4 min readSep 27, 2013 04:55 AM IST
Just recently a photo of Pune’s Yerwada jail’s most famous inmate,Sanjay Dutt,made its way into the papers for an unusual reason. Dutt,who is serving time for the illegal possession of arms under the Arms Act is reportedly helping his cellmates put together a play for a fund raising event to improve the living conditions of jail inmates. He is even set to perform to the famous Lungi dance number.
The news may be of little solace to his family but it certainly drew everyone’s attention back to Sanju baba’s helpful nature,something the film industry is well acquainted with. It is for such reasons that his fan base continues to be staunchly devoted to the incarcerated star. Last heard,the tickets were all
sold out.
That stars who get on the wrong side of the law continue to command public adulation might defy a logical explanation but the recent Screen’s Annual Survey 2013 on brands and factors that add to or erode a star’s brand equity,strongly suggests that such events — run-ins with the law barely make a difference to an actor’s popularity. In fact,the single biggest factor that helps stars continue their monopoly over fans is their performance in films and the kind of films they pick up.
Salman Khan’s undiminished popularity is a surefire example of this phenomenon. The endearing yet cheeky irreverence he displays in his television shows or films is so well liked that his hunting black bucks seems like some irrelevant star trivia. Salman,in fact,featured among the top three actors in the survey for an actor with the highest brand value. Interestingly though the moot question of public conduct cannot be overlooked completely. The positive nature of the Being Human initiative has certainly helped
Khan shore up his off-screen popularity.
That Amitabh Bachchan with his impressive body of work and impeccable conduct tops the survey with his humility being lauded by those surveyed is telling. Shah Rukh Khan who has had his share of controversies too,ranks number two in the survey suggesting that a box office disappointment was more likely to dent his popularity than say,the imbroglio at Wankhede Stadium. Of course,the fact that his film Chennai Express has turned out to be the biggest all-time hit works to his advantage besides being acknowledged as intelligent,articulate and enterprising,qualities that his fans find admirable.
Hollywood,is not too different from Bollywood. Actor Charlie Sheen despite his bad boy lifestyle has been doing rather well often channeling his personal image for professional gains. Even his meltdown and subsequent ouster from Two and a Half Men has not impacted his entertainment appeal too radically. Troubled star Lindsay Lohan saw the shine go off her NOT because of her problems with alcohol but because of the resultant unprofessionalism.
Among the young guns much can be learnt from actor Ranbir Kapoor who has made a name for himself with good performances. He remains unscathed with news of his personal link-ups routinely splashed in the media. His superlative work in films and the fact that he is least bothered about creating himself a ‘public image’ is what has kept him going strong regardless of all the romantic hearsay.
Story continues below this ad
In the emerging 24X7 coverage scenario,celebrities,talent managers and spin doctors will have to put their heads around the conundrum of how much of a spin is too much. As any advertising guru will inform you,spinning a yarn around the talent/ product holds good only till the time that the product on offer is competent.
A few years ago,when the Tiger Woods scandal broke out and shocked the world,celeb watchers and image consultants put down the huge damage to his reputation to the fact that Wood’s actions were found to be radically different from what his public image created by spin doctors would have his admirers expect of him. In creating a squeaky clean family image,which goes hand in hand with the game profile of Golf,his sport of choice,they had overshot themselves.
There is room for all kinds of personalities provided they come with an appropriate brand tag. And yes,when it comes to popular appeal,honesty certainly seems to be the best policy.
