Media Meherbaan, toh…!
iView Author: Ramesh (Mumbai, India)
Email: withheld
Media Meherbaan, toh…!
This is to voice the concern that I have been having for some years now. It has intensified in the last two-three years or so as the phenomenon causing it has intensified too. I don’t know how to put it and I don’t know whether others find it as important or not.
It’s about film related writing or coverage in the media and a very very heavy bias in favour of one person that is being seen in it. I can only guess why this is happening but I am not sure. Whatever the reasons, I find it very disturbing.
As far as mainstream media is concerned, serious writing about films is almost dead. Even engaging personalised accounts have become rare. No intelligent analysis of films, no analysis of new trends and developments in the industry, no analysis of changing audience tastes etc. All that we get instead is only gossip, gossip and more gossip. Again this is not the neutral reporting of happenings with some spice added to it. It is something with a definite agenda of promoting some and maligning some others. Promoting one and maligning all others, to be precise. Not everybody is getting an equal opportunity in that either. It is only one person dominating this kind of content and hence the media and hence the public conscience. That’s my problem. My question is, WHY? Why one person should dominate our media and our environment like this? Esp. when he has no credentials in terms of his work to do so?
Everything about shahrukh khan is blown out of proportion. Whatever he does or does not do is mentioned in such a reverential tone as if it is not about a mere filmstar but some world leader or a nobel laureate social worker or a scientist who has impacted the world like never before. As if he is God’s gift to humankind and the greatest thing to have happened to the film industry. Nobody, not even a far superior actor and genuinely far more popular Mr. Bachchan gets this privilege.. He is just a senior actor and a popular superstar of yesteryears. But Shahrukh is this extraordinary superhuman. He is supposed to be the most intelligent, most charming,(whatever that means) most witty, most talented, most popular and most everything that you can think of. He is also supposed to be very good looking and is often voted as the most sexy and hottest by the surveys that no one knows about. (whenever there are genuine surveys with transparency and proper records he is ranked way below on all parameters) These days he is also supposed to have a great physique (give me a break!!) You are supposed to believe that he can do no wrong. He does just the right thing. Be it professional or personal matter, whatever he does is just great and nobody can do it the way he does. His flops become ‘critically acclaimed’ and after a while don’t even count as flops. His average films become very good and good films become great. This comes as whitewashing statements while writing or talking about something else. His performances are obviously always superb and those who can’t appreciate it don’t know much about acting and cinema. He is a man of principles, He is a devoted family man, He is a dedicated professional…. He is very stylish. He knows everything. All newcomers have had a crush on him or idolise him. All the relevant foreigners visiting India find him interesting, have heard of him or want to act with him. Such is his phenomenal popularity that he is loved by people all over the world, even by people on moon and mars. And so on………and on and on………it goes. Phew! It’s relentless. We are not spared even for a single day. Some snippet, some article or may be some interview where he blabbers incoherently and peppers it with so called witty (I guess pre meditated) remarks is always to be found somewhere. You just cannot escape this heavily biased and over the top coverage.. When ‘Slumdog Millionaore’ gets a Golden Globe, you don’t get Anil Kapoor’s interview talking about how the experience was. Instead you get Shahrukh’s interview that underlines he was offered the film initially. God knows, whether this is true or not and even if it is, how does it matter now? He blabbers about why he doesn’t regret it and how happy and content he is with his career and blah blah.
They don’t need any real occasion or reason to do this. They create one and make it sound newsworthy.
(I remember reading a snippet which praised Shahrukh for killing a cockroach that his son Aryan was afraid of and then it went on saying how he is a loving father or something like that. Again, this is just an example. Glance through any issues of past two years, of any largely circulated dailies and tabloids and you will find hundreds of such snippets.)
Some times there is a clever masking where all this is done in a little indirect way. There are trend stories where Shahrukh and his films are mentioned in the same reverential tone but as a part of the whole article and not as an independent story. The subject of these trend stories is chosen thoughtfully. Eg – You will have an article about the most successful films of the decade or about memorable negative characters in films or about youth movies or about film stars turning to television or about best screen pairs or even about most good looking men (they don’t hesitate to put him in this list as well). Once you have decided how you want to position the concerned person or what you want to highlight, building a trend story around it is very easy. Sometimes you also get some cronies to endorse how great the man is. Remember reading such stories? Take the latest example of this feature of 40 plus heroes and 20 something heroines. Just check how they have gone berserk with every mention of Shahrukh. This can be observed all the time.
Then you have these managed readers’ forums where people voice their opinion about certain things. Here four out of five people or eight out of ten people will side with Shahrukh on a certain matter. (smoking, Amar Singh dig, Manoj kumar controversy, six pack bullshit etc) You also have fabricated letters to the editors but these are used more to attack competitors. You are supposed to believe that, the ever – vigilant and nitpicking readers of these publications religiously send letters to criticize Amitabh, Amir or Salman. (You get a reader who says it was such a relief to read Shahrukh’s great interview after Salman’s boring one or you have readers of this particular tabloid who are waiting to slam Amitabh at any given opportunity)
To top it all is the inane title ‘King Khan’ constantly being bombarded on us at every given opportunity. (Some say it was given by the man to himself and then cleverly and relentlessly peddled by his friends in the media. The relentless mention and the multiplier effect has now firmly established it). With so many better looking, more talented, more popular and more successful people around, what sort of a king do they think he is? Why can’t he be just one among the most popular actors of the country? Why put him on such a pedestal?
