In a classic case of mistaken identity, actor Antarra Banerjee found herself entangled in viral news and social media posts where she was accused of attacking Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel aboard the Aravali Express with a razor blade and arrested.
Known for her roles in Badho Bahu (2016) and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2018), the actor tells HT City, “I am shocked to the core. I got the first call on Sunday morning while I was going to the gym and throughout the day I got over 400 calls. The entire day, I was just talking to my family and people explaining it’s not me. In the morning, I saw an online news article accusing my name and by night it was all over the news and in social media posts with my photograph and name on it.”
It started when one Antara Soham Banerjee was allegedly arrested and an FIR was launched when she entered into an altercation with RPF personnel and later attacked them with a razor blade on August 12.
“On verifying the FIR, I found that we both have different spellings, her father’s name is Soham while my father’s name is Subrata Banerjee. Her address is Thane while I live in Jogeshwari, Andheri West. I am told she is an upcoming model. But, my point is how can someone use my name and pix without verifying. I can’t change this, but I request all to fix this error and we are reaching out to them.
She adds, “To protect myself I will have to file a complaint and defamation. People don’t understand how much this can tarnish someone’s image. I just want them to pull down the news or issue clarification,” says Antarra.
HT City has reviewed the copy of FIR which mentions the name of Antara Soham Banerjee and not Antarra Banerjee.
She was last seen in Lakhwinder Wadali’s song Chaap Tilak and micro drama The Last Shot. The actor adds, “I am going through a personal crisis and not working for over a year as my mother is not well and on treatment in Kolkata. Now, when I returned to Mumbai, this happened.”
Antarra says she is concerned about parents and her reputation. “More than anything else, I am more worried about my parents and the harm this can cause to my image. I am doing my best to get this fixed but social media’s reach is so wide that I don’t know how successful I will be.”