NEW DELHI: Bollywood stars have taken to a range of unique pursuits to keep audiences engaged, knowing they can’t bank on films or regular endorsement deals to stay in public eye during the lockdown.
The most enthusiastic of them all seems to be actor Salman Khan who has come out with three songs within two months on his newly launched YouTube channel Being Salman Khan. The first, Pyar Karona, a coronavirus-themed track, spoke of hope and solidarity in these tough times. Khan followed it up with Tere Bina, a romantic song shot with Jacqueline Fernandez at his own Panvel farm where the two are staying during lockdown, and Bhai Bhai, that the actor dropped on Eid, batting for Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. Khan has not just sung but also written the lyrics for these tracks. 90s star Madhuri Dixit has also used the lockdown as an opportunity to come out with her debut single, Candle, an English language track that speaks of hope and positivity.
Kangana Ranaut has turned poet with her new creation Aasmaan, the video for which featuring her has been shot in her Manali home where she is staying with family during the lockdown.
“Everyone wants to be in the eye of the public. So someone is sharing workout videos while another is giving celebrity cooking tips," said Harish Bijoor, brand strategy specialist and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc referring to the need for celebrities to stay visible even though they can’t come out with new projects, movies or otherwise until film, television and web production resumes across the country. But there has to be a twist to the tale given these unusual circumstances and the fact that audiences, sitting at home, are likely to get bored.
“If a cricketer plays cricket, it is not news. If the very same cricketer cooks, that is news," Bijoor said. That explains why actors who may only have played glamorous, larger-than-life characters on screen until now, are lending their voice to compositions about hope, positivity and solidarity. Plus, these are seemingly compassionate acts.
“These are sensitive times and celebrities must take care. Sharing a workout video from a plush lawn can cause negative envy. The common man might say, how dare she, particularly when all of us are cooped up in our hovels," Bijoor pointed out.
The lockdown has also given movie celebrities an opportunity to emerge as stay-at-home endorsers for a range of products and services. While Rajkummar Rao spoke of binge-watching content with help from frames by Nova Eyewear, Sara Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan have been recommending a ZEE5 original called REJECTX2. The debut of Disney+ Hotstar a couple of weeks ago saw stars picking their individual favourites from the Disney and Marvel roster, with Roshan going for The Lion King and Dulquer Salmaan for The Mandalorian.
M.G. Parameswaran, brand strategist and founder of Brand-Building.com, said the key for celebrities at a time like this is to turn the message they wish to convey into an interesting story with candour and humility. In an article last month, film critic Anupama Chopra pointed out that visibility is an integral part of brand maintenance for Bollywood celebrities but the pandemic has put an end to much of the supersized attention they are used to.
“The big question is, what can they do that won’t come across as tone-deaf during a global crisis. And yet staying quiet doesn’t seem like the right strategy either. Artists are a source of inspiration, distraction and joy, especially at a time when the world feels so dystopian. Perhaps the answer is more thoughtful and inventive covid content," Chopra wrote.
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