The aware and awakened audience is simply not buying into negative publicity around the star as a sales pitch for films, shows or brand campaigns, says Team Viva
Filmmaker Nikhil Advani created quite a stir over the weekend saying image specialists had recommended that he spin a negative story on his lead actor Farhan Akhtar to generate a buzz about his new film lucknow Central. The PR spin doctors, he confessed, felt that since Kangana Ranaut had played out her alleged victimisation and humiliation by superstar Hrithik Roshan in the public domain before her release Simran, thereby drawing the arclights on herself and the unputdownable protagonist she plays, Farhan needed one to flesh out his wronged convict act. Advani did not comply. Neither did Farhan, who publicly expressed his support to Hrithik in a balanced manner, much after his film had released and tanked. For the record, Simran, too, sank, despite the lurid name-calling that preceded it. As for the “good story pitch” of Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli in the latest ad for an apparel line, replicating their offline chemistry into an online couple act, it hasn’t quite sent us rushing to rejig our festive lines. Or buys.
Publicity of any kind around a star is clearly not working as a transference of audience interest. Myth-making is passe.
Yet stars are still not immune to it as a posturing tool. Film or no film, Hrithik clarified his position on being allegedly cyber-stalked by Ranaut on national prime time, earning a few brownie points on his side. He even admitted that many publicists saw merit in his “bad boy” image gaining momentum and giving him a mean edge in a competitive industry. One wonders whether the delayed “good boy” act was a reverse tactic as it brought out more dirty linen, and by extension, more negative publicity for both stars. One conjectures whether it had anything to do with his do-gooder role as the IIT aspirants’ coach in Super 30. Roshan junior even said that he was speaking up at a time when his “tormentor” co-star’s film was not in the way too. In the world of telly meanwhile, heavyweight Salman Khan’s shenanigans with Big Boss contestant Zubair Khan — one that involved the latter lodging FIRs against the former’s bodyguard, alleging foul play and threats — pulled up the ratings by a notch but were not enough to beat the “positive can-do” spirit of Kaun Banega Crorepati. Beyond taking part in cleaning up the Versova beach, Bachchan stepped back during promotions and let the common participant do the talking.
So are negative twists and gossipy sensationalism that determine the celebrity index finally on their way outIJ Is honesty, even of the most tutored variety, like the star couplings of SRK-Gauri and Akshay-Twinkle in ads, having some impactIJ Fact of the matter is, according to industry insiders, films and brands are no longer dependent on starry misdemeanours or their bigness to generate a talking point. The viral explosion of hashtags through several social media platforms may have thrown the film title or campaign in our faces a one too many but hasn’t led us to base our journey to the ticket windows solely on their balloon bounce in our consciousness. The price-conscious consumer has started prioritising content, be it of the masala variety or the discerning kind, over the monolithic star. This can be easily explained by the recent spate of supersonic duds. If the turnstile has opened the right way for real stories, Everyman heroes and ingenuous content, it has spun wildly with no-brainers like Judwaa 2 and the Golmaal series, the last two of an ensemble nature. And Varun Dhawan is yet to be classified as an established superstar.
The star persona, in turn, is being shaped by the reception of his/her last film outing and shoring up or plateauing out his/her brand value. The “badass” attitude may have worked for Kangana Ranaut endorsing the “women fight” campaign of a sportswear line but it has not meant a deluge of appearances for her. Disruptive brands are few and her brand of disruptive PR is yet to find takers. Similarly, the younger stars are getting picked up on the basis of their last film stock rather than their individual behaviour and loyalties, good or bad. Seen to be a “philandering bloke,” Ranbir Kapoor’s rating has been static, his brand endorsements going up only when referenced against the marketability of his films. Our global icon Priyanka Chopra may be delivering empowering speeches at rights fora and twirling and flirting with Hollywood A-listers at red carpet events but that has not given her a decisive chunk of roles either at home or Hollywood.
Negative publicity as a sales pitch, either as a complementary tool or as a counterpoint to the reel persona, has been a cliche in the entertainment industry. Offscreen and onscreen romances have often been and continue to be pitted together with regard to star couples. If the onscreen romance is in doubt, the off-screen romance certainly isn’t. That seems to magnify the audience’s desire for the hereafter in the world of the make-believe. On the other hand though, the real-life love affair has often compromised the mystery of the pairing on screen. One of the reasons why director Sanjay leela Bhansali stopped perceived lovers Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone from appearing in public as a couple was to heighten their onscreen antagonism in Padmavati. But truth be told, a Bajirao Mastani worked even when, according to industry experts, the celebrity sizzle of Ranveer and Priyanka Chopra worked better onscreen compared to Ranveer-Deepika. The epic scale, story-telling and magnificence worked without the distraction of the Peshwa’s descendants staging a protest. The aura of the star, be it negative or positive, has had neglibile negotiable value when it comes to determining a film’s fate.
If actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Deepak Dobriyal, Ayushmann Khurana and Sanjay Misra can be trusted to deliver small films, it means that talent, in the end, is being given credence in the mass-feed of acceptance. It also signifies a much welcome dissociation of the starry props from the performing artiste. This has largely been the result of online proximity of the star with his fan and the sharing of lurid details one-on-one. This participation by the commoner and the accommodation by the star has broken walls of every kind, real and perceived. The star is as much regular as the fan, as much nagging, complaining, temperamental and hair-splitting, as much a victim of human frailty. That relatability, when magnified, doesn’t work. Simply because, to quote another cliche, being normal is boring. And negative PR is nothing but that. Besides being a tired attempt at thrill-seeking. The aware and awakened audience is simply not buying these old tricks of trade. If Pepsi, considered as setting the benchmark for mass commercials and sensing the pulse rightly, could withdraw its Kendall Jenner ad, it showed that it could acknowledge its deafness to changing public taste. The ad that showed her taking off her wig, joining cause-related protesters and thrusting soda at the punishing cops elicited online rage over trivialisation of social mass movements. A controversial star, who thrives on negative publicity, Jenner was shown the door.