New Delhi: At the funeral of National Award-winning actor Salim Kumar on Sunday, the crowd of reporters and paparazzi seemed larger than the crowd of mourners. The site was filled with cameras rather than grief and sorrow for an actor who, at one time, defined comedy in Malayalam cinema and whose characters were loved across the country.
A video from the funeral is now going viral, showing Salim’s son, Chandu Kumar, shouting at paps over the inconvenience and chaos created at the site. The family, already grieving, was unable to say a final goodbye in peace to their loved one who had departed.
Film producer Supriya Menon, in an Instagram story on Sunday, said this was not journalism but voyeurism, calling it lurid and vulgar. She urged people with cameras to let families grieve in peace when they are suffering the biggest pain.
“Cameras and mikes jostling to get this final goodbye in close-up, like vultures flying closer and closer to their prey,” she wrote. “The son was shouting to get some space, asking them to move back, to cry in peace. What have we become?” she said.
Paparazzo Viral Bhayani, responding to the growing concerns over paparazzi behaviour at funerals, remarked that the media must understand the limits of coverage and avoid compromising the personal space of grieving families.
“The ones who are their personal family members—they can’t even grieve. Their personal space gets completely compromised,” Bhayani told ThePrint.
He stressed that while such events may be newsworthy, they should be covered with keeping in mind the sensitiveness of the situation.
“The media also needs to understand how to cover someone respectfully. These things should be covered from a distance,” he added.
Recurring disrespect
The incident is not a new one. When Dharmendra died 24 November 2025, Sunny and Bobby Deol were in Varanasi on December 3 to immerse their father’s ashes. Paps in the city started clicking photos and creating chaos. An angered Sunny reportedly held one of their cameras and folded his hands in request.
“Have you all sold your shame? You want money? How much money do you want?” he shouted.
A similar incident happened when Salman Khan was at the Hinduja Hospital a couple weeks ago to see his ailing father and was reportedly called out by paps while leaving the premises. As photographers shouted “Bhai, Bhai,” the actor questioned their behaviour and asked how they would react if a similar incident happened to their own family.
The same day, Salman Khan posted several photos of himself and wrote that if he ever saw the press enjoying his pain at a funeral, he would lose his cool on the media. He added that he had stood up for the media for years and had helped sustain their “bread and butter”, but would not tolerate such behaviour.
“I am sixty years old but I have not forgotten to fight, remember this” he wrote on Instagram.
Following the incident, Bhayani criticised not only photographers but also people with mobile phones who gather at such events despite having no association with any media organisation. He said their behaviour creates chaos and ruins the reputation of the entire media fraternity.
“Honestly, now I have completely removed my entire team. I had a team of 15 people, and I have removed them from the field entirely,” he said.
According to Bhayani, the lack of discipline among those covering celebrities has become a concern.
“Hardly two boys are kept on the field. There is no discipline left in the format at all,” he added.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)