Shahrukh’s failures are cleverly masked. Any report of any failure or even a whiff of likely negative press and the matter is hushed in no time. Remember the Dubai show controversy that had come up recently? Or failure of ‘paachvi paas’? (or even KBC 3 for that matter) Not a single report in the media which said it clearly and directly. In fact, till the very end we were getting reports of how particular episode was fun and was worth watching ( Laluprasad episode or a woman winning 1 cr. etc.) Before it closed there was this report which said that the show is so impressive that it is being demanded by some tv networks abroad. This of course was a cover up. This is just an example. This is happening all the time. Recent example is innumerable media reports convincing us that ‘Rab ne’ is a big hit. For every one media report whispering that it has had a lukewarm response, there are 10 different stories shouting how people are back in theatres, how they are loving the film, how the film has grossed great revenues, how Shahrukh is the greatest etc. Recently he launched the cover of a magazine featuring whom else, but himself. Now, why does something that has been coming out every month since so many years, need ‘launching a cover?’
They just don’t let any Shahrukh film be. Take the example of ‘Rab ne’. Despite being an ordinary film, none of the critics from English press said so clearly or trashed it the way they do others’ films. Just as the negative word started spreading, the frequency of Shahrukh’s interviews in various newspapers increased. Despite the film not taking the expected initial, there were attempts to declare it as a hit from day 1. Many stories were spinned to mention the film being successful. Once the Ghajini storm hit the theatres, they started piggybacking Ghajini mentioning both the films together and tagging them as the most successful films of the year.. Compare this to the vicious attacks on CC2C and Akshay Kumar right after the release or the way ‘Yuvraj’ was flogged till it collapsed completely. Agreed, both films were very bad but before people could make up their minds, the negative attacks were launched ferociously. They devised as many opportunities as they could to declare and underline that the films are bad and are a washout. Just the opposite of what they do for Shahrukh’s films. (There also tried to say that Ghajini is not such a big hit, people are complaining about it being violent, It’s only hype etc. but these stories died a natural death due to Ghajini’s super success.) The trend of using true/ false collection figures to promote the film was started by Shahrukh’s films. I remember his films since ‘Devdas’ being promoted in this manner. Now that Ghajini has broken all the records, they have started saying that most of the times these figures are fabricated and they don’t mean anything. In short, the mantra is, if it concerns Shahrukh, it’s great. If it concerns others, it’s nothing.
Every star and a celebrity has a PR agency and they try to peddle some positive stuff or image building stuff of the star, is a known thing. PR and marketing at the time of a release is also an accepted norm these days and everybody tries to do that. But what sets apart Shahrukh’s trumpet blowing is the editorial support he gets from the media. His positive mentions are woven into the editorial content and overall presentation in a very natural way. They go beyond the films and filmi gossip related coverage and spill into hard news or unrelated columns as well. If it’s a channel, then choosing songs or footage in a particular manner, constantly rating stars on one or the other parameter and obviously putting Shahrukh at the top if it’s a positive thing are some examples of the manipulation. The entire machinery works to slip in his positive mentions and his competitors’ negative mentions wherever possible. Eg – Even a financial paper covering a hard core business story related to films will make it a point to put Shahrukh’s mug if it is positive and put others if it is negative. If it is a collage of photographs, Shahrukh’s photo is the biggest. Some editorial desks take special efforts to display distorted or odd angle photographs of Salman or Akshay or Abhi – Ash or Rani Mukherjee. The negative stories, snippets ridiculing and maligning Shahrukh’s competitors or people he is not on good terms with, is a special aspect of his promotion. Some publications specialize in this. The kind of stories one bollywood channel runs on Salman, border on serious character assassination. They run absolutely baseless, ‘nothing’ stories on Salman, Aamir and Akshay. Even the programs supposed to be reviewing their success, pay many back handed complements to these stars.
Amitabh, Salman, Aamir and Akshay are favorite targets. Abhishek, Aishwarya, Rani, Sanjay Dutt, Govinda come in the second rung. Except for the pieces that their PR people plug in, they don’t get a single word of genuine praise. Their achievements are underplayed. Their mistakes or failures are show-cased with glee. They are dragged in false controversies, mentioned with utter disrespect and almost everything they do is trivialized and trashed. It’s just the opposite of what is done for Shahrukh. This is a well coordinated and orchestrated effort across all media platforms of the given media group. And this applies to more than one such groups. Only Shahrukh and nobody else gets this service. Why? Is a mystery. How does this happen? I don’t know. I can’t believe that entire media is so madly in love with him and even if it is, they shouldn’t be misusing the power they wield, to express this love of theirs. Their job is to do fair and just reporting. If his PR guys are managing all the nuances of such coverage, I am ready to touch their feet. As per my knowledge, it’s not possible.
I am not hallucinating. I have been tracking this coverage in about 10 newspapers and some bollywood related channels for the past two- three years. Some channels may have newly started. So, right from their beginning, I have been tracking them. I am not a jobless, vella, crazy guy. This is a part of my job. I am a PR professional. Even though I am not in film related PR, I keep a track of it out of interest.
