The unsavoury side of the growing paparazzi culture in India comes to light when photographers chase clicks at funerals or during the hospitalisation of Bollywood stars. Videos of Sunny Deol lashing out at the paparazzi after his father, veteran actor Dharmendra, was admitted to a hospital had sparked a debate about where the line should be drawn. Recently, actor Rahul Dev, who lost his brother Mukul Dev last year, also expressed his discontent over the way photographers behaved during Mukul’s final rites.
Rahul Dev calls out insensitive paparazzi
Speaking to Hindi Rush, Rahul said, “The media should be a little responsible. It’s not like I don’t have very good friends in the media, but I experienced it at Mukul’s funeral as well,” said Rahul. “I didn’t invite anyone. Where did they come from? I just had to reach the crematorium within one hour from Max Hospital that day. It was just a one-man show. Our parents are no more.”
Rahul shared that though he didn’t inform the media about his brother’s funeral, he had posted the information on his Instagram Stories for relatives, and photographers reached the location after seeing his post. He said, “That caused pagalpan (chaos). They should think I’ve lost my brother, and you’re there to click photos. It’s very weird.”
Rahul opens up on schooling paparazzi
The actor also spoke about confronting the photographers and said, “I didn’t feel any embarrassment. I did what I thought was best then. The one who’s covering it should feel embarrassed instead. It just shows their depth. I was just doing my duty as a brother. So, the media should be sensitive, but they’re not. That’s the truth.”
This isn’t the first time Rahul has spoken about the media’s insensitive behaviour during his brother’s funeral. Earlier, while speaking to Bollywood Bubbles, he shared how he requested photographers not to cover the funeral with folded hands, yet they continued clicking. Rahul recalled how the photographers gave him a thumbs-up from a distance but continued shooting and he later found the videos online.
Mukul Dev’s death
Actor Mukul Dev passed away at the age of 54 on May 23, 2025. The actor died after a brief illness and time in the ICU. In the past, Rahul had shared how Mukul suffered from deteriorating health due to poor eating habits and a loss of interest in life, especially after their parents passed away.