Opening Doorz

By Nex Scriba | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 13, 2025

Every era has its moral collapse. For ours, it’s the slow, silent death of dignity. The media’s handling of Dharmendra’s illness reveals a deeper issue. The subsequent social media circus highlights a society's addiction to spectacle. Even suffering must now be streamed, dissected, and consumed.

There was a time when journalism was built on trust. A time when truth was sacred, when silence had dignity, and when a person’s private grief was respected, not recorded. That time, it seems, belongs to another era.

Veteran actor Dharmendra, who has lived in the hearts of millions for over six decades, found himself at the centre of a grotesque spectacle this week, not for his work, but for his mortality.

He was hospitalised, placed on a ventilator, and before doctors could stabilise him, social media had already “declared him dead.” The vultures were circling before the man had even been discharged. It wasn’t just some nameless, faceless troll accounts, even portals claiming to be “media” ran speculative posts in a race to be first, not right.

And when the truth came out, that Dharmendra was alive and discharged from the hospital, not one of these digital peddlers of misinformation apologised. The damage was done. The rumour had run its course, and the clicks had been counted.

But the worst was yet to come.

A Sacred Moment Violated

This morning, a deeply disturbing video surfaced—showing Dharmendra lying on a bed, surrounded by his family, connected to life-support systems. His wife, Prakash Kaur, was seen crying at his side.

This is a woman who has lived her entire life away from the spotlight, dignified, quiet, and private. She has never sought fame or attention, despite being married to one of India’s most loved film icons. And now, in her moment of pain, she is thrust into the public eye; filmed, recorded, and violated by someone from within.

Yes, from the inside.

Someone who had access to that private space decided that a man’s suffering, a family’s grief, was worth leaking. For what? For attention? For money? For a few seconds of fame on the social media cesspool?

It was not just a breach of privacy—it was a betrayal of humanity.

Also Read: Spare Celebrities from Public Suffering

Dharmendra was discharged and taken home to spend time in the comfort of his home with the set-up of a private hospice. Nothing wrong with that. But the media circus???

The Sold-Out Media

This incident is not an isolated case. It’s the symptom of a diseased media ecosystem. Journalism today isn’t about verification or investigation. It’s about velocity. The mantra is simple: publish first, regret never.

Every minute, there’s pressure to feed the algorithm. Truth is too slow; outrage travels faster. And so, we’ve traded accuracy for acceleration.

The same media that once prided itself on credibility now thrives on chaos. Editorial desks that once demanded “two confirmations before publication” now settle for “one trending tweet.” Newsrooms that once stood for democracy now bow before data metrics.

This is what selling out looks like.

And while traditional media is still trying to hold on to some vestige of integrity, social media—the self-appointed fourth-and-a-half estate—has gone completely bankrupt.

The Bankruptcy of Social Media

Social media was once hailed as the voice of the people. Today, it’s a courtroom without laws, a newsroom without ethics, a stage without accountability.

Every user is a journalist, a critic, a moral philosopher, and a judge. Everyone has an opinion; few have facts. The tragedy is that opinion now outweighs truth.

Twitter (or X) thrives on instant outrage. Instagram and Facebook reward emotional manipulation. A few YouTube channels masquerade as newsrooms, complete with dramatic music and bold captions screaming “EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE.” Why, even our regular Television Channels have outdone mediocrity and descended to a new low!

The more tragic the content, the higher the engagement. The more personal the pain, the better the numbers.

We are no longer witnessing news; we are consuming grief as entertainment.

The Right to Privacy Isn’t Optional

Celebrities are not public property. They are public figures, yes, but that does not make their private lives a public playground. The idea that fame negates privacy is a cruel myth perpetuated by a voyeuristic society.

Dharmendra, like any other human being, deserves dignity. What is unfolding this week is not journalism; it is voyeurism, plain and simple. It is an assault on a man’s dignity and a family’s peace.

The line between what’s of public interest and what’s merely interesting to the public has been obliterated. The blame lies not just with those behind the camera, but also with those who consume such content without a thought or a sense of shame.

Where Do We Go From Here?

This is not about one actor, one video, or one rumour. It’s about the death of decency in the age of information.

Media, once the watchdog of democracy, has become its own worst enemy—chasing trends instead of truth, profits instead of principles. And social media, the so-called “voice of the people,” has become the voice of chaos.

If we are to reclaim journalism (and our collective conscience), we must return to the basics:

• Verify before you publish.
• Respect before you record.
• Empathise before you engage.

Editors must reinstate the idea that “No news” is better than “Fake news.” Journalists must remember that being right is more important than being first. And users (all of us) must pause before hitting “share.”

Because every time we share pain for clicks, we lose a little more of our humanity.

The Last Word

Dharmendra has spent his life embodying strength, grace, and humility. The least we can offer him now is dignity.

In our obsession with breaking stories, we have broken something far more precious— trust. In our hunger for footage, we have forgotten compassion.

The media was once the pillar of democracy. Today, it’s creaking under the weight of its own moral collapse.

It’s time to rebuild, not just the newsroom, but our sense of decency.

Because at the end of the day, the story isn’t about Dharmendra. It’s about us, and how far we’ve fallen from grace.

In the end, this is not a story about journalism or celebrity. It’s a story about us. About what we’ve become in the age of endless opinions and empty empathy. Maybe the real test of civilisation today lies not in how much we know, but in how much we can still feel.

[Through thought-provoking narratives, Nexa Scriba explores the realities of our society, urging reflection and action.]

Also Read: Vinod Kambli Privacy: A Shameful Reflection on Media Ethics