Celebrity Big BOTHER!!

It has always been said that ‘An actor is as good as his last film’. And it is true that, in India especially, this saying holds good. So what does an actor, 31 yrs of age, with no memorable releases (not speaking of hits here) at all in the near past do to keep herself alive in the minds of the Indian junta? Well, join a very popular celebrity reality show, and if it is a ‘phoren’ one, sone pe suhaga, right?

That could probably be what a certain Ms. Shetty had in mind, the bounty of 3+ cr rupees being another benefit.

Reality shows, most often inspired by foreign shows, are not new in India. And every time, the policy of audience deciding on the future of participants has been a topic of debate. Audience are very easily guided by emotions. This was seen at the time of ‘painter babu’ Ravinder’s unexpected and meteoric rise in Indian Idol I and also recently with the physically challenged Diwakar in sa re ga ma pa.

So what was behind the whole issue of the ‘Racist Abuse’ on Ms. Shetty? It was indeed highly deplorable of a person to speak like how Ms. Woody did. And it is understandable that Ms. Shetty was left in tears. It is also not surprising that Ms. Woody got voted out emphatically.

But what was completely unexpected was probably the reactions that came to the whole episode. The politicians of both Britain and India were up in arms condemning the incident. The public of Britain was exhorted to vote logically to get the wrong doer out of the show so as to reinforce the image of the nation as a tolerant one.

And the reactions in India… everyone from netas to the MEA was giving statements. Isn’t it odd that the same netas never looked so concerned about dalit murders of mercilessly killed children? Or about any other issue of real national importance for that matter?

Why is it that reactions are so quick when the event involved a celebrity? Particularly when the celebrity was not representing the nation at the show?

The best comment on the whole issue, according to me, came from Mr. Salman Rushdie yesterday. Talking about the issue he said: If you feel the heat in the kitchen, it is better you move out. Definitely Ms. Shetty was not expecting a smooth ride in the show. Then why make a personal comment such an issue of macro level consequences, only to finally say nothing great had happened? And why are the repeated yo-yos happening in both her and Ms. Woody’s statements?

As a PR strategy, Celebrity Big Brother has really worked in Ms. Shetty’s favor as she has not just come into limelight, but also has been shown as a so vulnerable person. But the whole issue leaves one really to wonder: is it time for the netas and the junta to do a rethink?