These are my observations and there are hundreds of examples and proofs to validate my claims. The bias is extreme in some cases and moderate in some but it definitely exists. I can go on and on with this. I don’t have anything against Shahrukh and I am not pointing a finger at a particular person but to media in general. My question is, isn’t this unfair? Aren’t we entitled to realistic and honest reporting? Why should one man’s media relations leave wrong notes regarding the history of film industry? This is a false and wrong documentation of things. This is presenting a wrong picture. This is injustice to other wonderful performers. Denying them their success and popularity and misleading people into believing something that is not true, is not what media should be doing. Is it fair? What do you think? Am I wrong to believe what I have said? I know, I have brought up a very controversial topic and I have made some daring statements. I am ready for the brickbats. Go ahead! Shoot.. Hit.. Whatever!
Ramesh.
Tags: Media
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Kudos boy a well researched article .Such perfections could have benn better if you put examples from media you could have done instead of being vague.
May be media gives what public want.
“I have made some very daring statements”
Kya baat hai, mere sher…you are definitely a PR professional!
That aside, you are probably right about the whole SRK angle…you have spent 3 whole years analyzing it.
But what worries me is not so much a media bias towards one celebrity…but the complete drama the media has become with the given bias towards any celebrity…
From your article it seems like it would be OK with you if all the media drama was evenly distributed amongst all the celebrities…
What happened to real news? Credible analysis?
In India “Fame makes everyone an expert in everything.”SRK is on zenith of that fame.
SRK hasdone only 2 movies worth remembering Swades and Chak De India(Copy of miracle).Rest of all admiration as greatest actor(king of bollywood) is trash created by media.
Mythological characters laid the roots for ‘Idol-worship’ in Indian cinema that has continued to be an important aspect of identification for the Indian audience with cinema. When audiences watched their beloved mythology came alive on screen, the first seeds of ‘fascination’ and ‘love’ without a critical space became etched in our genes.Srk is a star here in India,not an actor.Hence idol worshipping media is just increasing TRP of his shows by his vast coverage.
With good PR, and raj/rahul like characters,he is bluffing indians again and again.
SRK inhis movies threw heroines off rooftops, fought climaxes with a mouthful of blood and went through entire films only in suits (that is, not anything under the suit). Of course, his interviews and award ceremony speeches were like his film dialogues – rip roaring stuff! In a memorable interview, when an India Today correspondent (now his biographer) accused him of repeating himself, he said – “So what? Even history repeats itself…”
excellent write-up. i agree with u on most accounts. ppl have suddenly realised tat srk has built-up a nice coterie of friends who keep oiling this image-building machinery. with talk-show hosts like sajid and kho as friends, he has been able to create a halo and through their words he has been able to weave a nice facade. if u watch any kjo episodes on kwk, u will notice how surreptiously they have inserted the brand srk and pitted it against bigB. and sajid makes vily remarks abt other stars thereby enhancing srk and decimating others. and their trick is to add more new members to this coterie, so the legacy lives on. budding artists like arjun rampal and shreyas are being take under their wings. add farhan and zoya too; so in every department u will have srk ka bol baala and baaki sab ka mooh kaala :(
This seems more like an out and out anti-shahrukh post..somewhat like Michael Moore’s 9/11..:)
i tend to agree with the post..SRK can do no wrong in the eyes of the media..while we are regaled with the stories of other actors’ missdeeds SRK seems to be Mr Clean..if i remember right he used to not get this kind of support initially..he was labeled as arrogant n cocky by the media..but gradually SRK won over the media n now they only have praises for him..i dont know how does he manage that but yeah its happening
Rab Ne was trashed by all forms of media, it never got any good reviews any where.
All leading channels had more than half an hour interview with anil kapoor on the day slum dog won its awards at golden globes. Every other actor who came on tv was asked about their opinion on slum dog and its golden run, so i see why they shouldnt have asked SRK about it. Media thrives on the film insutry and they keep brining in all trashy and trivial news of all stars. SRK is no exception. Though i accept with the main theme of the article that media is capable of creating an hype and image around someone, the instances and examples mentioned are not entirely true and looks more of a hatred SRK article.
A very good article ramesh. Someone has to say that the emperor has no clothes. :-)
That “king khan” is a purely media creation is perhaps one hidden secret of this continuously churning PR industry. But what they have failed to do is to build up this fake king as greater than Mr. Bachchan. Saale ko yashraj studio ke bahar duniya puchti nahin hai phir bhi “i am the king i am the king bakta rehta hai”. His downfall will eventually come sooner or later if he does not realize that taking on Mr. Bachchan hit him very hard. Because in the words of RGV, Mr. Bachchan is a talent born once in ten generations.
I am not a fan of SRK, but I will give the man his due…the guy came into this industry with no godfather and today is att he zenith of success..cut him some slack. He is not a great actor, nor a good looker, but he is and you cannot argue about it, he is a superstar. Like rajnikanth, like amitabh bachchan. Amitach Bachchan is no great actor either…he milked on his angry young man bullshit for a good 2 decades and now you declare him a superstar of yesteryear. Maybe some day shahrukh will be a superstar of yesteryear too…but right now the country loves him. The directors bank on his mass appeal..thats the Bollywood for you my friend, take it or leave it.
I think there is another way of looking at this, its called brilliant marketing!! N trust me, it takes alot more to be good at that then it does to be a good actor. Good actors dont make money…great marketing does. Anyone in India would love to be in SRK’s shoes right now…why?? Because he is King…and that is the absolute truth for now.
Nicely written
What really disturbs me is that you are from PR, yet you cant understand the nuances of a great PR machinery. Isn’t PR all about selling a substandard product as the best there is? Thats Marketing isn’t it? Its an industry just like every other one out there…bollywood at the heart of it all is about money making, sure alot of ppl wanna make good cinema, but even Anurag Kashyap is disturbed when his No Smoking is not a commercial success.
