Bollywood has always intrigued me, urging me to learn more and more about the functioning of the industry. I was always drawn towards the communication side of Bollywood, and the passion towards Bollywood only got stronger when I joined a celebrity, fashion and lifestyle magazine ‘Hi Blitz’ in Mumbai, where the Indian Film Industry is based. Working for the magazine I had to often interact with many well-known and not so well know celebrities and PR’s in Bollywood. What was fascinating was to know how a PR sometimes seemed to have more power than the celebrities themselves.
This blog is an attempt to get closer to my dissertation topic, which is exploring the extent to which Public Relations is replacing advertising in Bollywood.
However, I am deviating and want to explore the extent to which Bollywood takes on social responsibility to make a difference to the nation and the world. Do celebrities that fight for a cause really want to make a difference to our country which is fighting so many social issues as of today or is it just another PR stunt before the release of their film? The trend of filmmakers making cinema that have a social message, is it because they really care or is it just to win the next critic award? Social responsibility in Bollywood has been questioned and debated on more than one occasion, and very often it just seems like another PR stunt. However I disagree and do believe that most celebrities or filmmakers that invest so much time, money and energy do it because they feel for it… but can we know for sure?
2 comments:
FOr some it is and for some its not. People also are cynical about celebrities supporting said "causes" because sometimes these celebrities learn only one side of the story and when they learn the other side they quickly back out. I guess every situation has to be looked at and judged for itself, i woudln't really buy too much into actor X, supporting AIDS for example while his/her latest movie is about AIDS.
It is encouraging to realise that increasingly, people who are in positions of influence are taking it upon themselves to give back to their country and community by supporting meaningful causes. However, there is always an aota of doubt about the genuineness of their actions. But the very fact is that there are quite many deserving individuals that do benefit from their doings. Most people would want a reward for their investment of time and effort, and if that means a movie making more bucks at the box office, then so be it!
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