I wanna be a soap star too!

When I saw the aging Jaya Sawant (Rakhi’s mom for those who still don’t know) on Bigg Boss competing with others half her age I wondered why she had subjected herself to this. Though unlettered she is intelligent enough to know that she would be shunned by the others in the house. So then why go for it? It is rumoured that once upon a time she was an aspiring actress. Research shows that most people crave fame, crave it much more than we are willing to consciously admit. Why? Because who doesn’t want to be recognized in restaurants, be made to feel special wherever they go and rub shoulders with the movers and shakers of the world? What else is it but the lure of lucre and some more fame that has made the by now relatively well- known Tanaaz and Bhaktiyar leave behind their 18 month- old- son and become inmates of the Bigg Boss house? Viewer expectation of Perfect Bride (Star Plus) was quite high as not only did it have a tried and tested formula (marriage) but the judges on it were also top grossers like the sexy Malaika Arora, the witty Shekhar Suman and the cute Amrita Rao. Though I for one cannot comprehend the reason behind having a sex bomb on a bride-seeking show or a man known for his brand of humour (is marriage funny business?) judging such a show. Probably the only one who is the near- perfect choice is Miss Rao not only because she has acted in a film titled Vivaah but for the fact that she is at that stage in life where she too is in the pursuit of a life partner. Nonetheless, the show does have its faithfuls. Viewers are beginning enjoy the antics of the suitors, brides-to-be and even the moms on the show. And as all these ordinary mortals don the grease paint it is indeed amazing to see them transform into ‘stars’ under the arc lights. How fame can ensnare you is not easy to understand but thanks to the show almost all the contestants have now achieved more than what they came for (wasn’t it to get married?) – they have become mini-celebs. And the mothers on the show act as though they are in a Karan Johar/ Rajshri/Yash Chopra film. With the Hon’ble High Court granting a stay to Imagine’s Pati Patni Aur Woh sadly the kids will continue to get tormented on the show. The only relief is that now the toddlers are out and have made way for an older age group. Now atleast one hopes that the kids will express their displeasure when unhappy as against those moppets who hadn’t even learned how to talk. This is not an attempt to throw any more darts at the show as enough has been written against the content of this show. All I want to do is pin the blame on the culpable. And they are the fame-greedy parents who loaned their infants to the show. In fact post Pati Patni aur woh one of the infants has been offered a documentary which has the mother all excited. Imagine subjecting your child to some more torture. If this is not succumbing to the lure of fame what is? A small aside: Now that the shooting of the show is over and the celebs back to their normal lives reality has started to sink in for some of them. Most of them are now crying foul that the show has shown them in bad light. What one fails to understand is that when an actor accepts a reality show he is fully aware of the flip side. It is undoubtedly going to expose his warts and all. So why rave and rant after you are done with it and have even pocketed that big fat pay check? It is in this pursuit of fame that thousands of hopefuls queue up for dance and music reality shows. Citing reasons like I am here for my dad, mom, grandmom to even my pet dog one thing they all have in common is the fatal attraction to fame. All of them live the same dream, to be a soap/reality star. Fame is indeed such a peculiar phenomenon. Why else would an aging star after so many years of hard work still want to be seen doing almost anything on screen instead of sitting back and letting the world go by? Read more...