Journalism of Courage
Star sends land prices shooting was the headline for an India Today report that said that Brand Bachchan had resulted in increased tourist traffic 45 per cent as also a spike in real-estate prices from 2.50 lakh to 20 lakh per bigha in Gir! Ecstatic tourist operators were quoted saying how Bachchans endorsement had created an interest within the domestic sector about tourist spots like Gir in Gujarat. Considering the flak his decision of playing brand ambassador to Gujarat had received,this must be welcome relief. For one,it validates the stars claims of spreading awareness about the culture and natural bounties of the state as opposed to viewing it as a political alignment.
Aamir Khan has been the face of the tourism ministrys Incredible India campaign with incredible success. Director Santosh Sivan had lent his expertise to showcasing Kerala to international tourists that eventually tipped the scales in its favour as opposed to the regal exotica that Rajasthan offered. It is perhaps important to allow celebrities to use their popular appeal to contribute to the greater good without pinning them down with political alignments.
Among those with notable travel footprints around the globe are producers Sajid Nadiadwala and Karan Johar,making them a favourite with tourism and commerce ministries around the world looking at growing their businesses. While Johar is partial to London and New York as settings for his films,producer Nadiadwala has traversed the world with quite a few initiatives in Australia and Italy.
This is an important step towards creating awareness about the Bollywood brand of cinema. King Khan has his followers in Berlin,the Boss Rajinikant in Japan,Big B in Cairo,Egypt and pretty much everywhere and with producers pulling in their weight,the world may soon be their oyster.
