There are stars and there are superstars. Salman Khan may have a fan refusing to leave the sets till she gets a hug, Shah Rukh Khan's fan clubs extend from India to US and Germany and Aamir Khan commands a faithful fan following on his blog, but there's something missing.
They don't make them like they used to anymore. Don't agree? Try a snap poll: What would you rather know? Whether Amitabh and Rekha actually had an affair or the reason why Kareena Kapoor split with ex-boyfriend Shahid Kapur? Not much choice, is there?
Stars earlier thrived on a sense of mystique, while today's stars wilt if they're not in the spotlight. From television commercials to reality television and Twitter, they're everywhere. Recalls actress Saira Bano, "We worked on building a sense of mystery, now there's too much accessibility. I personally tire of seeing the stars on commercials. So much so that when a new film releases, one feels like watching it on TV instead - it's like another commercial."
She adds, "Dilip saab and I never did a commercial. The only appearances we made were for charities. We were shocked when they offered us money. Today, stars dance at weddings and love to flaunt themselves."
Author and economist Lord Meghnad Desai agrees that "the temptation of making a fast buck is too great for this generation. It will have to trade money for lasting fame." Desai, who wrote the book Nehru's Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India, believes the legendary actor "managed to reach beyond cinema as a role model."
Today's stars also exist in fiercely competitive times. Desai points out, "They have rivals in the cricketers who are also iconic and compete in TV commercials with them." Filmmaker Subhash Ghai adds, "Most of us admire a star more for his material success than his growth as an actor. My loyalty, too, is not as strong as my father's loyalty for Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar or Raj Kapoor used to be."
Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers a young Amitabh Bachchan, freshly signed on for Anand, talking about how people wanted to shake hands with him since he had shook hands with then reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna, his co-star in the film. He says, "Post-Aradhana, girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria."
He adds, "Earlier, films ran for months, there were fewer films being made and stardom had sanctity. Today, it's assembly line. Heroes are eminently dispensable and interchangeable." While earlier stars were demi-gods, ruling over the box-office for 20-30 years, now they are part of popular culture. And as actor Anupam Kher says, "Earlier, we patronised one brand of soap, one toothpaste... now, we can choose from 50." Lahiri adds, "Nobody is obliged to love you for life. Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai."
Stars, earlier, also had a distinctive style, with Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor rarely stepping into each other's territory. Recalls Shammi Kapoor, "Raj Kapoor would never take a role meant for Dilip Kumar and vice versa. Today, a role can be played by any saleable actor."
He adds, "There was a mystery. Now, everything's out in the open." Stars also do well when they stick to films. Says filmmaker Pritish Nandy, "Any movie star who joined politics always lost his stardom promptly. Luckily, Amitabh retreated from politics. But Rajesh Khanna still lusts after politics and politics simply will not have him. So he ends up as a sad, lonely caricature of the huge star he once was."
Dev Anand describes the phenomenon in his autobiography Romancing With Life, "It all happens in the dark. In cinema halls, there is a strange, inexplicable chemistry... That sudden, spontaneous, magical reaction to a face or a personality... People fall for it. They love it, they would pay any price to be close to it, to touch it, to feel it, to scream, yell and whistle at it, as if they have all of a sudden found their long-lost beloved. An actor who can have this maddening effect on the audience is a true star."
And, while overexposure may have diluted star value, stars still enjoy a sway over public imagination, to make one weak in the knees as one pounces for juicy tidbits about their private lives!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-&-interviews/Era-of-superstars-is-over/articleshow/5054843.cms
They don't make them like they used to anymore. Don't agree? Try a snap poll: What would you rather know? Whether Amitabh and Rekha actually had an affair or the reason why Kareena Kapoor split with ex-boyfriend Shahid Kapur? Not much choice, is there?
Stars earlier thrived on a sense of mystique, while today's stars wilt if they're not in the spotlight. From television commercials to reality television and Twitter, they're everywhere. Recalls actress Saira Bano, "We worked on building a sense of mystery, now there's too much accessibility. I personally tire of seeing the stars on commercials. So much so that when a new film releases, one feels like watching it on TV instead - it's like another commercial."
She adds, "Dilip saab and I never did a commercial. The only appearances we made were for charities. We were shocked when they offered us money. Today, stars dance at weddings and love to flaunt themselves."
Author and economist Lord Meghnad Desai agrees that "the temptation of making a fast buck is too great for this generation. It will have to trade money for lasting fame." Desai, who wrote the book Nehru's Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India, believes the legendary actor "managed to reach beyond cinema as a role model."
Today's stars also exist in fiercely competitive times. Desai points out, "They have rivals in the cricketers who are also iconic and compete in TV commercials with them." Filmmaker Subhash Ghai adds, "Most of us admire a star more for his material success than his growth as an actor. My loyalty, too, is not as strong as my father's loyalty for Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar or Raj Kapoor used to be."
Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers a young Amitabh Bachchan, freshly signed on for Anand, talking about how people wanted to shake hands with him since he had shook hands with then reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna, his co-star in the film. He says, "Post-Aradhana, girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria."
He adds, "Earlier, films ran for months, there were fewer films being made and stardom had sanctity. Today, it's assembly line. Heroes are eminently dispensable and interchangeable." While earlier stars were demi-gods, ruling over the box-office for 20-30 years, now they are part of popular culture. And as actor Anupam Kher says, "Earlier, we patronised one brand of soap, one toothpaste... now, we can choose from 50." Lahiri adds, "Nobody is obliged to love you for life. Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai."
Stars, earlier, also had a distinctive style, with Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor rarely stepping into each other's territory. Recalls Shammi Kapoor, "Raj Kapoor would never take a role meant for Dilip Kumar and vice versa. Today, a role can be played by any saleable actor."
He adds, "There was a mystery. Now, everything's out in the open." Stars also do well when they stick to films. Says filmmaker Pritish Nandy, "Any movie star who joined politics always lost his stardom promptly. Luckily, Amitabh retreated from politics. But Rajesh Khanna still lusts after politics and politics simply will not have him. So he ends up as a sad, lonely caricature of the huge star he once was."
Dev Anand describes the phenomenon in his autobiography Romancing With Life, "It all happens in the dark. In cinema halls, there is a strange, inexplicable chemistry... That sudden, spontaneous, magical reaction to a face or a personality... People fall for it. They love it, they would pay any price to be close to it, to touch it, to feel it, to scream, yell and whistle at it, as if they have all of a sudden found their long-lost beloved. An actor who can have this maddening effect on the audience is a true star."
And, while overexposure may have diluted star value, stars still enjoy a sway over public imagination, to make one weak in the knees as one pounces for juicy tidbits about their private lives!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-&-interviews/Era-of-superstars-is-over/articleshow/5054843.cms
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