Lavina Melwani muses about the allure of glitterati-filled press events that transform superstars of the silver screen into chatty buddies.
Left: Star Power: Barbara Mori and Hrithik Roshan in Kites.
Imagine sitting across the table from
the iconic Amitabh Bachchan as he tells
you—and only you—in his rich baritone
about his daily life. Imagine the one-and-only
Madhuri Dixit chatting with you
about who does the cooking in her family,
as her husband, Sriram Nene, gamely
shoots a picture of her and you together.
Imagine the wonderful A.R. Rahman actually
bringing you a glass of orange juice
when he hears you are fasting that day.
Yes, all this actually happened to me!
Indeed, of all the aspects of a journalist’s
life, perhaps the most surreal and seductive
are the press days, interviews, conferences,
or junkets organized by various
studios and production houses to publicize
their new films. For a few hours, superstars
become your new best friends, looking you
in the eye and answering your most ridiculous
questions with a warm smile.
Meeting the Superstar: Writer Lavina Melwani with the diva
Madhuri Dixit. The photograph was shot by Madhuri’s husband,
Sriram Nene. © Lavina Melwani
Stars who are usually kept
away from ordinary mortals like
you and me are suddenly sitting
inches away at a press roundtable
or in a one-on-one interview.
To the star, you are no longer a
nameless blur or a random fan but
someone with a name and an affiliation, almost a person in your
own right.
Sometimes at press events,
stars honor the most outrageous
requests for a recitation of a famous
dialogue or a poem, churning
it out almost on demand. Sometimes
they’ll even share some intimate
detail of their childhood or
of their youth with you. They are
indeed your new best friends—at
least till the press junket ends!
Journalists are really fans at
heart. They may try to curb that
instinct but don’t always succeed.
Almost every reporter wants a
picture with the Khans or the big
Bollywood actresses. And when
it’s someone as big a superstar as
Amitabh Bachchan, autographs
and book signings and photos are
almost mandatory. I even know of
a few reporters who have actually
touched Amitabh Bachchan’s feet
and asked for his blessings! One
photojournalist wrote on Facebook
ecstatically that when he
bowed down for blessings, “Bachchanji
kissed my forehead!”
The stars come calling:
Shah Rukh Khan and
Kajol at NASDAQ in
New York.
I remember the first time I actually
saw superstar Shah Rukh
Khan in the flesh, at the press
conference for Ashoka, many years
ago. It was truly surreal, seeing
that well-known face in real time.
It was as if a demi-god had descended
from the big screen and
entered the world of humans. He
seemed smaller than he appeared
on screen, he was chatting in English
fluently, and you realized that
of course, he was a regular human
being, too! Most of the reporters
were acting like frenzied fans,
which they all probably were.
Some of these press do’s are
held in grand five-star hotels or
sleek boutique hotels with a fancy
hospitality suite set up and everything
smooth and nice to make it a
pleasant event for stars and press
alike. Depending on the caliber of
the stars, the press junkets often
have long check-in lines, especially
since media outlets have proliferated
over the past decade.
Left: Stars at the London
premiere of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Some events are like Indian
weddings with a huge brunch buffet
and even goodie bags to take
home! At the press conference
for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,
reporters took home a chunky gift
bag containing a white bathrobe
with the insignia of the imaginary
hotel that Dev Patel’s character ran
in the movie.
Several of the stars met with
the press at the conference held
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel—a far
cry from the crumbling Best Exotic
Marigold Hotel of the film! It was
almost intimidating to see so much
distinguished star power gathered
in one room but they were all surprisingly
down-to-earth and chatty.
Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton,
and Tom Wilkinson were there
along with the acclaimed director
John Madden.
Dame Judi Dench: Bewitched by India.
Dame Judi Dench
confided, “My character says ‘India
is an assault on the senses’
and I never had a desire to go to
India but within 24 hours I was
completely, completely fascinated
and bewitched by the country. The
beauty of the people I thought was
astounding—the color, the noise,
the smell—everything about it is
completely staggering.”
