Make way for Indian paparazzi!

Make way for Indian paparazzi!

Just when we thought Bollywood had run out of mirch masala, there's a lot of smoke and fire with the war between Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar. The gloves are off for a full-blown slanging match. This is the second one after the recent Farah Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's war of words. And I must concede that after the staid and boring, "I don't know if X has problems with me, I on my part have no issues!" candour comes like a breath of fresh air.

Thank God for people unafraid of baring their soul occasionally and while at it, some real feelings rather than the airbrushed cosmetic ones carefully cultivated for putting out to the media. Film stars, complain countless fans and admirers, are becoming boring copy. But maybe that's a reality of the times that we live in – airbrushed emotions and reactions quite like the artificially enhanced and corrected visages that we are now accustomed to seeing are here to stay. A fair share of the blame, I admit, rests with the fourth estate so crazed by the celebrity culture that it doesn't know when to switch off. The politically correct statements are partly a response triggered by the 24/7 media scrutiny that stars are subject to. Last year Angelina and Brad Pitt's visit to Pune for the shoot of a film gave us a glimpse of the Indian paparazzi. The melee outside the Bachchan bungalow during Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding was another such. More recently there was the Saif-Kareena appearance at Lakme Fashion Week followed by endless speculation and analysis about the Kareena-Saif-Shahid triangle. So, is the media, going to be the constant third in any tinselville relationship? Do celebrities, filmi ones in particular, fabricate relationships or show them off to promote their films? Are they going to react to their significant others through the media? Is the media actually morphing into a Frankenstein monster that decides on who makes or breaks up with whom?

The answer to all the aforementioned questions is both yes and no. It is true that yesteryears stars usually chose to conceal their romantic liaison with colleagues- largely because the leading men of those days were married men. Those were also times when society in general was more prohibitive.

Cut to NOW when live-in relationships are rather common in metros, homosexuality is knocking loud and clear on the closet doors and the number of marrieds and not-marrieds in the industry are evenly divided. There really is no reason to shy away from the cameras unless you are two-timing your significant other or having a bad hair day. Most celebs have figured it out. Well almost. So they do the mandatory posing before the cameras before pulling off the disappearing act. A few allow the cameras to capture their most private moments too but that's subject for yet another column.

Things, however, tend to get a little out of hand and ugly when the cameras are constantly trained on you. And it's at times like this when the cracks begin to show. Like when an irate Sanjay Dutt making the rounds of the Court before his most recent jail visit warned off the photographers saying he was wearing the same shirt and denims in which he had been shot several times during previous court hearings. Dutt, in yet another lot of photographs was shown with partner Manyataa giving him a goodbye hug. Poignant? Certainly but intensely private too…Maybe the photographers should have looked away? Other paparazzi triumphs? Footage of the Bachchan parivaar celebrating karva chauth on Jalsa's terrace. It was newly minted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first. In full view of junta at large, accompanied by the news anchor's irritating commentary about the proceedings. Or Aamir Khan walking forlornly to the court. My sympathies are with the actors and their families but whoever said being famous was easy?

Meanwhile, let me wish you, dear reader, a wonderful Deepawali and no, for the record, the Screen photographer will not spend the day trailing filmi sitare!