With Great Fame Comes A Bunch Of Great Tharki Indian Men. The #RCBGirl Is Proof

If you’ve been following the IPL, you would’ve enjoyed a scintillating match last night. It was evenly poised for a long time, anybody’s game, a lot of the audience thought, all the while uproariously cheering their team on. And while mobs of fans screaming, shouting and excited isn’t a rare sight, last night was a little different. Here’s why. Last night, the camera panned to a girl and her cheering on the RCB team caused a million hearts to flutter, apparently. She was immediately nicknamed #RCBGirl. The girl can be spotted wearing a red, cold shoulder top at the game and some smart cameraman caught her smiling and happy, triggering a wave of questions about her identity.

And since we are a nosy bunch, the Indian internet found out who she was. Turns out, it was Deepika Ghose. And with just a couple of shots of her, she rose to internet fame. We are talking men asking their moms for partners like her, people applauding the cameraman for spotting her and the like.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwAcoJ_nucL/

But perhaps what is most telling is that Deepika’s Instagram follower count grew exponentially. We are talking more than 150K followers overnight. There was so much chatter around who she was that a hashtag was created – #RCBGirl- and many people looked her up, posted links to her Instagram account and worked furiously to track her down. Yes, you would think they would have better things to do than tracking down a random woman seen at a stadium, but apparently not.

We get it. Deepika herself doesn’t hate it. In fact, she updated her insta profile to be more visible with the hashtag, has thanked people for all the love and has also put out a post about how this is the only real account and all others are fake. So, it’s not like she isn’t enjoying her fame. And full marks to her for riding this wave like a boss girl.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDHx0PHpR4/

But let’s take a moment to consider what this instant fame brings with it. Every picture on her profile is inundated with comments about how hot and sexy she is. And as I went through the comments, one thing became abundantly clear – a majority of the followers she has gained are men. And with fame on Indian internet comes the pitfalls of having tharki men follow you. They do try to keep it above board in the comments section of her pictures, at least initially. But comments from three to four hours ago are starting to get progressively worse. From talking about her ass to her boobs, it’s all fair game now. Pretty sure this was something that Deepika hadn’t signed up for.

That’s the thing about fame right? While you can expect it to explode, you can’t exactly tell which way it will go. You can’t predict people will be nice to you. Like you even. Sitting hunched behind a computer, leading a lonely life that he hates, a guy could spew venom in the comments section – about your looks, your life, your money – and you’ve to suck it up because you dared to get famous. And this is just the beginning. Already (refer to comments again) people are bringing her down. About how this fame isn’t well-earned. That she doesn’t really “deserve” to be famous. Various accounts that thrive on memes have talked about her versus some of our women athletes that no one knows about despite actual achievements. That her fame is for, well, turning up at a match while some of our sportswomen don’t get famous despite bringing glory to their country on a global platform. But hey, this isn’t something she asked for.

On the flipside, that’s what fame can serve up. An addictive quality that draws you in. And like any young girl, Deepika is riding the wave.  More than a 100,000 fan pages have popped up for this girl. It can be heady and therefore, the perils of such fame shoved under the fairy dust of being famous. But Indian men, will be true to their reputation, unfortunately. So even as we speak, the comments are starting to get a little nastier. Like we said, not everyone is excited about her newfound fame. Now the comments about her looks are starting to catch up. And for a young girl, this could spell disaster.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpoiWEHHU10/

There’s conversation about what they want to do to her, how they want to touch her. It’s nauseating, honestly. Must we subject a young girl to such comments? Why do tharki Indian men feel the need to express their desires so lustfully on platforms? Is it that difficult for them to keep it in their pants? To appreciate beauty without channeling their inner lust? Why is the objectification of the girl so central to following her? We should be worried for Deepika. It could get very ugly from here.

And if that’s not all, they are saying she’s RCB’s lucky charm. Oh, I would be careful there. You know how it is. If the team does well, you’re okay. But if the team fails, the legions of fans come after you. They didn’t spare Anushka Sharma when Virat Kohli lost matches. There’s little hope for Deepika Ghose then when the tides change.

We’re guessing this could go either way, but we know this; in India, if you get famous, the tharki men will come and there’s not much you can do about it.