Nervous, confused, misinformed – a DD anchor was termed “dumb” by social media recently, as she made one blunder after the other, while covering IFFI (International Film Festival of India) at Goa. While very few might have noticed her at the event and even fewer on television, a video clip posted online went viral.

Aayenah Pahuja, the anchor in question, spoke to Logical Indian, to clear the air as to “what went wrong on that day”.

“By now all of you know me as a dumb DD anchor. It might be entertaining for you guys, but it’s very depressing for me and lately I have felt suicidal because my career is at stake; my contracts, assignment have been snatched away from me,” Pahuja says in a video interview with Logical Indian.

I am not here to defend myself or neither am I here to blame somebody, but to tell you the truth,” she said. “First of all, the other day what happened was I was not made to rehearse thoroughly, then I did not know most of the dignitaries present at this prestigious event. Five minutes before the event started, the instruction mike stopped working. Producer did not have any way to tell me who’s coming next, that was one big mistake. Yes, I did make mistake. I apologise for the same,” she says.

Pahuja had also introduced Mridula Sinha, the governor of Goa as the “governor of India”.

She clarifies – “The governor of India wasn’t intentional, but I was nervous at that point of time and it was a slip of tongue. There was a massive technical crash out there.”

In the end of the video, she makes an appeal to web surfers – “Mere saath jo ho gaya, ho gaya, aap hanste rahoge, mera mazaak ban chuka hai. Aane waale future mein koi ladke-ladki ke saath aisa ho, to harsh mat hona.” (Whatever had to happen to me has happened. I have become a butt of jokes. In the future, please spare boys or girls who commit a similar blunder. Don’t be harsh to them)

“My career is at stake I don’t know where I’m headed now,” she signs off.

The video that started it all