Sahi hai bhidu!
For past some years there has been a sustained campaign to reduce the equity of MR. Bachchan and pit Shahrukh as his equally powerful rival. The stories of their rivalry were created to put them on equal footing. The way Amitabh was one man industry and had a complete domination over the film industry in the 70s and 80s is a completely unaparallelled example in the world. That too without much of media ‘much much’ and PR. Shahrukh is nowhere near what Amitabh was in his heydays. I think he still remains the genuinely popular ageless superstar. Shahrukh and his cronies have somewhat succeeded in their mission as the new generation thinks Shahrukh is as big as Amitabh.
Cliff – ‘PR for selling substandard product’ – The point being made here is one man’s PR efforts are getting a complete editorial support which is not only unfair but completely unethical. It is the misuse of the power that media people have.
Very interesting write up!
I am following the filmi media only through the filter of the internet, but it really matches with the observations I’ve made. It’s the viciousness in which some media completely make up controversies where there are none that seems particularly worrying. Some media specialize in making up ludicous stories that show certain actors in a bad light and nobody seems to care that they’re based on absolutely nothing. But strangely that never seems to happen to SRK. And the countless controversies and plots that have been inveted, all targeted seemingly against poor SRK who is a self made star with no starry background in the industry, it’s incredible! But in the end what worries me is the effect that this has on the fan following of SRK. Being around a bit on Bollywood forums and fansites abroad, it’s amazing what kind of defensive aggressivness SRK’s numerous fan following shows. The infamous Aamir-SRK-dog controversy (entirely made up by malicious media!) brought an incredible number of highly aggressive SRK fans on Aamir’s blog, attacking him in the most offensive way. And although they could have read on that same blog what AK really wrote, they kept repeating the media fabrications. It’s a kind of reflex that this media coverage is spreading: SRK is the poor guy who made it on his own to the top and the whole of Bollywood is always out to pull him down. And it’s interesting how completely resistant this kind of media and sone fans are to simple facts.
And the other interesting thing is, that SRK’s PR machinery is completely focussed on his person and image. But he doesn’t manage to do good, inventive marketing for the films he is in. Not to the advantage of his films….
Your article is spot on regarding srk’s PR machinery…but you keep speaking of the rest especially bachchan Sr. as being great actors in their own rights. Bachchan was also a star first and an actor much,much later. I cannot even sit through most of his so called hits from his heydeys…or even now for that matter. Who are Akshay, salman etal for that matter. What is their body of work?…Among frontline star actors…only Amir Khan’s films have some amount of credibilty…that too within a very restricted zone. Btw Ghajini is an embarrasment.
But thats the way it is in this country or for that matter everywhere. Good looking nobodies producing shit get all the attention and media glare while actually deserving actors with talent/capabilties are neglected. If I had my way buddy, none of the names that you mentioned should appear on any publication, least of all national newspapers.
Dear Sougata,
That’s precisely my point. What body of work does Shahrukh has to show? Do you think KKHH, KANK, Don2, Rab ne Bana di, Paheli, Om Shanti Om or Chak De for that matter, are classics?We have 4-5 top stars and he is on par with everybody else in that bracket. Why put him on a pedestal? The quality of bollywood films and formula etc. applies to everyone. This situation is a given thing. We are talking within whatever situation prevails in the particular society including their socio-cultural choices. Quality of anyobody’s films is not the topic of debate. Even if it was so, Shahrukh has as much shit to his credit as anyobody else. It’s just that people are conditioned (by the media) to look at him and his films differently.
I have not given any examples as I don’t want to name the publications or channels and create a controversy. I have written with a belief that ‘Samajhnewale ko ishara kaafi hai’. If you don’t remember reading or watching the stuff similar to what I have mentioned, start observing now. But obviously you won’t get a 360 degrees view that I get by scanning through many publications or channels.
People love the hero. People love a gritty person winning against all odds and people love to be associated with a successful person. These are the very attributes that are carefully woven to create Shahrukh’s public image. Do you believe he landed in Mumbai and said ‘One day I will own this city’ or his ‘mother wanted to see him at madam Tussaud’s’. Such stories are spinned to pertpetuate an image.
Fortunately or unfortunately, people trust and respect media immensely. They believe that if media says it, there must be some truth in it. Media also does the ‘agenda setting’ for people. Something that is given prominence is perceived as important. And people start accepting subconciously that this person, this event or this news is very important. These two things seem to be working in favour of such perpetual campaigns and PR in general.
SRK and his cronies (Saajid, KJO, Farah Khan maybe Farhan in future, not sure he is right now) are all media savvy and very omnipresent. Thats why we hear a lot from them. They do love to promote their friend SRK, and bolstering his image day by day.
Aamir, Akshay, Amitabh, Salman doesnt have access to these coterie of media savvy friends, so in turn you hear less about them. Media loves to trash celebrity be it anyone, but we hear positive sound bytes about SRK because of his cronies.
Celebrity news and media coverage.
Since last 3 years, i havent come a single issue of People’s magazine without Angelina Jolie pic on the cover of the magazine. Not a single issue. I think she is there in all the covers for one reason “SHE SELLS BIG TIME”.
SRK SELLS. You cant deny that. Akshay, Salman, Aamir, Amitabh they dont have a good set of media savvy cronies to feed good sound bytes, hence you hear less about them.
