India, Dec. 27 -- Actor Puja Banerjee and her husband, actor Kunal Verma, recently found themselves at the centre of a major controversy. The duo were previously accused by Bengali film producer Shyam Sundar Dey of kidnapping and extorting money - allegations that led to an FIR being filed against them and sparked widespread media outrage. As the controversy unfolded, public perception quickly turned against the couple. However, Pooja and Kunal later revealed that it was, in fact, they who were allegedly scammed financially by the producer, losing a substantial amount of money in the process. Reflecting on being subjected to a media trial, Puja told Free Press Journal, "It's the sad part of our industry. I won't blame the media completely because jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai. Until and unless you don't show them something controversial or negative, they won't pick up the newspaper. But yes, some people definitely have been extremely insensitive." She added, "They don't even think that the person they're talking ill about is somebody's mum, somebody's wife and somebody's daughter. We are public figures, so we will manage all this, but what about our families? It's very sad that we had to go through this phase." She concluded, "My low phase has taught me who my close ones are. There are so many friends of mine who became my friends after I became an actor, and so many who have been my friends since childhood. Only my close friends have really stood by me during this tough time." htc...