Idol Gaffe!

A few months back Shilpa Shetty, and I were in the same hotel in Pune. As I was walking out of the restaurant I saw a lady, thin, heavily made-up - not a strand of hair out of place, posing for photographs. It took me a while to recognise and realise who she was - afterall, screen-looks are different! By the time I realised who it was, a small crowd had gathered around her with the usual requests for selfies. I turned back to look at her again, as she declined the selfie requests saying she had to go change. I was standing waiting for the elevator even as she walked past with an entourage and stepped into an elevator that was kept waiting for her! “Benefits of being a celebrity, Shobha”, I said to myself, as I continued my wait.

Yesterday, the celebrity was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Doling out her opinion on the English books that should be included in the school curriculum, she suggested that George Orwell’s Animal Farm be included so children could learn to love animals! Netizens, ofcourse, did not let go of the opportunity to troll the lady and I was amused, more by the trolls, that were extremely witty, than her own comment. She later admitted on never having read the book!

It must be hard on these celebrities, when they are asked to comment on something out of their area of expertise. I was also bemused when a few young actresses were asked their opinion on the recent demonetisation reform that we have going. (But with all due credit to them, they said what was expected of them, careful not to get into the details of the reform). 

We have become a set of people that look up to public figures and celebrities - we are curious about their lives, their diet, the shampoo they use and their relationships, all when actually none of it is our business, anyway. I suppose this is the trade off for the adulation that they receive.

This has come with its negative impacts - we have become a society that ignores the line between artificial and real. I wouldn’t mind unkempt hair hiding an incredible brain (Remember Albert Einstein’s famous portrait?). I don’t think we quite realise the damage we are doing to our younger generation in inadvertently idolising celebrities for what they are not.

Shilpa is a great actress, a graceful dancer, an astute business woman and hats off to her for all that.