Amitabh is seen with Amar Singh in tow, god i cant hear or dont want to hear anything coherent from him. Amar Singh puts me off(biased and ridiculous, prejudiced yes I am). Salman doesnt have respect for the swarming media person and flashing camera, he is too arrogant and cant put up with relentless and obnoxious media coverage(media lambasting salman in every possible way earlier). Akshay is not savvy, cannot pull a SRK. Aamir is like any other person, works according to his plans, works in a very disciplined way, and feeds media news only when he wants to. He doesnt like attention unnecessarily and sounds too preachy most of the time. So what choice media houses have.
We as indians start abhoring people who become omnipresent. Be it Dhoni(and his innumerable ads), Yuvraj Singh(earlier with loads of ads), Even Sachin. The fact is we have very few real celebrities, and thats why you see media savvy SRK making most of the news, filling most of the gossip magazines.
I think from a journalists point of view a story to be told is a story that can sell. At the end of the day, I want my publications going off the racks. You want the truth? Seriously? Try Slumdog Millionaire…aahhh, but Mr Bachchan cant take it, nor can alot of Indians who seemingly want the truth but cannot digest it when its dished out. Media is also a means of entertainment…and SRK is entertaining my friend. Good actor or not.
Om Puri is a great actor…would you buy a magazine with soundbytes and his photo on the frontpage? Naseeruddins only claim to “real” fame is Oye Oye…was that really great acting?
The film Industry is there for entertainment first? and so are film based magazines. Yes the news channels need to report news, the truth, as a true journalist….but do you really want that 24 hours a day?
You 3 year exercise was one in futility….there is nothing in this post that is NEWS….most of it is not even the TRUTH
As for the popularity of other actors, as gony dhoni has rightly stated, they have dug their own graves.
The media is a great tool for PR and Marketing…these guys just aren’t savvy or hardworking enough to utilize it to their advantage.
@gony dhoni :u r saying wat i already mentioned in cmnt #4
@cliff & gony dhoni:wat u both have said abt srk being media savvy and their cronies doing the publicity is all true. tats exactly wat this post is trying to say. bigB had banned the media for quite sometime and inspite of tat he achieved superstardom. aamir is also not media savvy, he comes out of hibernation only for movie publicity and he is still held in high regards. so, why does srk appear all over the place. reason being tat, he is stealthily misleading ppl into believing tat he is the next best thing to have happened to bollywood. in the last 3-4 ysr inspite of akshay’s movies doing much-much better than srk’s [in terms of money] he never got tat attention bcos srk’s cronies are on the job trying to spread vicious rumors and vilify others.
the very fact tat u understand this and are on the defensive shows how much the srk’s media has bamboozled u into thinking so
The amazing fact is, that media has somehow completely missed the fact that it’s not SRK who is the most popular actor any more. Others have eclipsed him by now when it comes to drawing people to watch their films, just because they’re in them.
And to say that Aamir is not media savvy is simply a myth or a stereotype that journos have become so used to that they ignore the fact that AK has brought 2008 two out and out mainstream films to super success by sheer marketing genius. How can you say he is not media savvy? But the difference between AK and SRK is, that AK does quality marketing for a film while SRK is only doing PR for himself. Something that in the end does not really help the success of his latest films and will ruin his popularity with the audience in the end…
And, btw, Cliff, thanks for the insight into the cynical workings of a “journalists” mind! So the reasons why it’s ok that Amitabh, Aamir, Abhishek have to endure made up slander stories about themselves is that they’re so stupid not to bribe the media into doing their corrupt work in their favour too? Great journalism this! thanks!
Not only Shahrukh,the way media and specially news channels go on and on about filmstars makes us think is there anything else happening in our country?People like Celina Jeitley,Amrita Arora,Neha Dhupia cutting ribbons in beauty parlours and shopping malls is covered by the news channels.And they talk about their “career” and “forthcoming films”.Wow!!!However the worst thing that has happened since private channels have taken over from Doordarshan is that we have forgotten our past.Do we have a single good programme on our past actors,films,their life?I remember in the 80’s there were some good programmes and interviews with actors of yesteryears on DD.That’s how I myself have come to know about so many people in the industry and their work.Is’nt an episode on Pran or Nirupa Roy more interesting than Priyanka Chopra’s mother opening a beauty parlour??
Is Gossip Magazine Journalism?
This post is really making me laugh now!!
So its okay for you to do whatever you need to to make money, but a publisher cannot publish news that sells because he/she has taken some oath? They are not doctors for crying out loud
I never once said they are being bribed by SRK or any cronies, news abt SRK sells. dats the point.
and how twisted is ur logic? Its okay for aamir khan to hibernate and then “USE” the media to sell his films, but its wrong if the Media Publish Newsworthy Gossip because its unethical?
What book on ethics r you reading?
Is a story on Pran or Nirupa Roy Saleable??
Gossip Magazines cater to the masses…to popular reading, to glitz and glamour…hence “Gossip”. I’m sorry, if you want Nirupa Roys life story, there are many books publishes, or wikipedia her. Im sure someones put something. You seek it, a publishing house is not going through the pain of a weekly just for YOU. Why cant you respect popular demand? Doesn’t dat make you just as selfcentric as SRK??
I’ll add my “two-pennies worth” as well.
Ramesh, you say the media is not to kind to, amongst others, Aishwarya Rai. I say, she gets very good PR. For every negative article on her there are 5 that are embarrasingly “glowing”.
