However I've been wondering how exactly this ban benefits anyone. My mum, grandmum and the neighbour's help all want to know about the Bachchan baby and not because they are carnivoristic voyeurs, but because the Bachchans are public figures of consequence and this is hardly bad news about them.
The moral high ground, I'm told, has been taken because of Justice Katju's remarks and the fact that Amitabh Bachchan himself loses no opportunity to lash out at eager mediapeople every time they line up outside his bungalow or broadcast a story about him. I'm sorry Mr Bachchan, but I would imagine that some kind of media glare would come with being a Bollywood actor, so I'm often wondering what all the fuss is about. However, in taking this decision to punish pretension from Bollywood's first family, aren't the broadcast media being pretentious themselves? It almost seems like a game of one-upmanship about who can seem righteous enough - the Bachchans, who despite being actors who bask in attention, plead that the media leave them alone, and the broadcast media, who despite being in the business of delivering news of public interest, have decided to impose restrictions because it was one snarky comment too much to take, and also this would be 'the right thing to do'.
It would hold some value if this were the rule set for all celebrity babies born from henceforth. But I hardly think it's going to happen when Lara gives birth or when maybe, Imran and Avantika or Aamir and Kiran have a baby. If it is, well then perhaps we are finally moving towards some sort of responsibility, that I don't particularly understand but still will shrug off. If it isn't, these guidelines have just served as one big ego massage to broadcast editors.
FYI, online media have no restrictions. So here's an alphabet book for Baby Bachchan and a guess at what celebrities will gift Baby Bachchan. Enjoy!
1 comments:
Hi Alisha
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