Celebrities lead an insulated life and are involved in the dream manufacturing business rather than the grim realities, and so there is a tendency to believe that they are apathetic or ignorant and it is this stereotype that ensures they are prejudged negatively. On the other hand every celebrity uses a cause and the only way a celebrity can earn credibility is by consistently standing up for a cause or social issue particularly when the arc lights are not focused on them. However, I reflect that bollywood celebes lost creditability during the general elections in 2004 when many of them joined political parties citing their wish to serve society, but in no time vanished from the scene!
In an article on 19th April 2006 Priyanka Deladia for Bombay Times interviews senior bollywood actress and social activist Shabana Azmi who says “It’s alright when celebrities support causes such as AIDS, polio, cancer etc that don’t have a political connotation. The minute a celebrity is involved in the social cause that has political ramifications, political parties rush to rubbish their stand and malign the image of society.” And on a lighter note, actor Jackie Shroff adds “You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t” in a way I do agree with Jackie Shroff that celebrities are expected to take on social responsibility, because they are in the position financially and powerfully to do so. Although when they do support various different social causes the scepticism prevails…
6 comments:
I think the skepticism comes from the fact that not all the celebrities are involved in social projects for a long term. They are usually one-off appearances that guarantee coverage in the papers and then they seem to disappear pleading foreign shoots! And there is the controversy over the fact that many of these celebs are paid to be associated with charities!
I recall one incident years ago when Shabani Azmi who on a photoshoot highlighting the plight of children with AIDS apparently worked with child models pretending to be aids victims because she didnt want to work with real ones!!! How Appalling is that? Now I am not sure if this story was true but I know that despite being surrounded by poverty, many of the rich and upperclass in Bollywood are oblivious to the poverty around them and think that flinging a few coins out of their car windows does the job!
Considering the number of movies (Over 100s) that Bollywood churns out every year, there is still a lot more Bollywood can do to be involved in projects that can help.
Its been said before, but just to reiterate, the skepticism is raised because of instances when the celebrities don't stand by their causes. After the media hype is gone and the moive has been promoted they forget the charity. Ofcourse this is not true for all but as the saying goes a few bad apples .....
I agree with what Farhana has to say. If celebrities actually maintained a long-term involvement with the causes they pledged to support instead of one-off photo shoots to boost their image it would go a long way in not only actually helping the cause but reducing the skepticism that surrounds their 'good intentions.' I am not saying that every celebrity gets involved with a cause only because it gives them a good image, there are many who genuinely care about the causes they support but due to a far larger number that only get involved at the right time as it is the right move for their career it reflects badly on the industry and makes people skeptical about all. As they say a rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch.
Hi Kerzina,
I don’t agree with you that celebrities are expected to take on social responsibility, because they are in the position financially and powerfully to do so. Social Responsibility is just a PR stunt. Come on we are a PR student and we know that this is just a PR tactic. Anyway, Thanks a lot for every body who has any kind of social responsibility. At the end of the day CSR helps the society and save a lot of people lives. It doesn’t matter to me what the bollywood stars aim from practising SR. What I care about what they did to help the society. I mean the result.
But i am of the opinion that most celebrities in India do a fraction of what people do internationally. Our business leaders apart from ratan tata do little or nothing? Our sports stars do zilch - what has say sachin tendulkar done to give back to cricket? has anyone of our super heroes started an academy FOC? Even amitabh bachchan does he run a charity? has he put back anything in the film industry which has given him so much???? Walking the ramp or allowing a photo shoot for a charity doesn't make them charitable.
Look at what celebs do globally and we'll appear a pale and shameful contrast.
hi nupur...
i do not agree that celebrities in idia do a fraction of what hollywood stars are doing... a country like india doesn't have fraction of issues to cope with, specially today where this whole transition of us becoming another powerful country is in the process... we cannot compare our problems with people from developed countries coz they don not face the same problems as us... POPULATION... and very often their support for a cause is judged as another PR stunt... i reflect that our celebrities in bollywood have taken on social responsibility to another level even if at the end of it they receive the majority of the spotlight as opposed to the cause... this could be good credibility and PR for them, but it serves some purpose to the cause/charity as well...
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