Saba Azad addresses paparazzi invasion and online hate due to her relationship with Hrithik Roshan

In a candid interview, actress Saba Azad, who recently appeared in the series Who’s Your Gynac, shed light on the current intrusive paparazzi culture and the personal toll it has taken on her due to her relationship with actor Hrithik Roshan.

“I am a very private person, everyone around me will vouch for it. I barely step out, I love being at home. Hence, it was very daunting in the beginning. It was scary. I won’t lie. I felt exposed in a way I never felt before,” Saba said. 

Despite grappling with the invasion of privacy, the artiste demonstrated empathy toward the paparazzi's role in filling the public's curiosity about celebrity lives. “You understand and empathise that I may not relate to paparazzi culture, but that guy who is taking a photo is doing his job. There is some space in the market which is curious about other people’s lives. He is filling that space. I am existing and doing my job.”

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Saba also addressed the unwarranted hate she received on social media following the revelation of her relationship with Hrithik. She recounted, “It’s taken me quite some time to come to a place where I treat everything else as white noise because hatred is palpable. I am not made of stone; it hits you. You feel like sh*t.”

Expressing the emotional toll, she continued, “There are days when you wake up and you wonder ‘what did I do to anyone?’ ‘What did I do to you?’ ‘I am living my life, you live yours’ ‘Why are you waiting for my blood?’ But at some point, you realize you are not responsible for how people think and what they are projecting on you is what they are going through. It has nothing to do with you. Once you realize that, peace prevails.”

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Hrithik and Saba, reportedly began their relationship early last year. Saba frequently accompanies Hrithik for family outings, celebrations, and vacations, exemplified by their shared Christmas celebration in 2022 with Hrithik's sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan Roshan, as well as cousins, during a European family holiday.

Before his relationship with Saba, Hrithik was married to interior designer Sussanne Khan. The couple tied the knot in December 2000 and welcomed their sons Hrehaan in 2006 and Hridhaan in 2008. Despite their divorce in 2014, Hrithik and Sussanne continue to co-parent their sons.