'Women deserve dignity': Hardik Pandya confronts paparazzi over girlfriend Mahieka's photos

India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Tuesday (Nov 9) shared his frustration on social media after paparazzi 'cross the line' while taking photos and videos of his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma. In a strong message, he criticised the photographers for being disrespectful and invading her privacy. Hardik said he knows that being a public figure brings attention and he accepts that. But he explained that a recent incident has crossed a line and turned a routine outing into cheap sensationalism.

"I understand that living in the public eye comes with attention and scrutiny, it's part of the life I've chosen. But today something happened that crossed a line," Hardik wrote in an Instagram story.

“Mahieka was simply walking down a staircase at a Bandra restaurant when paps decided to capture her from an angle that no woman deserves to be photographed from. A private moment was turned into cheap sensationalism,” he added.

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Hardik also urged photographers to maintain certain boundaries, saying every woman deserves respect and dignity.

"This isn't about headlines or who clicked what, it's about basic respect. Women deserve dignity. Everyone deserves boundaries. To the media brothers who work hard every day: I respect your hustle, and I always cooperate. But I'm requesting you all please be a little more mindful. Not everything needs to be captured. Not every angle needs to be taken. Let's keep some humanity in this game. Thank you," he concluded.

Pandya posted this message while preparing for his return to international cricket in the T20I series against South Africa, starting Tuesday (December 9) in Cuttack. Hardik had been away from the game for nearly two months due to a quadriceps injury he suffered during the Asia Cup in September, this year.

During his recovery, he spent time with his family and Mahieka. In October, he made their relationship public by sharing photos from a beach vacation. The pair were later seen together at the Mumbai airport, marking their first public appearance as a couple.