Is Super Stardom Unhealthy?

SUPERSTAR is a word, which reminds us only of bollywood. Whenever we hear this word, our mind starts running with double speed and some name such as Salman, Shahrukh, Aamir, Hrithik, Akshay and many other started coming into our mind. However, there is a limit of everything and when we cross that limit then our graph starts diminishing. This is the exact case with Bollywood and Bollywood SUPERSTARS.

Now the trend of SUPERSTAR is diminishing and a new trend of “100 CC” (Crore Club) is flourishing in a great way in Bollywood. Every actor wants to achieve this target or try to get their name in this club. The value of an actor is not valued by his acting but it is valued by seeing that how many of his films have reached the benchmark of 100 cr.

Superstars are becoming Super-Duper Stars after entering this club.  They go beyond a certain level of stardom, they entered in the category of SUPER STARDOM, and the first name in this list is of Mr. SALMAN KHAN.

Salman Khan has earned a super stardom status. Whatever he touches, it becomes gold.  Everyone is mad behind him and his films but the main question is that whether he is doing justice with his work or with the audiences? Is his super stardom is unhealthy for him and the Bollywood industry?

Salman Khan is a man of masses. Millions of peoples watch his films and this is the reason that within a few days of release, his films do the business of 100 cr’s… The question arises here is that as an audience am I enjoyed by his films or not? Or, we all watch his films as a compulsion. As we say in Hindi “Sab Bhead (Sheep) Chaal Chalte hai”. 

Salman khan has become such a big star that from first scene of his film only, everybody starts analyzing that whether it will be a hit or flop. No one is interested in story or action or emotions which the actor wants to convey to him rather the audiences are more interested in the calculations, that this film will cross the last record of 200 or 500 cr or not. At every scene of the picture the reaction of the audiences are changed. Until the story is going according to their imaginations, they say to themselves that this picture is a hit and as soon as the story routed to other direction beyond their thinking, they say it is flop film.

The main reason of cinema is not to do calculations or to see that previous records are break or not. Films are made to conveying a story to the audiences and let them analyze and decide that whether they liked the whole film, story or character. This thing is missing out of Salmans films. They are watched by millions but remembered by some. I am not saying that all Salman films are in this category, he has given some brilliant films to the industry but now he is standing at a position from where his films will come under this category of Judgmental Cinema.

I recently watched KICK in the theater and I have watched WANTED in the theater as well. It was a totally different experience, no one shouted at the entry of Salman, no whistles during the film scenes, no screaming like “Sallu Bhai”. On the other hand, at the time of WANTED people were shouting like hell, everyone is whistling and even a lady aged 35-40 sitting behind me also whistled.

Today everyone is sitting quietly, no emotions, no clapping, no mazaa at all, as if I am sitting in a ‘SATSANG’. This is because everyone is judging, everyone try to become a critic. This is the difference between a 43 Yr old Salman and a 48 yr old Salman.

This judgmental behavior of audiences is not only unhealthy for Salman but it is not good for the entire Bollywood Industry. Everyone is trying to get in the clubs’ and trying hard that their films cross the benchmark of 100 cr . If this will remain the case then we are heading towards a materialistic cinema. A cinema in which you are not enjoying the films, you are not getting the message right, you yourselves try to give ratings to the films and most importantly you are paying for such a thing, which is giving nothing in return to you.

This over stardom of Salman is fetching a lot of money to him but the fear is that at the end of his life he will be remembered as a brilliant actor or a superstar of a club. His acting is improving in his every film but no one is concerned with that, no one ever talked about his acting, everyone is trying to figure out the MONEY the picture will make.  We should also try to change our perceptions as a audience and try to enjoy a film and not become a critic because there is no shortfall of critic in India if you really want to become something then start “BEING HUMAN…..”

 – Ankit Yadav