Sometimes, it is not the loud noise of a scandal that breaks a person. It is the quiet pressure of eyes watching, questions rising, and whispers turning into judgment.
That is what Bhojpuri actress and singer Anjali Raghav says she has been living through since a video of her with Pawan Singh went viral from a stage show in Lucknow.
The clip, which circulated widely online, showed Anjali standing in a glittering golden saree while addressing the audience. Beside her was Pawan Singh, dressed in a white coat and trousers.
In the video, Pawan places his hand on Anjali’s waist. At first, she smiled and continued speaking, but the repeated touch made her visibly uneasy. When Pawan asked her to move her hand and she refused, he again touched her waist.
After a while, he said “Okay” and finally removed his hand.
Anjali Raghav calls out Pawan Singh:
The internet did not stay quiet. Criticism poured in and trolls began questioning Anjali herself, why she didn’t react, why she didn’t push him away, why she didn’t slap him. Some even accused her of “enjoying” it.
After two days of silence, Anjali decided to speak up. On Saturday, she shared two videos on Instagram, explaining how disturbed she felt since the incident.
Speaking in Hindi, she said: “I have been very disturbed for the past two days. I am continuously getting DMs asking why I didn’t say anything, why I didn’t take action, why I didn’t slap him. And some people are even blaming me. Do you really think I would enjoy being touched like that in public?”
Anjali Raghav then opened up about her decision to work with Pawan Singh in the first place. According to her, when she got the offer for the song, she had clearly asked him if there would be any revealing costumes, double-meaning lyrics, or inappropriate scenes. He assured her there wouldn’t be.
The shooting went smoothly, and she never felt uncomfortable once. That gave her confidence to attend the Lucknow promotion.
But what happened on stage shocked her. Anjali Raghav recalled that Pawan Singh told her something was “stuck” on her waist. Since her saree was new, she thought it might be the tag of her blouse. She tried to ignore it and continue her speech. Later, she asked a team member if anything was actually stuck, and they confirmed nothing was there.
That moment broke her, she said.
“When I found out there was nothing, I felt very bad. I felt anger, I felt like crying. But I didn’t know what to do. The crowd was his fan base. People were calling him God and touching his feet. I was alone there.”
Anjali revealed she even tried to contact Pawan Singh’s team once the video began spreading on social media, but nobody responded. She considered speaking against the trolls directly, but someone advised her not to.
Still, Anjali decided she could not stay silent anymore. In her Instagram statement, she strongly condemned unwanted physical contact:
“I absolutely do not support touching any girl without her permission. To begin with, it is very wrong. And to touch someone in this manner is extremely wrong. If this had happened in Haryana, I wouldn’t even need to say anything. The public there would have answered on my behalf.”
And then came her final decision, one that stunned many of her fans. She announced she is leaving the Bhojpuri industry. “I will no longer work in the Bhojpuri industry. I am an artist, so I do feel like trying new things, but I am happy with my family and in Haryana.”