It is Rani who has been getting “very bad” negative and malicious press coverage for the last few years. In fact I can’t remember the last time I read anything good about her which was not coated in sarcasm and innuendo – with that gossip writer from the Hindustan Times being the worst offender. He’s the one who end’s his articles with a “that’s life dearies”.
As for SRK. Whatever quality he has, he has me enamoured BUT TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH I’m getting very, very tired of his oft repeated stories and words of wisdom. He is a chameleon, changing colours to suit the situation. I wonder who the TRUE Shahrukh Khan is, but, no matter what, I don’t buy the one he promotes – even though I adore him. Note I didn’t say worship him. If he gets unfair amounts of media-coverage, how can we blame him – it is clear that he is quite narcissistic. It is for the media themselves to be fair and impartial. SRK is powerful but not omnipresent!
ur take on shah rukh’s PR machinery getting all this done is, i suppose, a litl too far fetchd. ofcourse i cmpltly agree wen u say hez getting more coverage n ‘love’ than he deservs.., bt then isnt that the same with evry othr star that we hv today??
media calling amir time n again “the ‘perfectionist’ khan’ irritates me no ends. the coverage of abhi-ash marriage, calling smriti irani the ‘bahu’ of ‘hindustan’, its all so badly, shamelessly done. n ya, yeh aajkal ka trend of calling stars by their pet names.., lolo, bebo, chichi, chu chu, chaa chaa…, aaaaaaaaaa yuck!!!!!
Coming to Salman,what exactly is his achievement media should be highlighted according to author of this post?Is he a good actor?How many hit films he has when compared to SRK?Infact he should thank media for all the negative publicty because there is nothing like negative publicity to give a boost to an actor’s career nowadays.In fact his fight with Aishwarya as well as other incidents helped him to remain in limelight and thereby helping his flms
All that is fine, but tell me what is the purpose of this article? I do not see any. You go on and on exhausting yourself in gazillion paragraphs saying and repeating the stuff that has been discussed and dissected to rot. People who love/like/carry-no-opinion-about him will keep on doing that and people who do not love/like/carry-no-opinion-about him will continue to do so, no matter a PR guy says so or the current flavor Obama endorses him. Doesn’t matter buddy. And if you say NOW that you ain’t targeting him but the media, I will hunt you down for sure…
Sample this –
A major business paper has today carried a big story which shouts ‘SRK is the endorsement king’and Bacchan along with bahu are on exit route and feature nowhere in top celebrity endorsers list. Any reason offerred for this conclusion? No. Is it no. of endorsements? or price commanded? or opinion of advertising fraternity? Nothing. Just a vague declaration running into four columns.
Now compare this to a feature in a reputed advertising and marketing communication magazine some months back ( Name – USP Age). This is accepted as a much more reliable source and carries well researched articles. The special issue devoted to celebrity endorsements puts Amitabh right at the top as a most sought after celebrity with 15+ endorsements. It refers to the all India survey by IMRB and IPAN in which Mr. Bacchan was voted as the best male endorser while Aishwarya was voted as the best female endorser.
So now, isn’t the news in this business paper purely misleading? Doesn’t it try to paint a picture that may not be true? Does this fit anywhere in your ‘SRK sells’ theory? This is not entertainement. This is hardcore news and it makes one believe something as a fact.
Vee,
Don’t agree with you. People will not keep on thinking what they think but will get influenced into thinking what is fed to them. Anyway, I just wanted to bring forth the manipulations with the media support. English press to be precise. Because everyone including tv channels, regional press, websites pick their stories from there. All foreign agencies, organisations and people also refer to English press as a reliable source of information. So, if they support you,your job is done.
What bothers me is the over celebration of not so deserving few and ignoring or refusing to acknowledge success, popularity and excellence of other equally or more deserving people. It includes artistes and technicians across the board.
1. SRK begins his career in movies in 1992, Aishwarya in 1997. SRK is honored with a Padmashree in 2005, Aishwarya 4 years later in 2009. So we can safely presume that her career and talents rock compared to SRK’s. SRK gets a French honor in 2008, Aishwarya in 2009, so we can presume that she is well deserving of this “earlier” (by 6 years career-wise) honor. I expect a Malaysian honor for Aishwarya this year.
2. SRK owned the government and media for many years, but now it is all owned by Aishwarya.
3. She is one of our finest talents and SRK is a hack!
4. In some strange world Rab ne was hailed as a masterpiece by the media? I do not inhabit that world.
5. There is a problem with bracketing Rab ne and Ghajni together? Why? They are the two highest grossers of 2008 and both blockbusters or better.
The number of responses on this post will far exceed those on others of this nature (the subject matter guarantees that – and the media knows it too!), thus guaranteeing a fine debut for the author. Other than that I cannot vouch for anything in the contents on this post.
Ramesh,
I think you are missing the pint out here. you started the article with the over-hyped publicity and blown-up image of Shahrukh (I can’t agree more), but then your article got the tone of Amitabh vs. Shahrukh and Aamir vs. Shahrukh. Is it necessary to compare Shahrukh and Amitabh always? I don;t think Amitabh is such a great actor, veen he has been hyped by media quite a lot. If you watch his movies, you will easily get to know what I mean. Whenever he has got a good director like Hrishikesh Mukherjee in Mili, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, he has delivered the best performances of his career. even in recent years whatever movies he has done were not very thoughtful choices. Basically he made that over-hyped come-back because he had to repay his loans for ABCL and didnt hv anywhere else to go to.
