Celeb bashing: A new trend that is catching up

There is something common between celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Soha Ali Khan, something which has been prodding at the back of our minds for quite some time now. Something, which we think it’s high time should be told from a perspective.

Well, if you have been following the news, you might have seen the beautiful letter that Amitabh Bachchan penned for his granddaughters. You might also have seen pictures of Soha’s visit to the Golden Temple, and Ganpati pandals. And, you must also have noticed flak that the two received for their respective actions. While people bashed Amitabh Bachchan’s letter for being a publicity stunt for his upcoming movie ‘PINK’, Soha was subjected to trolls for being a ‘Muslim’ and worshipping an idol.

Such was the intensity of hateful responses, that both Big B and Soha had to come out and justify their moves. That is what got us thinking. Has celeb bashing become the new trend?

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is pregnant with her first child, is bombarded, time and again, with questions related to her first child. On one such occasion, on being asked if she wants a girl or a boy (which was a wrong question in the first place), the actress subtly answered that she would prefer a baby girl over a baby boy. Uproar and furore on social media was what followed, just because she spoke her mind. No one thought that since she was brought up in a family of two sisters, bringing up a girl was the only thing she knew and desired, and that certainly does not mean that she would discard a baby boy.

Criticising celebs and bashing them for everything that they say has become the new way of coming into the limelight. After all, it’s easy to blow things out of proportion, and many at a times it is us media who light up the flame which becomes into a full-fledged fire.

If we remember correctly, Soha was targeted once more, when she commented on the economic figures and status of the country. Such was the height of being mean that twitteratis shamed her by saying that she was just a Bollywood bimbo who was crying for attention and had no knowledge. Soha, being a royal that she is, ignored them, but calmly replied with her degree from London School of Economics.

Aamir Khan’s comment on how in recent times his wife feels insecure had so many bashing him on social media and asking him to go to Pakistan, just because of his religion. Forget Aamir, even Shah Rukh Khan, with all his popularity and the love that his fans have for him, was on the receiving end of abuses for just being honest and stating a fact. By doing such things, people did nothing but prove the stars’ point.

It certainly makes us introspect. Is it media’s fault for sensationalising everything and blowing it out of proportion, or is it a fact that people are using social media way too much, to the extent of jumping at the first chance that they get to shame a celebrity? Or is it really a publicity stunt on the part of the celebrities, to come back in limelight once out of news for long?

We may never know and we can only speculate. But one thing’s for sure, bashing a celeb for having an opinion has certainly become a trend now, and people are getting offended for no reason at all. Intolerance is creeping up fast.

Kadambari Srivastava

Grammar Nazi, word weaver, dreamer, bibliophile, technophile, caffeine addict, foodie, shuttling shopaholic! Mash it in a Bollywood recipe and voila! Pushpa, you’ve got her!