MUMBAI: While following your favourite celebrity might be harmful, making informed decisions on what they do, says actor Worship Khanna. Worship, who has been part of shows like Kumkum Bhagya, Meri Doli Mere Angana, Ishq Subhan Allah and web series like Hello Jee, Cold Lassi and Chicken Masala and the current show Pati Brahmachari, says that people have been emulating their favourite celebrities since a long time.
“Today, people follow celebrities for everything fashion, lifestyle, fitness, and even relationships. Many blindly copy them, whether it's right or wrong. I’ll give you a small example: Remember when kids saw Shaktimaan on TV? They started spinning around and even jumping from rooftops, which caused injuries. That’s the kind of influence we’re talking about. Now adults when they see someone riding in a Rolls Royce or having four girlfriends and still being successful with a big house and fancy cars, they get influenced too. People also want to copy their skin routine, workouts, light diet plans, where they go, what they eat... everything! I’ve noticed that people are more interested in our personal life than our professional work. They want to know what we eat, what we do in our free time, who we meet, what our hobbies are. That clearly shows how much they want to imitate us,” he says.
Talking about why this happens, he says, “I think it’s because once someone appears on TV or in newspapers, the public assumes they are "successful." But the truth is very different. Just being on TV or in the media doesn’t mean we’ve achieved our dreams. We are still working hard to reach our real goals. For me, becoming a public figure is not the definition of success. But I understand that for a lot of people, seeing us on TV feels like a huge achievement. That’s why they follow our dressing sense, diet plans, and everything else.”
Sharing more from his own life, he says, “I tried to follow Akshay Kumar’s lifestyle. When I saw that he wakes up really early, I felt that maybe that’s the reason for his success. So yes, I do get influenced by good habits of celebs, and I think we all should learn from such things. But here’s my advice: Don’t get so influenced by any celebrity that you forget your own lifestyle or roots. Everyone has their own needs, routines, and cultures. Follow what suits you.”
Talking about the benefits of being a celebrity, he says, “There are definitely a lot of perks. People know you, love you, take photos with you. Sometimes they even refuse to take money from you at shops or treat you in special ways. It feels good. But honestly, when someone shows me so much love or respect, sometimes I feel guilty. I feel like “Have I really achieved that much yet?” Just because they saw me on TV, they start thinking I’m a big star, but that’s not the truth. I still have a long way to go. Also, sometimes people are afraid to approach us. They think, “Will he say no to a photo? Will he be rude?” But that’s not the case at all. I feel really happy when someone walks up to me, talks nicely, or takes a picture. It shows that they are recognizing the hard work and struggle I’ve put in for years and that’s a kind of appreciation we actors value the most.”
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