Remember Ash-Abhishek wedding? how it was over-hyped saying that she’s “bachchan kahndan ki bahu”? this family is not in this business for generations, like the Kapoors are.
basically all the bolywood reporting is bullshit and though i’m a fan of Aamir khan, if we talk in terms of powerhouse performances, where’s that performance? even Lagaan had its share of masala moments. There are actors like Om Puri, Balraj Sahani, or recently Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sensharma, Sanjay Suri, KK etc who are consistently delivering he best of performances in whatever minuscule roles they get… and boss, how do they deliver! We much not forget ajay devgan here.. even he has delivered some decent performances in recent movies.
So, my point is, every one of them is over-hyped and the so called king khaan is the king of marketing and PR… nothing else!
P.S. I’m completely sick of Filmfare and all its Bachchan-Khan saga… its absolutely pathetic what they write in there…
Cliff, you have made very good points. PR is all about selling a product and this industry is slowly turning into a giant PR machine. But even great PR cannot save a khota product. Like CCTC and Drona.
A few months back, there was a tv show called paanchvi paas hosted by srk. This is not an ordinary game show but where the king is himself the host. the PR guys had invested heavily along with ad industry on this show. but its trp was so low from day one that many refused to speak publicly. The show had to be pulled off after some weeks. This is just example when PR fails and everything becomes real.
What is important is to celebrate real talents like Pankaj Kapoor, Kay Kay Menon, Irfan Khan, Randeep Hooda, Sanjay Suri, Jimmy Shergill, Konkona, Shahana and many many others who are just crushed by this idiotic PR industry.
If good PR and a “good product” were all that was needed then why has LBC not done well? It was hyped to the hilt and got rave reviews.
The truth is that no one can predict or guarantee box-office success. By BO I don’t just mean in the commercial sense but that it is being appreciated by the bulk of the public.
JAS, why are you feeling sorry for all those people you mention? They are all doing “good” work and have had their share of exposure. What more can Konkona want? As far as I see it, she’s been very privileged by only having the best characters, female-centric and strong roles in her entire career. If she has not had the success of SRK, Akshay, Aish and Preity etc, than it is really not anybody’s fault. It is the public who have not embraced her wholeheartedly. If she wants success like that, she needs to be doing what Katrina, Kareena, Deepika etc are doing. Bar that her career is going great guns.
Finally, all this talk in Bollywood about star sons and daughters getting break after break applies also to Konkona Sen Sharma. Though she is a very good actress I wonder if anybody would have looked at her twice or given her a break “at all” if she hadn’t been Aparna Sen’s daughter! It is people like Shahana who should be lauded. They come from no where and work hard. They should be commended for being talented and having a chance to show-case it, despite having no major “players” in their family background.
Ramesh while the topic itself is very relevant I wish you had not made it look like an anti SRK write-up.while SRK does go on the over drive as far as PR is concerned, I strongly disagree that media is completely biased in favour of him.
1. A vast section of media is trying to promote Akshay strongly as the new “King” especially post Singh is Kingg
2. Aamir & Ghajini have been receiving unprecedented media coverage
3. There’s a vast section in the media which tries to always be anti SRK given the slightest chance
4. All said & done the media you are referring to is anyway gossip based.If you want serious stuff try reading ScreenIndia or some of the general magazines.Why on earth will you want to read a film magazine which are mostly all the same in nature?
In about 5-6 years all top guys will hit the Golden-50 mark…and these desi heroes will not be liked by many…there could be many of us who will not discuss like we are doin now….time baap time….sabka time hai…I think BigB is gonna have the last laugh….
JAS,I am not undermining the talent of the actors you have mentioned. I never once said SRK is a great actor. But ask urself an honest question, can Pankaj Kapoor do a DDLJ? Can he engage the romantic inside the audience. Can Irfann Khan really do an OSO? Can Konkana Sen Sharma pull off a Dhak Dhak Karne Laga? Can Om Puri is his wildest dreams be the cover of a magazine?
At the end of it all, the Indian Film Industry and the Media that survives on it depends on Superstars…not Actors. And before anyone goes on harping about it being in the Psyche of us Indians….that we like putting people on a pedestal..have a close look at Hollywood…the phenomenon is the same. Its basic human tendency to lap up something that evokes the emotion of happiness….great acting will always be appreciated…and sought after. But the world isn’t really interested in that. Does great acting change the style of the season? does it effect trends? No it doesn’t!
Style, Personality, Sense of Humour, Wit…is what makes a person attractive. Its called personality. If you have ever been to college, the best actor is not the most popular guy, its the guy who can pull off a wheely!!
So grow up, and stop this whole BS about great acting, and filmaking and all that. What matters is a billion dollar industry cannot survive on it just great acting. The Box Office will always decide what kinda movies are made, so unless Pankaj Kapur can pull off a Sholay and rake in some big time moolah…I honestly think all those who wanna see great acting should watch Theatre. Cinema is for the masses, and I for one need the gloss, glamour and gossip.
and for those who think sitting on the side of the “art” movies and the “anurag kashyaps” make you Intelligent…you are absolutely wrong. The most intelligent people on the planet make money, big money…it might be formula, but the key is to be able to use the formula. Not everyone can pull it off, SRK over 20 years has reached a place of perfection when it comes to PR.
