Salman Khan gives media a crash course on Journalism, promises towel dance

July 24, 2014

Salman towel danceMumbai, Jul 24: "The journalists are writing anything these days, there is no social responsibility,” said Salman Khan in a recent press interaction organised to promote his upcoming film, Kick. While we appreciate Khan's insights, it’s odd to hear him talk about “social responsibility”. After all with two criminal cases pending against him, he doesn't really come across as a contender for the Most Responsible Citizen of the Year award.

Despite these scandals, Salman Khan is one of India’s most adored superstars and in the eyes of his fans, the actor can do no wrong. It takes a simple Google search to find controversies surrounding Khan – from being accused of beating up his ex-girlfriends, misbehaving with the press and having links with the underworld, it’s all there – Khan is the bhai of the downtrodden and underprivileged (much like the characters he often plays on screen).

For example, when I was in a cab returning from the press conference at which Khan gave all of us in attendance a crash course in journalism, the cabbie overheard me criticizing the actor (I was talking to a friend on my phone). He turned around and told me, "Meri gadi mein Bhai ke bare mein bura mat boliye madam." (“Don’t say bad things about Bhai in my car.”) He told me he loves Khan because the actor is one of the few who acknowledges “men like me”. "Bhai ko bulao toh woh aise haath dekhate hai balcony se,” he explained. (“If you call out his name, he waves at you from his balcony.”) That, apparently, is all it takes.

My cabbie isn’t alone. Khan’s fan following extends to Bollywood's youth brigade, from Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan to Sonakshi Sinha and Katrina Kaif, all of whom have acknowledged Khan's contribution to their careers. It's not his acting or even the hits that have made Khan a star; it's his public persona.

And that’s why it becomes doubly ironic that Khan is complaining about the state of entertainment journalism in the country because his persona is almost entirely because the media helped him project himself as the star with a golden heart. Sure, his relationships have been the fodder of many gossip columns and he has been panned by critics, but Khan’s public appearances have also received glowing coverage.

Several stories of Khan's generosity are shared on a daily basis, whether it is the actor playing Santa to the cleaning staff at Film City or taking a rickshaw home like the rest of us. He has set himself up as a philanthropist with his NGO, Being Human, and that’s entirely the result of a publicity and media campaign. Being Human is more of a lifestyle brand than a non-profit organisation and there are many NGOs that do far greater service to society.

You could sneer at the press for carrying such stories, but in a country that’s hungry for Bollywood news, what else can the media do, especially since there’s a fortress of PR firms standing between much of the press and actors? That said, there’s no denying the fact that professionalism does often go flying out of the window when it comes to entertainment journalism. This was on view at the Kick press conference, where journalists showed up with kids and family members, and jostled like groupies to get photographs with Khan after the official interaction was over.

Given this ringside view that Khan has been given by journalists themselves, it is perhaps not surprising that Khan began his Journalism 101 lecture with this statement: "It (journalism) has become a joke. This is not journalism anymore, this has become entertainment". He went on to lament that “there is no national responsibility, there are just TRPs TRPs TRPs". This is true, but again, it’s ironic that Khan, whose filmography includes cerebral hemorrhages like No Entry, Dabangg, Wanted, was criticizing anyone about content that is only concerned with making money.

Especially since he’s promoting himself as an actor and a philanthropist, one could argue that he should be the one making socially responsible entertainment. It would immediately help the state of Indian journalists – if we didn’t have to watch or write those terrible films, we’d definitely seem like less of a joke.

It quickly became evident that Khan’s understanding of what a journalist does is based on films like Page 3. "As a reporter, if you do not report but give your opinion, if you hear something, and instead of reporting what you have heard, you go ahead and confirm the news depending upon your bias on whether you like the person or not, if you like the person, you give positive view and if you don't, you give negative view, then the case is over," he said in a sentence that could drive any self-respecting copy editor to the bottle.

