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Flattered by fan mails
Call it love, admiration, obsession or hatred, there would be no celebrity without fans. And fan mail is the umbilical cord that binds a celebrity to his or her fans.
Fan mails come in all forms — from postcards to telephones to emails. They could be poetic pourings or mad rantings; erotic messages or marriage proposals; swear words or plain threats. But celebrities love them all, for they are the proof of their status. However, all of them have a system in place that screens and scans their fan mail so that only a select few reach them.
Metrolife hand-picked eight celebrities to get their perspective on fan mails.
Akbar says that mails always matter, because writers are nothing without readers. But the term 'fan mail' implies some sort of stream of adulatory letters. "Alas! this is not quite true, at least in my case. While I do get my share of agreement and even a touch of praise, the really steamy stuff comes from — to indulge in a mild joke — heaters rather than fans, readers who are heated enough to fling an accusation or two," he says.
M J Akbar brings out the fortnightly Covert.
Rajeshwari Sachdev candidly admits that her mails are screened before she finally gets to see them. She had people sending her books on acting and she says that it's a great feeling to be watched and appreciated. "I do meet people and certainly return a smile even to strangers," says Rajeshwari.
Rajeshwari Sachdev - actress and TV star
Kher says that the best fan mail he ever received was from a little girl. She left her phone number at the end of the mail asking him to call. "Fan mails are excellent feedback because they are people who watch your films and they're the best judges," he admits.
Sikander Kher - actor
Mungaaru Male star Ganesh snatches time in between his shooting schedules to reply to his fans. He usually sends out an autographed picture to his fans. "Fan mails are proof that people are following our work and I take both criticism and admiration in my stride," he says.
Ganesh says he greets his fans whenever he can. Most insist he's better off as a romantic hero than as a villain.
Ganesh, actor
Shabir finds fan mails rather unreal. "It's amazing how people actually keep a tab on my every move. They remember the attire I wore, the scenes, dialogues and even my expression at a particular moment," he says.
Shabir Ahluwalia, actor
I don't get any erotic mail because people consider me to be a respectable woman. I am not conservative but I am conservatively clad in most roles," Lakshmi clarifies.
She replies to most mails but doesn't encourage too many liberties. "Men write in and women find out my landline number and call most of the time," she says.
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy - actress
Simran says people watch all her movies, in all the languages. "The fan mails I receive are a proof of that," she adds. People ask her to act in Punjabi movies, besides Kannada movies.
Simran - actress
Fan mails point to new directions. Mails that are constructive in criticism enlarge your own knowledge. It gives me an understanding of how people think," says Guha, who admits having received hate mails, laced with the choicest of abuses.
Ramachandra Guha writer
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug62008/metro-wed2008080582910.asp
Call it love, admiration, obsession or hatred, there would be no celebrity without fans. And fan mail is the umbilical cord that binds a celebrity to his or her fans.
Fan mails come in all forms — from postcards to telephones to emails. They could be poetic pourings or mad rantings; erotic messages or marriage proposals; swear words or plain threats. But celebrities love them all, for they are the proof of their status. However, all of them have a system in place that screens and scans their fan mail so that only a select few reach them.
Metrolife hand-picked eight celebrities to get their perspective on fan mails.
Akbar says that mails always matter, because writers are nothing without readers. But the term 'fan mail' implies some sort of stream of adulatory letters. "Alas! this is not quite true, at least in my case. While I do get my share of agreement and even a touch of praise, the really steamy stuff comes from — to indulge in a mild joke — heaters rather than fans, readers who are heated enough to fling an accusation or two," he says.
M J Akbar brings out the fortnightly Covert.
Rajeshwari Sachdev candidly admits that her mails are screened before she finally gets to see them. She had people sending her books on acting and she says that it's a great feeling to be watched and appreciated. "I do meet people and certainly return a smile even to strangers," says Rajeshwari.
Rajeshwari Sachdev - actress and TV star
Kher says that the best fan mail he ever received was from a little girl. She left her phone number at the end of the mail asking him to call. "Fan mails are excellent feedback because they are people who watch your films and they're the best judges," he admits.
Sikander Kher - actor
Mungaaru Male star Ganesh snatches time in between his shooting schedules to reply to his fans. He usually sends out an autographed picture to his fans. "Fan mails are proof that people are following our work and I take both criticism and admiration in my stride," he says.
Ganesh says he greets his fans whenever he can. Most insist he's better off as a romantic hero than as a villain.
Ganesh, actor
Shabir finds fan mails rather unreal. "It's amazing how people actually keep a tab on my every move. They remember the attire I wore, the scenes, dialogues and even my expression at a particular moment," he says.
Shabir Ahluwalia, actor
I don't get any erotic mail because people consider me to be a respectable woman. I am not conservative but I am conservatively clad in most roles," Lakshmi clarifies.
She replies to most mails but doesn't encourage too many liberties. "Men write in and women find out my landline number and call most of the time," she says.
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy - actress
Simran says people watch all her movies, in all the languages. "The fan mails I receive are a proof of that," she adds. People ask her to act in Punjabi movies, besides Kannada movies.
Simran - actress
Fan mails point to new directions. Mails that are constructive in criticism enlarge your own knowledge. It gives me an understanding of how people think," says Guha, who admits having received hate mails, laced with the choicest of abuses.
Ramachandra Guha writer
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug62008/metro-wed2008080582910.asp
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