India is a country where we not only adore our favorite celebrities but hold them in high regard, while being a fan is a worldwide phenomenon, India has a separate definition of fan moment. Being famous can sound beatific, but it has its cons and often it turns into a perceptible dilemma when the question arises,
“What are your views on this burning issue of the society?”
Whether it is a festival, scandal, or nationwide news, we all are stuck to our Twitter feed waiting for our favorite person to tweet about it. But when you are refreshing your feed, your favorite celeb, on the other hand, is in a state of the dilemma whether to speak or not? If yes then which side should I be on? Or How will my message be interpreted by the public? The agenda of whether celebrities should speak on issues can have divided responses. Time and again, we ask ourselves, why are celebs on mute?
The anatomy of the taciturn behavior of a celebrity can be described as the subconscious fear of being scrutinized. A celebrity can use their platform and prestige to bring awareness. Depending on the age of the influencer, we get a fair idea of their target audience. One prime example can be Amitabh Bachchan's voice note on Covid-19 awareness. Along with boomers, even generation z follows him, so targeting a versatile actor like he can be a boon for brands. By the same token; Tiktokers, YouTubers, and teenage actors are approached by brands to advertise to their young audience. The trouble begins when they speak on an societal issue, to which they may receive backlash which costs them their brand deals, ambassadorships, loss in business of a new album/movie, or extreme, an FIR.
While, we have kept tabs on celebs who are on a ‘Maun Vrat’. We also have celebs like Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhaskar, Richa Chadha, and Kangana Ranaut who voice their opinions. Here is what Taapsee Pannu had to say about the situation,
“Expect strong words from your actors only if you are willing to accept those words. If you are going to pelt stones, damage the property, damaged sets, and slap them, then how can you expect a streep here? You can't have both.
On being asked how cautiously Richa Chadha uses twitter, she said that she usually keeps the tweet in the draft if she has written it in anger or with deep emotions, after cooling down, she revisits the tweet. She also had to say, if actors like Shah Rukh Khan- king khan of Bollywood- who has an enormous fan base come under the pressure of receiving flak, then how can younger fresh actors speak freely.
We must also take into account how their words are distorted by the media and used for publicity motives and heavy trolling, by cyberbullies which harms their mental health. Back in June 2020, well-known Bollywood stars including Sonakshi Sinha, Saqib Saleem, Aayush Sharma bid adieu to Twitter due to the negativity by trolls.
It is indeed true that often if a celebrity speaks up on a controversial topic, in India, their careers are put immediately at a risk. Moreover, it is not essential for film or cricket stars or industry leaders to speak up about a certain issue or be political, but there is one more side to this that cannot be neglected; some of the most powerful among the celebrities are excessively submissive to those in power, unwilling to speak up against some practices, reluctant to bat for freedom of speech and expression which is at the root of all creative pursuits.
Furthermore, it has been often noted that the public figures in India chose to be very vocal when there is some kind of injustice in a foreign land but keep their mouth shut when it comes to matters of their own country. Especially the film industry over the years has made it clear that if they speak it has to be in favor of the people in power.
Public figures have a lot of followers and also the ability to influence the opinions of the masses, which is why it's no wonder that all eyes are turned to them, especially in times of crisis.
We all have to decide for ourselves and make our own choices, as public, we can choose to be more tolerant of differing opinions and respect freedom of speech, and the people with power and influence can choose to become the voice of the voiceless or simply feign ignorance and side with the powerful.
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