There is a show on NDTV running right now called for the promotion of Billo Barber, its got an interview with SRK discussing his Hairstyles. Now that is great marketing, excellent PR…the movies lead protagonist is Irrfan Khan( a superb actor, i wont call him great. hes good though), but even Irrfan Khan needs and SRK to get the people in. 3 Item songs, Deepika, Kareena and Priyanka…use your head guys. I dread the day when all film makers start making “real” and “meaningful” cinema….life has enough reality and meaning anyway, I dont need to waste my money and time in a cinema to know that. I appreciate great acting, but every once in a while..I wanna be taken for a joyride.
Agree with Meghana and Jas. Celebrate the real talent. And limit other crap. BTW if you compare only the number of hits, Shahrukh, Aamir and Salman are neck to neck. The last one may have done more number of movies but the number of hits is the same.
Cliff,
The debate is not about quality of films or what you should like or not like. It’s perfectly ok to like whatever you want an whosoever you want. Question is should media manipulate or influence what you like or don’t like.
Does the media really influence us so much? LBC has got the best reviews and is promoted in every way possible…it still isn’t doin so well on the BO.
Sreesanth and Andrew Symonds give plenty for the media to work with…they dont even make their respective national sides in cricket.
The Media does a job they r paid to do, what you prefer to see will always depend on ur intelligence and sensibilities.
A blanket statement that equates the intelligence and sensibilities of an entire nation to the positive or negative potrayal by the media really does undermine the psyche of a nation.
As for the debate about a manipulative media. Selling anything is manipulative. Should Jumbo vada pav stop telling us that their Vada pavs r the biggest? Ridiculous!!
Its a buyers market, whats sells is sold. The world is cut and dry, anyone who wants to live in an idealistic world should climb up to the himalayas and become a hermit.
The media would have nothing to gain from any particular actors success or failure, they gain when their shows get the TRPs and their magazines r picked off the racks. Its simple..its business.
Ramesh, just one piece of advice, if you wanna be happy and do well in life, stop taking the media, of any kind, seriously. The entire media is a joke, but thats the cost we bear for freedom of speech. Just use ur brains, and dont take whatever crap they dish out too seriously.
As for people who get manipulated and whatever, whatever, by media, well cant really do anything about people who are too lazy to use their brain.
Funny stuff. I could only half read, though. Lost interest and central idea, mid-way.
.
This post will get maximum hits and more comments than the informative articles RS or other PFC writers have been writing diligently and with dedication.
You know the reason, don’t you.
As RS said, I should not get touchy about it, I won’t.
Neha Dhupia was half right, after all :-)
@Meghana
A correction KK is singer,Kay Kay is actor
ROFL @vishesh, par yeh to meri line thi – I already told the original poster why his thread would get maximum hits was directly related to why the media talks of that same subject!
THIS DEBATE IS VEERING INTO ALL THE UNWANTED DIRECTIONS AND MISSING THE POINT MANY OF THE TIMES. (BUT THAT’S WHAT FREE DEBATES ARE ALL ABOUT. SO,IT’S OK). GUYS, THIS IS NOT ABOUT CLASSES VS MASSES, GOOD FILMS VS BAD FILMS, THIS ACTOR VS THAT ACTOR, WHO SELLS AND WHO DOESN’T ETC.
MY SIMPLE QUESTION IS SHOULD MEDIA PEOPLE TAKE IT UPON THEMSELVES TO PROMOTE ONE PERSON AND RUN DOWN HIS CONTEMPORARIES AND COMPETITORS, DOWNPLAY THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, DENY THEM THE PRAISE THEY DESERVE AND TURN THESE EQUALLY CAPABLE AND SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE INTO WANNABES? IT’S LIKE SAYING DON’T LOVE THEM. THEY ARE NO GOOD. THEY ARE NOTHING. LOOK AT THEIR FOLLIES! LOVE OUR MAN! HE’S THE GREATEST! THAT’S THE TONE OF COVERAGE AND MANY MANY SUBTLE TRICKS ARE USED FOR THIS. I HAVE MENTIONED ONLY A FEW.
THE IMPRESSIONS THAT WE HAVE OF PUBLIC FIGURES ARE SOLELY CREATED BY THE MEDIA. MY PROBLEM IS THIS MEDIATOR AND SUPPOSEDLY RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION IS PLAYING FOUL. IT’S CLEARLY, VERY HEAVILY FAVORING ONE PERSON AND PLAYING WITH THE REPUTATIONS AND CAREERS OF OTHERS. THEY ARE ALSO CREATING WRONG NOTES FOR THE HISTORY, IN THE PROCESS. THAT’S MY PROBLEM.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT AGREE WITH ME. THAT’S YOUR PREROGATIVE. BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THERE IS 100 PERCENT TRUTH IN MY OBSERVATIONS.
Your argument is silly ramesh. I think u wasted 3 years, and PR is definitely not ur thing, you dont understand it.
Ramesh- nobody is missing the point here.If you are true to your topic why is your write-up shouting from the roof top against just one person?Dude relax a bit- the media is never gonna change anyways.
Typing in all caps does not work to drive an inconsequential point home any better. I agree with Cliff – PR analysis is not your forte. Media talks of certain personalities as that helps them sell news. They are in the business of building someone up as then it is so much more fun to demolish that person. The recent example of Akshay is KINNGG to CCTC is a debacle within a day or release is a case in point. And they have built SRK up and demolished him numerous times – when Hritik came on the scene, when he had a string of Box office misses, when Ghajni was a huge hit.