Raima Sen Defends 'The Vaccine War' Role Amid Trolling, Cites "Publicity is Publicity"

Raima Sen has opened up about the intense online trolling she faced for her role in Vivek Agnihotri's controversial film, 'The Vaccine War'. As the filmmaker finds himself in a new controversy surrounding his upcoming movie, 'The Bengal Files', Sen recalled how she was "judged so much" for a film people hadn't even seen. Here's what she said in her recent interview.In an interview with NDTV, on the occasion of the re-release of her film 'Parineeta', Raima Sen spoke about the unexpected backlash she encountered for 'The Vaccine War'.She spoke about the shocking experience of being trolled for a film that hadn’t even been released yet. She explained that, despite her appearance, she faced heavy criticism, particularly during The Vaccine War, where audiences judged her performance without even watching the movie.The actress stated that she lost a lot of followers on social media, and a lot of people said many things about her. Sen expressed that she had never experienced something like that in her career.In the same interview, Raima shared her perspective on trolling, explaining that, as her father and grandmother would say, whether it’s good or bad, publicity is still publicity—and it’s best to just enjoy it.The actress stated that it is better to be the topic of discussion than not being talked about at all. She expressed her satisfaction with having done the film, believing it had a significant impact.Raima shared that the backlash was particularly intense in her hometown of Calcutta. She speculated that her involvement might have led some to believe she was entering politics. "I think mainly Calcutta. I don't know, maybe because I was a part of the project. They thought I was joining politics and all that," she said.Sen expressed hope that those who judged her would eventually watch the film and change their minds.Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film starred Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Anupam Kher, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sapthami Gowda, and Mohan Kapur. It was released on September 28, 2023.