Dead But Not Gone...

The recent death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson just makes us realize that there are many celebs who vanish as a mist, the minute they cease to exist in the mortal world. But there are some, who continue to live forever through their deeds both good and bad, their works and their inimitable persona.

We spoke to some of our TV stars who give their take on why only few continue to "exist forever" and the rest are "easily forgotten". It surely gives us an interesting insight on this curious anomaly.

Gunjan Walia:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only certain establish their place in history. Why?
From the complete lot of celebrities, very few make a mark on the minds of human beings through their actions or through their contribution to the field they belong to. This is what holds some of them on a separate level.
Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
No matter what a person has done in his or her lifetime, he or she should be remembered through their good work. One should not take into account the negative aspects of their life. It's not like following the tradition of not bad mouthing a dead person, because left tome, I'd rather not bad mouth a living person too!

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
Yes, Mother Teresa. I admire her very much. I would surely love to do a tiny bit of what Mother Teresa has done.

Sharad Kelkar:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only certain establish their place in history. Why?
That's because some people are meant to be legends.

Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
Legends are usually criticized when they are alive and are praised when they die. I don't think this is right. Not just after death, but we should make it a point to appreciate anyone at each and every chance that we get.

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
Many to list down!
Amit Tandon:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only certain establish their place in history. Why?
It depends how the person touches people's lives. Also such personalities have one- of- a- kind, everything about them. They are the epitome of individuality. This is what gives them a fan following so strong, that keeps them alive even after they die.

Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
Everybody does mistakes and this is true in the case of celebs too. So why try to hide the fact that anyone can contain certain flaws?  Its part and parcel of being a human being.

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
Yes for me its my grandfather. He will always remain my icon and hero.Pallavi Subhash:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only a certain establish their place in history. Why?
They are such personalities who cannot be replaced by anyone else. That's what makes them so special.

Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
It really doesn't matter how they are portrayed by the media or something else. The irfans will always continue to love that person in spite of their wrongdoings.

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
My father Subhash Shirke. I can't express in words how much he means to me. He remains in my heart till today.

Jas Karan Singh:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only certain establish their place in history. Why?
That's the effect of stardom. It also depends on how much a star inspires people.

Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
Anything negative should be immediately gotten rid of. Even if the person is alive we shouldn't focus much on negative aspects. Even Gods have made mistakes. Does that mean we stop worshipping them?

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
Nope. But if Sylvester Stallone dies then I would surely mourn for a very long time.
Lubna Salim:

Many among the rich and famous die, but only a certain establish their place in history. Why?
It depends on how the celebrity has touched someone. And the more the number of fans the person has, the more an impact their demise has on the world. They are ageless. They have this quality where they affect others even in their absence.

Should they be remembered with the focus only on their positive side? Or should there be a realistic portrayal?
I feel their complete life should be portrayed just as the way it is. But such people influence a lot, especially the younger generation. So we may as well add this point that these celebs may have done a lot of mistakes, but we do learn from their mistakes.

Do you have a favorite celeb who is now no more?
Not a celeb, but there are three special people who continue to inspire me. My Marathi teacher who in spite of being a Jew took the pain to teach me Marathi. My father Javed Siddique for he taught me to be myself, and Gulzar saab because he taught me the ropes of this industry.

Reporter and Author: Susan Jose