A video of Tom Holland and Zendaya being driven away and relentlessly chased by the paparazzi drew the ire of social media users.
The Spider-Man star and the Euphoria actress were attending the star-studded grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai, India on Saturday.
An Instagram video showed the Hollywood couple appearing uncomfortable while being pursued by a cameraman who followed their car on foot as they were being whisked away.
This situation of celebrity stalking was unique in that Holland and Zendaya were riding in a vehicle with see-through windows–unlike ones that are tinted for the privacy of passengers.
A 2012 window tinting law in India prohibits drivers from using tints or sun films on car windows due to the increase in criminal accidents involving moving vehicles in the country.
India media digital creator Manav Manglani posted the clip of the celebrity sighting and set it to the "Main Theme" from Spider-Man 3.
"And we finally managed to click the cute Spidey and his Girlfriend in Mumbai," wrote the influencer.
Here is the clip.
Instagrammers took issue with the clip for several reasons.
Firstly, they pointed out that Zendaya was more than just Tom Holland's "girlfriend."
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
People also thought the on-the-nose –yet ill-fitting–music choice was particularly tacky.
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
Third, the act of pursuing celebrities just to snap a photo for the sake of monetary gain was met with derision.
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
@manav.manglani/Instagram
In a November 2021 GQ interview, Holland touched on the subject of privacy after a snapped photo of him with Zendaya kissing in a car prematurely exposed to the public their budding romance at the time.
He commented:
“One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world."
Holland explained that as a public figure, he was selective when it came to discussing the different aspects of his life.
“I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway."
“We sort of felt robbed of our privacy.”
Holland emphasized that it wasn't about finding the right time to discuss their relationship but more about not wanting to.
“It’s not a conversation that I can have without her,” he clarified.
“You know, I respect her too much to say… This isn’t my story. It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”
Zendaya later shared with GQ over a phone call:
“It was quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive."
"The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own.…"
"I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”
The pair met and started "seeing each other" while filming the first movie of the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016.
Holland made their coupling official in September 2021 via a behind-the-scenes mirror selfie of them wishing his sweetheart happy birthday.
"My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when you're [sp] up xxx," wrote Holland in the caption.
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CNBC