Are Bollywood celebs losing their x-factor due to their over-obsession with social media?

We are living in the 21st century and everything is moving at the rate of 100 miles per hour, don’t you agree? And with the advent of social media, our lives have changed forever and for better (hopefully). Bollywood as an industry is also making rapid strides and celebs are under more scrutiny and pressure than ever before. The stars not only have to focus on their acting (which they can manage and control) but its also the external factors that have come into the play and that’s where you sometimes feel helpless.

Bollywood stars now have to have a 24*7, 365 days presence and have to have their own social media accounts. Some stars handle it themselves and others have agencies and teams looking after for them. It is a great way of communicating with your fans and directly conveying your feelings. It is helpful for your film’s promotion, brand endorsement, personal life (marriage, the arrival of a baby, depression or serious health ailment) and there are many more advantages of using social media.

But, are celebs using it properly or just making a mess of things? Malaika Arora, Rakhi Sawant, Mandana Karmi, Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh, Kamaal Rashid Khan (don’t Google him, he is a self-proclaimed film critic), Rangoli Chandel (glorified PR of Kangana and specialises in filthy abuse)- these celebs or so-called celebs have taken social media by storm and come to think of it are pretty much obsessed with it.

Every day, you will see Malaika Arora working out in the gym, doing yoga, going to the beach and doing other bazillion things and even if you are not much of a social media geek, she invariably will be getting trolled. Ranveer Singh is a superstar, but he also does some dumb things once in a while and his banter with wife Deepika Padukone (calling her snack name, random adjectives) is also getting old. Sonam Kapoor, who thinks herself as quite articulate and sharp but sadly, she contradicts herself on social media more often than not.

Sonam Kapoor often finds herself in catch 22 situation with social media.

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All the stars have every right to use social media, but it cannot border on the lines of craziness just to prove a point. Over the last 18 months or so, we have seen the likes of Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra getting married. But, one thing I have noticed that every actress had shared the first pic of their Mehendi ceremony, the first pic of the wedding, the first pic of reception, the first pic as a married couple and it was a never-ending saga. It is not confirmed that whether it was their personal choice or their team’s choice, but it was looking like a live update of their wedding (media also has to take some blame) and it was bordering on some sort of narcissism and just to prove a point about their celebrity and VVIP status.

And on another extreme, you have the likes of Tahira Kashyap, Sonali Bendre coming out with videos and Instagram stories regarding their battle with cancer. It is very good for encouragement and motivation but it also should not be made into a trivial issue and talking about losing your hair and other stuff comes across as very insensitive at times.

Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife Tahira Kashyap’s battle with cancer was much-publicised on social media.

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Social media is a great tool, but it should be used in moderation. Celebs have to stop giving all the information to the public and there has to be some novelty and privacy factor left. That’s the x-factor that the common man envies to achieve.

The stars are doing so many things simultaneously and it can really jeopardise their career as well as personal life. The internet has done wonders to mankind and it upon us i.e. the humans to use it correctly and in moderation. As Arbaaz Khan very popularly says in his show, “Thoda socho, thoda samjho, and then social media use karo, ya na karo.” So, do use social media to make your fans feel that you are human as well, but don’t overdo it to the extent that there is no x-factor left for the fans to come to the theatres and watch you.

Also Read: ‘India’s Most Wanted’: Is Arjun Kapoor in last chance saloon?

Dhaval Mehta

I am crazy and obsessed with politics, sports and entertainment. A journalist, who is not afraid to give his opinion and believes in calling spade a spade. I like to think on my feet and come up with original, fresh and out of the box ideas.
Email: editor@bollywoodbubble.com Phone: +91 8355910465