Social media has changed the celebrity game all over the world. It has brought celebrities closer to their fans, but has also made them easy targets of trolls.
Keeping this aside, actor Amrita Rao pointed out that actors should be remembered for their roles and films than their social media presence. She recalled how what makes an artist popular has changed over the years. She also shared her own experience with popularity back when she starred in the hit film Main Hoon Na (2004).
"These days, actors are becoming popular also because of their presence on social media. I think for an actor, being remembered for a character and film is more important," Amrita was quoted as saying by IANS. She continued, "There is nothing wrong with becoming a popular celebrity on social media, just that there is a huge change that has happened. I entered the industry during the transition period. Earlier, it was important to have talent and as an artiste, we used to sharpen our skills. Now there is something called talent management! In a way, it is a good cultural change that lets artistes feel more secure with job opportunity." When asked if she remembered being recognized in the pre-social media era, Amrita said, "Yes, I clearly remember that because I had a mixed feeling. Whenever I recall it, it brings a smile on my face. All of us were entering the venue, and the photographers were there, on the occasion of the success party of Main Hoon Na. There was a group of college students standing out there who saw me and calling out my name as 'Sanjana Sanjana...!' I was so young back then that I didn't know how to react, I smiled, put a palm on my face because I was feeling shy! In my head, it was like 'what just happen? This meant they really watched my film and recognised me!!' It was an over-the-moon feeling of a youngster!" Talking about work, Amrita was last seen in Thackeray, a film based on the life of Bal Thackeray. Starring alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui, she played the role of Meena Thackeray.