for her role as a crime journalist in the new Hindi web series Crime Beat. In a candid conversation with Hesha Chimah from Varinder Chawla, Saba shared her thoughts on the paparazzi and how her interactions with them have changed since becoming more publicly visible. When asked about her experience with the paparazzi, Saba revealed, “I’m a private person and I’m an awkward person. I think I’m a socially awkward person.” She continued, “And I also think you can very well exist without attracting that attention. Agar aapko nahi chahiye, like Saqib said, I think people pay for it — because actually paps don’t bother me unless now mera show ho raha hai — there’s a buzz around it.”

Saba also elaborated on her private nature in an interview with Money Control, explaining, “If I know it feels like a larger system and the morbid curiosity with people’s lives is not, and to be honest, I am a very private person, and I’m a very socially awkward person. It is that, an absolute contrast with the fact that I’m an actor, and I love being on stage. But, in real life, I’m very socially awkward. I’ll be that person standing or sitting in a corner, in a large group of friends. So, it’s not easy for anybody to be on display at all times. And I can’t say I enjoy it, but I can’t say I don’t understand it; that man’s also trying to take food back to his family. And that’s the medium he’s found. That, if I get a photo of this person…”

She also made it clear that she’s never been harassed by paparazzi. “Honestly, I’m not really harassed by paps at all. I don’t really. It’s not like it’s all the time for me. It’s once in a while at some event or something. That’s it. And I’ve never been treated badly or, no one’s ever misbehaved with me, and it’s okay. They’re trying to do their job, and I’m doing my bit by saying, ‘Ki mujhe jana hai.’ And that’s it. To each their own, and we can all coexist peacefully without making an ordeal out of it,” she said. Saba also acknowledged that, despite the attention, she hasn’t had negative experiences with paparazzi, sharing, “I’ve not been harassed by paps ever, and they’re usually invited to these events.”

About the show

Crime Beat, which delves into the gritty world of investigative journalism, features Saba alongside Saqib Saleem in lead roles. In the series, Saba portrays Abhishek, a small-town crime journalist whose life becomes entwined with a fugitive gangster. As Abhishek is drawn deeper into a web of lies and dangerous motives, the show explores what price he is willing to pay to become a renowned reporter.