By:
Deepa
Gahlot,
IndiaFM
Tuesday,
June
12,
2007
Our
top
stars,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Shah
Rukh
Khah,
Hrithik
Roshan,
Salman
Khan,
Saif
Ali
Khan,
Akshay
Kumar,
Aishwarya
Rai,
Kareena
Kapoor,
Preity
Zinta,
Rani
Mukherji,
are
seen
all
over
the
place
-
TV
and
in
print
ads
endorsing
brands,
walking
the
ramp
in
some
designer's
clothes,
attending
events
as
brand
ambassadors,
performing
on
stage
at
awards
functions,
dancing
at
high-society
weddings
or
blinging
up
some
charity.
When
do
they
have
time
to
do
their
real
work?
The
level
of
their
exposure
is
alarmingly
high.
They
make
huge
amounts
of
money,
reach
dizzying
heights
of
fame,
but
isn't
this
all
in
some
way
strangely
unstarry?
It
makes
one
feel
nostalgic
about
yesteryears'
stars
who
were
never
seen
in
public
in
casual
clothes
or
without
make-up;
they
never
went
too
close
to
the
public.
But
didn't
that
aura
of
mystery
somehow
add
to
a
star's
allure
and
longevity?
Doesn't
the
term
'star'
to
describe
a
popular
film
actor
automatically
signify
someone
who
is
high
up
above
the
commonplace-one
who
can't
be
seen,
touched,
reached
easily?
If
some
of
those
supernovas,
instead
of
commanding
their
fans'
admiration
and
awe,
kneel
down
and
exhort
them
to
buy
jewellery,
watches,
soft
drinks,
biscuits,
noodles,
soaps,
pens,
cigarettes,
tea,
booze,
mosquito
coils,
underwear
and
paan
masala,
don't
they
lose
a
bit
of
their
glitter?
Forget
Hollywood
where
no
top
star
needs
to
stoop
to
sell
ordinary
products
to
the
public
or
dance
on
stage
(though
some
of
them
do
ads
in
Japan
hoping
nobody
at
home
will
see
them),
some
of
our
own
older
stars
could
be
neck
deep
in
debt,
but
they'd
never
ever
do
an
ad
film
or
demand
money
to
do
a
charity
show.
The
fact
that
they
were
so
distant
ensured
that
they
are
still
idolized
by
fans.
People
still
refer
to
them
as
'saab'
and
'ji'.
Today's
stars
invite
familiarity
and
everybody
calls
them
by
their
first
names
and
even
pet
names
(Duggu,
Bebo,
Chi
Chi,
etc)
It
has
also
become
necessary
for
the
stars
to
take
advantage
of
that
shorter
reign
at
the
top
and,
to
use
the
clichÉ,
make
hay
while
the
sun
shines.
If
advertisers
think
that
endorsement
of
a
product
by
a
major
star
would
help
sales,
they
will
offer
stars
sums
of
money
they
cannot
turn
down.
This
is
the
best
time
to
be
a
celebrity.
Stars-second
and
third
rung
ones
too--
are
needed
to
generate
interest
in
print
publications,
TV
shows,
websites,
charity
events
and
even
weddings.
The
Indian
public--
especially
NRIs
-
is
crazy
about
stars.
There
is
a
demand
for
them
all
over
the
place.
Whether
the
demand
is
there
because
the
media
has
fuelled
it,
or
the
media
chases
stars
because
there
is
a
demand
for
them,
is
a
debatable
issue.
But
the
short-term
benefit
in
terms
of
money,
exposure
and
popularity
goes
to
the
stars.
It
does
not
necessarily
translate
to
box-office
success,
however,
except
for
one
or
two,
no
star
can
even
ensure
an
opening
for
a
film
today-as
the
failure
of
films
like
Salaam-e-Ishq
and
Umrao
Jaan
(at
the
height
of
the
Abhishek
Bachchan-Aishwarya
Rai
romance
buzz)
proves.
In
these
hype-driven
times,
there
is
also
a
problem
of
out
of
sight
being
out
of
mind.
If
a
star
does
not
have
an
in-your-face
presence
all
the
time,
he/she
is
likely
to
be
forgotten.
Two
of
our
biggest
stars
Dharmendra
and
Rajesh
Khanna,
and
a
fine
actor
like
Rishi
Kapoor
are
cases
in
point.
If
you
don't
stand
at
the
street
corner
and
tom-tom
your
achievements,
nobody
else
will
do
it
for
you.
Overexposure
is
never
good
for
any
star's
career,
but
underexposure
is
equally
dicey-it's
tough
to
gauge
when
the
public's
curiosity
turns
to
boredom.
Recent
Stories
Kab
Se
Ho
Gaye
Dildar
Censorwale?
Subhash
K
Jha
speaks
on
Dharm
Archives