The Year That Was!

2009 was the year of sex, fallen heroes and aggressive PR, with stars being seen and heard everywhere!

As we allow the year to slip by, the first reaction is a sense of panic at how fast time flies. The next, a quick calculation of what we managed to achieve in these 365 days - the ups and downs, the euphoria and setbacks. And then, a list of resolutions for the next year to make up for what we lost and to achieve what couldn't be managed.

At this juncture, every news channel, newspaper, magazine, blog and every grandpa takes a stock of the year gone by, spelling out lessons learnt - the good, the bad and worst the year brought us. Some amusing, some disappointing, others quite predictable.

All I attempt here is three observations that struck me recently in the midst of some of the constant dance and interplay between celebrities and media …

No matter what, sex sells!

Some of the most salacious scandals that sent TRPs soaring and page views rocketing this year were incidents we enjoyed thoroughly before puckering up our brows and frowning. And all of them had to do with, yes, sex!   Be it a Shweta Tewari or Negar Khan bathing under a waterfall in a reality show; Neetu Chandra canoodling with Krishika Gupta for an ad shoot in 'gay' abandon, or golfing legend Tiger Woods being besieged by luscious ladies with fingers pointed at him - the underlying layer of sex is what appealed and fascinated all. These were the items of news that had most of us sit up and take notice, check out most frequently on internet, or surf television channels for. Indeed we may deny it all we like but reality is that the three-letter word sells!

Never take what you have for granted!

What is it that pushes people, particularly those in the public eye to court danger despite every likelihood of getting caught and losing everything they ever had? Does a celebrity status blind you to dangers? In that one moment of madness, how do they lose sense of who they are and the repercussions they would have to face for a single act? Does one start imagining that one is immune to any adverse reactions or sense of ethics? What did Shiney imagine when he allegedly pounced on his maid? Did he think she would quietly acquiesce to his demands or that nobody would point a finger at him? What did Tiger imagine during his many assignations and one-night stands - did he think the truth would never come out, or did he think he was above any accusations? Once caught in the wrong, nobody was ever saved because of his celebrity status. The public is morally uptight and unforgiving, particularly with those whom we seat on a pedestal.

In today's world, marketing or perception is everything!

In a world where perception is reality and publicity makes all the difference between success and failure, the accent on marketing is immense. We are bombarded with a blitzkrieg of ads everywhere. Without even realising it, our everyday choices are dictated by the papers we read, the channels we watch and the sites we visit, and the ad exposure each one of these gives us. If you have noticed, most stars give effusive interviews and make friendly appearances only on the eve of a release. Particularly notorious for this is Aamir Khan, who though unavailable and even irascible otherwise, dons a most unlikely public image soon as a movie is ready for release. So conscious are stars about publicity and marketing aspects that they even allow their names to be linked romantically with co-stars just to arouse interest in the movie. Needless to say, the public laps it all up!

Of course there were many more observations made, and we try and deal with some more in the limited space in this issue. Hope you enjoy it!

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