A celebrity in the entertainment industry cannot avoid the spotlight. If the person needs to travel and thus has a casual ‘airport look,’ being photographed by roving photographers is unavoidable.
Fashion writers follow suit, spotting a Gucci bag, Versace jeans, and a Rolex watch. Repeating an outfit or accessory attracts attention, resulting in juicy news stories and social media posts.
Celebs, too, do their best to stay in the spotlight. Recognizing that disappearing behind an opaque screen of privacy after their films are released makes little sense in modern times, most are active on social media platforms, posting photographs and sharing their thoughts with their fans — and others, as well.
News is made moments after an actor leaves the house or posts something online. And one gaffe can unleash a torrent of criticism that no celebrity can control.
Richa Chadha’s Blunder
Bollywood has a long history of misstatements. Actor Richa Chadha joined the list of erring names by tweeting ‘Galwan says hi’ in response to a Twitter user who had tweeted Lt General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement, “We’re fully prepared to take back PoK from Pakistan.” We are awaiting government orders.
We will complete the operation as soon as possible. Before that, if Pakistan violates the ceasefire, the response will be unexpected, even for them.’ – Northern Command IA (sic) Commanding-in-Chief”.
What prompted Chadha to tweet “Galwan says hi,” which allegedly shows no regard for the sacrifices made by the Indian Army during the Galwan military conflict between India and China? An elaborate apology from her, no matter how heartfelt, will not wash away the memories of those three words.
The Ability to Be Seen is a Mixed Blessing
Celebrities do not hide behind anonymity, which many ordinary people use to post their activities without being identified. While familiar faces’ outfits can inspire memes, saying something inappropriate can elicit hostile reactions on social media.
Nobody needs contemptuous publicity, which often spreads beyond social media, and a prominent celebrity is no exception.
The Internet is Never Forgetful
Kapil Sharma, a stand-up comedian who has also appeared in a few films, tweeted in 2016: “I am paying 15 cr income tax from last 5 years n still have to pay 5 lacs to bribe to BMC office for making my office @narendramodi (sic).” “Yeh hain aapke achhe din? @narendramodi (sic),” he asked in a second tweet.
Sharma later expressed regret, but the fact that he had gone too far and directed his complaint at the Prime Minister has not been forgotten.
Celebrities are haunted by ghosts from their past. The Internet does not forget.
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Commercial Importance
After the ‘Galwan says hi’ tweet, the hashtag #BoycottFukrey3, a Twitter movement for boycotting the upcoming film Fukrey 3 starring Chadha, began trending. Can it have an effect on the film’s box office performance? It certainly could in the case of Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha for his comment in 2015.
“When I chat with Kiran” (his former wife) “at home, she says, ‘should we move out of India?'” Khan reportedly said at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism awards. Kiran has made a disastrous and significant statement. She is concerned about her child.
She is concerned about the atmosphere that will surround us. Every day, she is afraid to open the newspapers. Apart from alarm, this does indicate that there is a growing sense of unease, a growing despondency.”
Many people disagreed with the actor’s assessment of the country’s social climate. The comment reappeared prior to the release of Laal Singh Chaddha, prompting calls to #BoycottBollywood and #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha.” Many potential viewers vowed not to see the film, a decision they publicly declared on Twitter.
Fukrey 3 may also suffer as criticism of Bollywood for its inability to please the viewer grows.
Moral
Not everyone expresses regret. Those who do must remember that expressing regret will not undo the harm done by negative public opinion. That is a lesson Bollywood must learn immediately.