Be it their filmi dialogues or spicy scandals, their personal lives or social work, the Indian fans want every minute detail. In the past the communication between the glamour world with that of the news savvy fans was limited. Newspapers didn't write much about movie stars, there were few gossip magazines and there was of course, no television with its diet of film based programming. All that fans had were the performances and scarce public appearances of film stars.
Today, however things have changed. Thanks to the world of web there is now a freer, more instant and quicker interaction between the stars and their fans. Bollywood stars who previously responded to fan mail, signing photographs of themselves and sending them across India by post, are today keeping followers up to date via the web.
Actresses from Shilpa Shetty and Celina Jaitley to actors Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are posting photos, videos and their thoughts on films and life on personal websites. Bachchan, for example, updates his blog bigb.bigadda.com daily, musing at length on life and responding personally to his many fans' comments. He also picks apart every news item written about him, giving his own response. Most recently, the 66-year-old has been giving updates on his health after a recurring stomach complaint. Reporters got the entire story from his blog. All the information was in his post that day. It was as good as the reporter having spoken to him.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut are also a preferred medium to keep fans up to date with new releases and events. Bollywood is also taking to Twitter- the micro-blogging site to interact with fans without traditional media filters. Twitter is a social networking site which unlike other social networking sites like Myspace or Facebook is not filled with different quizzes or apps. It allows the users to 'follow' instead of 'add' friends. Most of the pages are basic with a profile picture, updates, actions, favourites, and people you are following and those who are following you.
Twitter is being followed enormously across the globe especially in case of Hollywood where US actor Ashton Kutcher's massive 2.75 million followers on Twitter has yet to be surpassed.
The switch to technology - despite the low Internet penetration in India - makes perfect sense given the growing hunger for Bollywood news. Electronic marketing cuts down costs and avoids time-consuming news conferences. It also gives the new and the not-so-famous actors a chance to built a strong dialogue online with their fans therefore not only building a fan following but also providing the fans a peek into the glamorous life of Bollywood.
Moreover, blogs provide an opportunity to the Bollywood stars to set the record straight in case they have been misinterpreted or falsely reported by the news-hungry media in India.
In a sign of the Internet's influence as a source of Bollywood news, Bachchan courted controversy over remarks he made about the Oscar-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire.'
Media took his comments that the film showed India's 'third-world underbelly' as a slight on British director Danny Boyle, although Bachchan denied he was being critical of the movie's success.
Several actors have interesting insights to tell regarding their experience of using internet to keep up with their fans. Leading star Priyanka Chopra says writing is therapeutic and that she is now hooked on Twitter.
“It started as a lark, a quest of discovery, and now I find my fingers twitching for my Nokia or my laptop wherever something interesting happens. I have great fun interacting with my 'Tweeps'. At least they believe it's the real me, unlike some people, who still aren't sure that it's me reading your mails.” she narrated her addiction to the new media.
Chopra's Twitter feed reveals her recent thoughts on everything from Michael Jackson's death to updates about her shooting schedule and even the monsoon rains.
Sonam Kapoor, actor daughter of the Slumdog Millionaire fame Anil Kapoor follows a similar line, 'tweeting' on the banal, like her favorite television shows, to her next film project, 'Aisha,' based on English author Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma.'
The new technology has taken the Indian film industry by storm and the tweets the film stars post are real treats for their huge fan followings.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed