AT a recent music video shoot with Upen Patel and Udita Goswami, all members of the unit were forced to switch off their mobile phones. ‘‘We were shooting against a green screen, which could be easily manipulated to create a different backdrop. I’m so scared that my face could be morphed and I might be on the next MMS. The government should enforce laws about the usage of MMS-enabled phones,’’ says Goswami.

We bought Mallika Sherawat. Even Riya Sen and Ashmit Patel sounded plausible. But Sania Mirza? That’s the latest clip doing the rounds on MMS, tech junkies say.

Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery
Is this merely the next generation of privacy invasion? Dhoom star Rimi Sen feels there will always be people who want to take advantage of those in the limelight; ‘‘It’s upto you to be careful.’’

MMS seems to be the hottest conversation topic even at a casual hangout.

But actor Tulip Joshi’s tired of the rumour mill. ‘‘It’s irritating when people discuss MMSes endlessly. I think everyone needs to display some maturity and ignore such things,’’ she says. ‘‘I’m not personally threatened by the issue, but I think there should be some serious action taken to prevent such free circulation of someone’s private lives.’’

Though concerned, actor Kim Sharma isn’t spending sleepless nights bothering about it. ‘‘Maybe it’s fun or kinky to record your private activities, but if it gets out, it’s unpleasant for your family and friends as well,’’ she says.

As for the convenient knee-jerk denial, not everyone’s buying it. ‘‘I think morphing is just an excuse—the initial ‘it wasn’t me’ response. Even Kareena (Kapoor) first denied that it was her, later admitting that it was,’’ says actor Koel Purie.

TV siren Swetta Keswani agrees. ‘‘I’ve seen a few of these clips and it’s definitely the people themselves. It’s entirely the woman’s fault for allowing a man to tape her in a compromising position. This would never happen to me because I’m not that stupid.’’

Click here to see Sania Mirza Photo Gallery

Are actors who do sexually explicit films more at risk? Our favourite skin flick starlet Payal Rohatgi seems to think so. ‘‘People are unable to distinguish between our screen images and personal lives. Although I know I’d never be caught on any of these clips myself, the lookalikes are a scary thought,’’ says Rohatgi.

Telly actor Sangeeta Ghosh feels MMS is only the latest toy for peeping Toms. ‘‘First it was the paparazzi, now it’s MMS. It’s not only celebs who tape sexual acts, but only we get into trouble.’’

Divya Chawla

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