Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya slammed the paparazzi for clicking and sharing inappropriate photos of his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, calling it ‘cheap sensationalism’ and an invasion of privacy, urging respect and dignity for women.
Team India star all-rounderHardik Pandya has lambasted the paparazzi for circulating inappropriate photos of his girlfriend and model, Mahieka Sharma. Hardik is currently part of the India squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, with the opening match to take place at the Barabati Cricket Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9.
Hardik Pandya and Mahieka Sharma have been in a relationship since around October 2025, when they made it public by appearing together at the Mumbai airport and sharing a holiday on social media. Since then, the couple has been keeping a relatively low profile in public, but their relationship has remained in the spotlight due to the media attention and their posts on social media, which continue to attract paparazzi and fan interest.
However, things appeared to have spiralled out of control when the paparazzi captured and circulated photos and videos of Mahieka Sharma exiting the restaurant, which Hardik Pandya called the invasion of privacy.
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Hardik Pandya Calls Out Paparazzi’s ‘Cheap Sensationalism’
Though Hardik Pandya is in Cuttack for the opening match of the T20I series against South Africa, the all-rounder took to his social media to express his anger over the inappropriate photos of Mahieka Sharma being clicked by the paparazzi, whom he accused of doing ‘cheap sensationalism’ by crossing the limit of privacy.
Taking to his Instagram story, Hardik Pandya wrote that his girlfriend was coming out of the restaurant in Mumbai’s Bandra when paparazzi outside the venue snapped inappropriate photos, intruding on her personal space and privacy. He added that every woman deserves a ‘dignity’ which needs to be respected.
“I understand that living in the public eye comes with attention and scrutiny, it's part of the life I've chosen. But today something happened that crossed a line," the star all-rounder wrote.
“Mahieka was simply walking down a staircase at a Bandra restaurant when paparazzi decided to capture her from an angle that no woman deserves to be photographed from. A private moment was turned into cheap sensationalism.
“This isn't about headlines or who clicked what, it's about basic respect. Women deserve dignity. Everyone deserves boundaries,” he added.
Hardik Pandya’s statement came after a video of photographers following Mahieka Sharma, who was exiting the Bandra restaurant, went viral on social media. This might have prompted the star all-rounder to issue a strong statement condemning the invasion of the privacy, calling for respect for personal boundaries.
‘Not Every Angle Needs to be Taken’
Furthermore, Hardik Pandya appreciated the hard work and the hustle of the paparazzi but urged them to be ‘mindful’ while taking photos, emphasising that not every angle needs to be taken at the cost of someone’s privacy.
“To the media brothers who work hard every day: I respect your hustle, and I always cooperate. But I'm requesting you all, please be a little more mindful. Not everything needs to be captured. Not every angle needs to be taken,” Hardik added.
“Let's keep some humanity in this game. Thank you." he added.
Hardik Pandya and Mahieka Sharma have been in the eyes of the public ever since the all-rounder confirmed his relationship by posting his birthday pictures with her. After the relationship is now open to the public, the couple has been scrutinised by the media and constantly followed by paparazzi, making privacy a growing concern in their daily lives.
