Well it takes very little to become a celebrity in India. In the age of 24 x 7 media anyone giving a juicy bite (no pun intended) can claim to be one. Recently the breathless coverage of Salman’s court case let loose a litany of tweets and prime-time debates. Most of them threw up stars from yesteryear and sort of famous guys and gals you wouldn’t recognize in a crowded street.
I have no interest in what happened in the case whatsoever. I only felt bad for the constable who stood his ground and deposed. He by the by died in penury a few years back. These same celebs had gone gaga when Preity Zinta a few years back did not turn hostile in a case that involved a heavyweight producer. Celeb Writers like Shobhaa De (I don’t know how many aa’s she prefers in her name, wasted a few column inches on her ‘bravery’.
I was only astounded at the total intellectual bankruptcy of artistes and so-called celebrities. You had to not only contend with their righteousness but also bad English. Smug, nonchalant yet oh so bleeding golden heart on camera it seemed such a charade. Not once did they really put forth a valid argument or in a way that could be deemed sensitive. It’s one thing to point out India’s urban squalor quite another to call someone’s right of being into question.
Little known designers, actors went on air pontificating; like the imperial nabobs acquainting us with the harsh underbelly that the aspiring hordes in this nation want so badly to forget. It felt someone put a mirror after removing the manhole on the squalid, worthless souls that have encroached the paths meant for the élite in their landcruisers.
Might sound like the usual rant from a communist paper’s editorial but seriously our celebs showed themselves in poor light. No wonder Bollywood churns out such nonsensical garbage every Friday. Intellect can’t be bought my boy; throw down as many gold coins as you want.
About the author: Satyam Kapoor is an alumnus of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Batch 2003. He is a pediatrician who has completed his Post-graduation from DMC and Hospital, Ludhiana. Happy go lucky, avid reader and a mommys’ favorite Pediatrician is how he would like to describe himself.
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