Never has God been so passionately wooed by the most unlikely devotees as before a movie-release! Monojit Lahiri examines this fascinating phenomenon!
By God... it’s rather odd”, as the Brits might say! It truly is. Here are B-town’s red-hot Dudes & divas, all glitz, glam, gloss, sexy, macho & cool, flashing style & altitude, 24*7, blitzing every available nook & cranny of every conceivable media avenue to gain that extra (publicity) edge over their rival & dig deeper into fan space, living the 10-star perfumed life of the pampered celeb where gossip, scandal, fights, bitching, jealousies, insecurities, posturing & exhibitionism come with the turf, right? However, come a big release & these very same flamboyant, flashy hotties drop everything, change into sack cloth & ashes & make a beeline – folded hands, closed eyes – for the mandir/masjid/religious place of their choice. Religious or not, this is one bulawa they religiously (pun intended) respond to with startling speed because it is closely connected to their future! So suddenly this super-brash hunk – or gorgeous fashionista – super confident about everything is reduced to an everyday, normal, god-fearing mortal, jittery & insecure as hell, leveraging he power of prayer in the hope that the big boy above waves the film through to the select Rs 100 crore club! The latest in the “Help-God!’ trip was the beautiful Kat Kaif who was reported to have made a quick air dash to Ajmer Sharif to seek the blessings of Moinuddin Chisti. Wearing a black trad outfit, head covered the Sheila-ki-Jawani item bomb was a zillion miles away from showbiz & appeared perfectly cast as the earnest devotee requesting god to bless ger latest starrer, Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Considering her fab track record with prayers in this shrine – Ek Tha Tiger & Mere Brother Ki Dulhan - & the readymade 40 carat glow that the film carries, Kaif could well register a hat-trick! Earlier the entire team of the Ajay Devgn – Starrer Son of Sardar – JTHJ’s big rival – was said to have visited the divine Golden Temple in Amritsar, seeking blessings for their film. Several other big cats & banners of Bollywood have, over the years, been moved – literally & otherwise – to fall on the feet of their favourite deity & pray that their film does well. After all, in the final reckoning, beyond star-glow, hysterical promotions, monster budget, spectacular locales, gorgeous music & romance, drama & conflict, action & emotion, there is only one judge n’ jury who can seal the fate of the film… God!
So what does one make of it… does it real make sense? Is it ridiculous dramabaazi? Superstition in action… or just a normal invocation to the almighty to bless their project?
Behavioral Scientist Mira Kakkar thinks that B-town gets the rap for any & every thing it does because of the glamorous space & slot they occupy. “Don’t all organizations hold mahurats, Pujas & religious ceremonies before they commence operations start a new, ambitious project? How come no one bats an eyelid then? It’s a part of the Indian tradition to invoke the blessings of the almighty, so what’s the big deal? Katrina & Ajay did what most big honchos in business & industry do: seek aashirwad. Their being hi-profile luminaries of the glambiz don’t - shouldn’t – erode or trivialize their intent. Sure, a lot of the stuff stars do is for attention-grabbing but that comes with the territory they reside in. To count this as one of them is both insensitive & inaccurate.” Vikas Kharbanda doesn’t agree. The Delhi-based Communication specialist finds “these excursions into god-land hilarious because they are so obviously opportunistic! All year, they live the extravagant life of the pampered rich & famous but the moment a big-ticket release comes up, they turn trembling devotees & mosey across to their favourite gods for maska! God is not that dumb, okay, so he lets his silence do the blessing! Win some, lose some. If these filmy blokes concentrated a little more on the quality of their films & less on shrine-excursions, they may have been better placed. When will their dramabazi stop?
Grow up guys & stop pressuring the old boy! He has enough on his plate!” Film scholar Partho Chatterjee agrees. “It has nothing to do with religion, faith or devotion… it’s about naked commerce! Crores have been sunk into the project, so, please god, let there be a good ROI! It’s a plain & simple business compulsion, a fervent plea to the Big Boss to make the film flop-proof & Rs 100 crore friendly! God must be having a blast seeing these Oscar-winning movies! Funnily, when some of these films strike gold & rake in the stuff, not too much is heard about divine blessings or intervention during the celebration parties!” B-town fan, Neha Sarin supports this move, full-on. Articulates the Dubai-based Housewife. “Mira is right. Bollywood remains the most convenient & favourite punching bag of all the righteous kill-joys who smell a rat wherever they go!
These judgmental, khadoos breed never give these guys any credit or benefit of doubt. Holy shrines belong to everybody & devotees going there don’t need an entry-card/permission from this cynical lot! They have invested blood, sweat & big bucks in their project, so is it a sin to go to these places of worship & ask the blessings of the respected deities/Holy people & pray for their success? Why call it dramabaazi & opportunism when most everyday people do the same? Be honest – How many times do we actually remember god without motive in our everyday lives? Don’t we too seek his blessings on special occasions to fulfill special needs... aren’t these releases too special occasions? C’mon gimme a break! B-town is a soft target. People living in glass houses…”
Phew – quite a mouthful, huh? Cut to another track. This one beams live from Ajmer Sharif – the favourite religious destiny of B-town personalities, big & small. There too opinions seem to be divided between the powers that are regarding the Industry’s agenda, intent & objective of their visit. Dangah Dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan – the hereditary Sajjada-nashin of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty – believes that a holy place must not be used as a platform for anything that is forbidden by Islamic law. Film stars, he says come there to seek blessings for their films & promote them through the media. He has no problem with the film frat visiting the dargaah, but “mazaar pe CD rakh ke jaate hain, who galat hai.” Why? Because, he explains all sorts of obscene & immoral elements could be in the movie that is blasphemy! He requests all Islamic intellectuals to pay urgent attention to this issue & not remain quiet. He further believes that Ajmer Sharif being such a popular & revered place, Yahan aakar publicity ke liye who yeh sab karte hain. Woh ashleelta ka paros rahe hain,religious jagah pe.” However the Khadim at the Dargah is clearly not on the same page. Avers Qutubuddin Sakhi, “A celebrity or a commoner comes here to pray for his/her well being – not publicity. Bollywood stars have been coming here for the last two decades & more those who feel strongly against & more. Those who feel strongly against this are entitled to their opinion but have no authority to ban them.” Religious heads of another eminent dargah, Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin agree & take it forward. States Syed Afsar Ali Nizami – dargah-in-charge – “To say that stars or directors are using this holy place for commercial purpose & degrading moral values is completely wrong. If the stars believe that their visits at these holy shrines will get their wishes fulfilled, what’s wrong?
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
| ExecutiveMBA |
