"These were people I once worked with and shared stages with.”
National Award-winning actress Azmeri Haque Badhon has voiced her frustration over the rising online harassment she’s been subjected to.
What’s shaken her the most, however, is not anonymous trolling, but hurtful attacks from people she once considered friends and collaborators.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, Badhon described how a few photos with political figures led to an unexpected flood of criticism.
Among those seen in the images were Rumin Farhana and VP Nur, both well-known political names in Bangladesh.
Once the photos surfaced, she said: “Some of my own colleagues started attacking me, personally, viciously, and without mercy.
“These weren’t just strangers online. These were people I once worked with and shared stages with.”
For Badhon, that betrayal from within the industry felt sharper than anything social media could throw at her.
She further shared her shock at the fact that some of these critics were themselves respected figures.
“But it’s not the unknown trolls that hurt me most.
“It’s the ones who once laughed with me, created with me, turning into wolves the moment I chose a path different from theirs.”
In a follow-up post, Badhon revisited an older personal trauma, her battle for custody of her daughter.
She claimed that during this time, a vicious media campaign was launched to discredit her.
“My ex-husband, with help from some of his service colleagues and a photojournalist known for working with Sheikh Hasina, launched a disgusting campaign against me.”
She said the strategy was to paint her in court as unfit and immoral.
“They filled the media with false stories to prove in court that I was a ‘bad mother’ and a ‘shameless woman’.”
Badhon recalled breaking down in front of a friend, but one powerful piece of advice helped her change her mindset.
“You have two choices. One – you become even more violent and aggressive than him. Or two – you choose the harder path: silence, truth, and self-respect.”
That second path, she said, became a lifelong principle.
“Whenever someone tries to humiliate or attack me, I don’t respond. I don’t give them what they want.
“And that silence and self-control hurts them more than any word ever could.”
Azmeri Haque Badhon also reflected on the culture that fuels this level of hostility in public life:
“What kind of sick society are we living in, where we can’t even tolerate a different opinion without tearing someone apart?
“It’s their own choice to be hateful about others… Do whatever you want. Your life, your choice!”
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