‘My intention was not to hurt people’: Sadia responds on recent backlash over promotion
Actress Sadia Ayman has deactivated her Facebook account after facing significant backlash over a promotional stunt. Last night, the actress went live on Facebook, sharing that she had experienced trauma after encountering what she described as "paranormal activity" while returning home late from a shoot.
"I'm still feeling suffocated, and I had to share this. While on the road, someone suddenly appeared in front of our car. We stopped and got out to check, but there was no one," she said during the live stream.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. She added that after arriving home safely, she saw the same man standing on the road through her balcony and believed he had followed her.
Although fans and followers of the "Mayashalik" actress expressed concern, it was later revealed that the entire incident was staged as part of a promotional strategy for her upcoming web film "Bibhabori", set to release on the OTT platform Deepto Play.
The platform had previously run a similar promotional campaign for Tasnia Farin's "Nikosh", where Farin also attempted to convince people she was experiencing a real crisis. However, at that time, many suspected it might be a promotional strategy for a project.
This time, the campaign went awry, leading to a backlash against both the artiste and the platform. In response, The Daily Star reached out to Sadia Ayman for her comments. "Initially, I was hesitant to participate in such a promotion, but since I'm part of the project, I had to follow the platform's decision. As the content is pure horror, it scared people," she explained.
Sadia further clarified that she deleted the live video just 10 minutes after it ended due to the flood of concerned calls from friends and close ones. "I have always stood for what is right and spoken out against wrongdoing, and people love me for that. I shouldn't have conducted the promotion in this way. The moment I realised it would hurt people's sentiments, I removed it. My intention was never to harm anyone, go viral, or promote my project at the expense of others."
She also noted that the live stream was done from her professional Facebook page, not her personal account. "I usually make all my professional announcements through my page, not my personal profile. However, I understand now that the topic was sensitive and hurt people, which I deeply regret."
Sadia concluded, "I should have been more cautious. This experience made me realise how much people care for me and trust me, and I regret upsetting them. I feel sorry for myself and for those affected, knowing that all this happened for the sake of promoting content."
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