Ayesha Khan has candidly addressed the dark side of being a woman in the public eye — from daily online sexualisation to actual threats of sexual violence and an attempted rape in her life.Speaking at a recent summit by Mojo Story, Ayesha shared how her honest confession about shooting the Shararat song from Dhurandhar while on her period triggered widespread trolling — and revealed the deeper toll of harassment she experiences online and off.
“If I have to think before wearing something… it’s a really sad space to be in”
When asked if she ever feels pressure to fit into certain beauty standards, Ayesha said she has grown confident about her appearance but acknowledged a harsh online reality.“I am almost everyday sexualized for my body on Instagram,” she said. “I wear a normal top — people have a problem. I wear skirts — people have a problem. I have to think before posting something.”She admitted the aftermath of such attention does impact her emotionally: “If I have to think before wearing or wanting to post something just because someone else is going to sexualize me, it is of course a really sad space to be in.”There are days when she tries to ignore it all, and days when the comments cut deeper — especially when people imply violent intent: “If you had the power, if you had the strength, if you could do what you wanted… you would have done it. So it really scares me that these are actual human beings around us.”
“So you’ve had rape threats online?” — “Yes, every day”
When confronted with whether she has received rape threats, Ayesha responded with a stark affirmation.“Yes. Every day. I can open my phone right now and show it to you. And it is so normal,” she said, underscoring how commonplace such abuse has become for women in public spaces.“Trolls are just in every interview — you’ll see questions being asked about these things — and that’s it. Nothing’s being done. And it’s not like a very new problem… it’s been since ages,” she added.She also noted that this harassment isn’t unique to her — nearly every woman in the public eye has faced similar abuse.
Attempted rape and the lasting emotional impact
Ayesha also shared a deeply personal experience of violence that still affects her.“I’ve been attempted to rape in my life. I’ve spoken about it in an interview. I wouldn’t want to get there a lot,” she said, visibly emotional. “There are days, there are times when it just triggers you… scratches that wound that I don’t want to remember.”The thought of online threats becoming real in physical life scares her, especially when she thinks about everyday situations: “If maybe I was not as famous or as safe as I am right now… something like this could have happened again.”She explained that the repeated barrage of sexualising comments — even when not explicitly violent — adds to the fear. “To think that these are actual people who are around you when you’re traveling, when you’re on a set… these are actual people.”
Disturbing real-life incident on set
Ayesha recounted one unsettling incident that brought online threats into her real world.“I was shooting for a film and my father was there that day. I randomly opened my Instagram, and there was one DM I had been seeing for a long time. There were voice notes. Then I realized it was one of the spot boys,” she revealed.She informed her father and production, and appropriate action was taken, making her feel safe in that moment. But the experience reinforced how close harassment can feel. Ayesha’s final note was a sobering reflection on how visibility increases vulnerability: “If you decide you want to wear a short skirt today and you want to post a picture… and your account is public… you are in the public eye.”
