Actors Hina Khan and Rohan Shah believe that the audience needs to differentiate between the good and the evil when it comes to films like Hacked. By Ayushi Sharma
Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I’ll be watching you.”
The 1980s’ song by the group, The Police, can seem scary rather than romantic if sung in present times. Imagine, if one morning you find out that all your personal data and life is under somebody else’s control and hence, out in public. You are being constantly watched and every move traced. You are hacked. And you have no control over how to end this surveillance. What do you do?
Hacked, directed by Vikram Bhatt, is one such story. It revolves around a successful businesswoman (played by Hina Khan), who is tracked by a 19-year-old lover (played by Rohan Shah). The film highlights how cyber-security and online privacy is in danger these days and how easily anyone can be a target.
Actor Hina Khan tells us that Vikram narrated many such real incidents. One of his friends was stalked so much that she was forced to move to a different city. Many are still unaware of her whereabouts. “It’s so sad. You can’t use your Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or any social media account because a hacker might get to know where you are. You are terrified for the rest of your life. It’s very unfortunate that a lot of them have taken their lives because they can’t deal with it,” says she.
It’s important to realise that it is easy for hackers to steal your passwords. We use email every day and nothing much has changed since the first one was sent in 1971. However, its use is more widespread which has made it easier for individuals to access other people’s emails and see what is being sent. We are now much more vulnerable to hackers stealing information such as your contact lists, confidential information and bank details, feels Hina.
Fan of using public WiFi? Yes, it’s convenient and free but have you ever questioned whether is it secure? While shooting, she learnt that she needs to be careful while logging on to a public network. She says, “Most WiFi hotspots don’t encrypt the information you send over the internet and if the network requires a password, it’s most likely not a secured network. If a stranger comes to your place and you give access to your WiFi, s/he can hack all the devices in your house. So now I don’t give my password to anyone. All this is so scary.”
Hina feels that somewhere even we are responsible. “We want to put our best foot forward on social media, when it comes to pictures, tweets and everything. I go to gym, click pictures, post them. We also store our intimate moments in our galleries. We should not be doing that. When we are not going to post it, why risk it? It’s very important to talk about these things. We might get stuck in relationships where there are trust issues. There are ways to navigate these but we don’t do that and get carried away,” she points out.
While such shows are intended to make the audience aware of online crime, do they also give ideas to people who have a negative mind? Actor Rohan Shah says, “Anyone will watch what they find interesting. You cannot say that you are putting those ideas in someone’s head as in order to teach how to deal with such situations, you have to show them too, isn’t it? You cannot make everyone among the audience think the same way. They will eventually think different no matter what. It only depends on the person and the way s/he looks at things. Technically, koi kisi ko sikha nahi sakta unless voh khud sikhna nahi chahta. A teacher can only share things and it’s the student who will grab only what he likes.”
Hina agrees with Rohan and says, “When we make any film, there’s always evil and good. You can’t just have good in the film and expect it to succeed. Do we get inspired by evil? No, right? So it’s up to the person. Such films are a learning experience for people and not to put them on the wrong path.”
It’s the first time that Rohan is playing a dark and negative character. So how did he prepare for it? Were there any references that he had to take up? He says that to learn the technicalities of the character, there was a team. “I just had to prepare for the emotional quotient, which is to understand the mind of the character. Why is he doing such things? My prep was only to realise what and why. There were no references as such. My script was my only Bible.”
The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor tells us that she didn’t give any audition for Hacked. When Vikram narrated the script, she wasn’t convinced at the first go. “I was very confused. I never thought I would debut in a film with such an impactful topic. Also, this film has been co-written by an ethical hacker. Eventually, all this moved me,” says she.
Well, it all seems perfect on the outside but a lot of uncertainties and challenges have gone behind Hina’s success in the industry. She believes that god has been kind on her. Her mantra is to never stop working. “I believe in the amalgamation of hard work and destiny. They can make you reach where you wish to,” says she. So how does she cope up with the negative criticism and trolling towards her work? She tells us that you can’t really do anything about people. She adds, “I just pity them because all they need is attention. It’s like — kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna.”