Right: Star Power: Barbara Mori and Hrithik Roshan in Kites.
Another fun press day I recall
was with Hrithik Roshan, the
Mexican star Barbara Mori, producer
Rakesh Roshan, composer
Rajesh Roshan, and director Anurag
Basu for Kites at the luxurious
Four Seasons Hotel. The sizzling
Kites posters with Hrithik and Barbara
locked in an embrace were
everywhere and the two seemed
to have stepped right out of them
and joined us at the table.
Hrithik, the heartthrob of
millions, was suddenly sitting opposite us and talking
very intelligently and calmly about films, life, and
family. We were about six reporters sitting at a round
table. He also showed how considerate and down-to-earth
he was, asking all the scribes, “Do you want me
to keep all your tape recorders here?” When I hesitated
to hand mine over to him, saying I needed to keep an
eye on it in case the battery died out, he extended his
hand and said, “Yeah, sure! I’ll keep a check on that!”
I found that endearing,
considering that he
had a lot on his mind—a
huge multimillion dollar
film about to be released
worldwide in two different
versions, thousands of
fans waiting on him, and
the global media about to
give their verdict on Kites—and he was going to keep
an eye on my rusty little digital tape recorder to see if
the battery sputtered out!
| “It’s a job—you finish a job, you leave your job in the studios, and you come home, just like an ordinary person.” I asked him how he’d like to be remembered and he said simply, quietly, “As a good human being.” |
When Amitabh Bachchan was here for a major
retrospective at the Lincoln Center in New York, the
place was overrun with desis, from retired grandparents
to college kids to taxi drivers. The press folks were
extremely lucky to get 15-minute interviews with the
Big B himself, and were like a huge star-struck tribe. It
was intimidating to have the time with him—what do
you ask this superstar when probably every
question under the sun has already been
asked? What came through in my chat
with him was the universal aspect—the
craving for doing one’s work, working
hard to do a good job, and the fact
that family and grandchildren are the
greatest joy.
What came across was the human
being at the core, and that in
spite of the seeming glamour and adulation,
life is still about waking up, going
to work, and coming home to family and
dinner. Bachchan looked me in the eye and
said, “It’s a job—you finish a job, you leave your
job in the studios, and you come home, just like an
ordinary person.” I asked him how he’d like to be
remembered and he said simply, quietly, “As a good
human being.”
The Three Deols
of Bollywood:
Dharmendra with
his two sons Bobby
and Sunny.
My latest encounter
with the stars was at the
press conference for Yamala
Pagla Deewana 2 put
together quickly by the
organizers in a matter of
two days at the elegant
restaurant Junoon. Yet every press person had turned
up—and so had every fan who knew about the event.
After all, it was a chance to meet not one, not two, but
three bona fide Bollywood stars! Dharmendra and his
two sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol.
This was a crowded festive bash for press, sponsors
and their guests, and everyone was having a field
day. The exuberant fans were quoting Punjabi poetry at
the mike and even asking questions so that Bobby Deol
felt compelled to ask, “Are you from the press?” In the
media room set up for interviews, guests had rushed
in to get their pictures with the stars. At the end of the
day, everyone took home glittering red and silver goodie
bags containing CDs of the movie’s music.
What is the power of the press, I mused as I left
the event—why do the stars give access to the press?
The answer of course is that for the stars, the press is
a stand-in for millions of fans. Through the articles the
journalists write, fans connect with the stars, and
so the press has power only because of the
fans it can reach. Quite a humbling thought!
In the end, whether it’s the multibillion
dollar Indian film industry, the
Bollywood superstars, or members
of the press, they all exist due to the
simple fact that unknown, ordinary
people spend their hard-earned money
to dream, to be entertained for a few
hours in a dark space. All the magic
happens because of the fans and their
filmi passion. It is their devotion that has
brought Indian cinema to its 100th successful
year. May their tribe strengthen and increase!
Lavina Melwani is a New York-based writer for
several international publications who blogs at
Lassi with Lavina: http://www.lassiwithlavina.com.