Contrary to Khan’s belief, hearsay doesn’t qualify as reportage. If a journalist is reporting on a subject, they don’t simply report “what you have heard”, but they get information – and usually cross check it – from those who can be credibly considered sources or experts. Also, journalists are entitled to write their opinions. That’s what op-eds and reviews are all about and to take a stance on a particular issue is not laziness or favouritism when it's an informed perspective.

Khan also complained that the fourth estate is becoming corrupt. "Jahan par aap paise deke article likha sakte ho tab to khatam hi hoga case,” he said. (“When you can pay to get a piece of news printed, the case is closed.”) It’s a valid point and a shameful fact that there are some publications that are, effectively, entirely for sale. It makes the rest of us look bad and we have to work much harder to establish our credibility.

It would help, though, if Khan and other Bollywood bigwigs didn’t encourage the practice by paying for fluffy publicity pieces, favouring certain sycophantic journalists and freezing out those who have anything critical to say about an actor or a film. When was the last time Khan gave an interview to a publication that wasn’t part of a publicity or film promotion campaign?

Of course the reason Khan wanted to educate us was the recent boycott declared by the press photographers association. This happened after an incident at Royalty Bar, in Mumbai, where an ugly brawl broke out between the photographers and the bar’s bouncers and Khan's bodyguards. The photographers who were there claim the bouncers and bodyguards pushed them around for no reason, which led to the fight. Khan chose not to intervene.

All he did was take a microphone and announced, "Jinko yahan rehena hai woh rahe and jinhe nahi rehna woh ja sakte hai." (“Those who wish to stay here, should stay. Those who don’t, they can leave.”) It wasn’t the response expected of the hero who supposedly always champions the little guy’s cause.

Later, Khan said Royalty's bouncers were compelled to hit the photographers because the latter were trying to mob him. Leaving aside the question of whether bouncers versus photographers – who, aside from not being buff, have to protect their cameras and so would be less inclined to get physical – is a fair fight, there’s a distinction that needs to be made between paparazzi and press photographers. Paparazzi is what Hollywood and Europe have – people with cameras who will cheerfully invade privacy and disregard good taste in order to get an embarrassing photograph. India has nothing of the sort.

Here, we have a cluster of press photographers who rarely click the kind of candid photographs that are staple fare in foreign tabloids. Indian press photographers cluster around stars at public events, where they’ve usually been invited by organizers, and take photos of those in attendance. Paparazzi in our country is, at best, a photographer showing up to take photos when celebrities go out for dinner to a restaurant or come out of another celebrity’s home. The last thing a press photographer wants is to upset the people they photograph because that could mean not getting access to the next event, which in turn threatens their livelihood.

While the press photographers association is sticking to its boycott for now, they’re not happy about having to take this stand. A photographer spoke to Firstpost on the condition of anonymity and said that the association was hoping that there would be a resolution soon. At a recent charity football match, the photographers in attendance took photos of everything but the prize-giving ceremony because Salman Khan was handing out the prizes. Aamir Khan was also there and he asked why they weren’t taking photographs. When he heard the whole story, he said he’d talk to Salman and try sort the matter out.

However, as much as they’d like things to return to normal, the photographers are not happy about Khan attacking them on social media and in interviews. Sure, they have some power – no press photographs means less coverage for Khan. (Have you noticed how Khan’s face isn’t showing up all over the place even though Kick is set to release on Friday?) But ultimately, Khan is the star, and both he and the photographers know this.

That’s why Khan could make light of the boycott at the Kick press conference: “Now I can come in front of you and do the towel dance and you can't click those pictures,” he said gleefully. He then added, “There are photographers who will take my pictures, they will travel with me and release (only) those pictures for my fans.”

How ironic that this same person was, just minutes ago, saying the media shouldn’t carry ‘paid news’.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 10,2020

Mumbai, Jan 10: Superstar Salman Khan on Friday announced that his Eid 2021 release will be titled "Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali".

The 54-year-old actor took to Twitter to announce the movie which will be written and produced by filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala.

"Housefull 4" helmer Farhad Samjhi will be directing the film.

"Announcing my next film... 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali'. Story and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. Directed by Farhad Samji. Eid 2021," Salman tweeted.

The actor, whose last release "Dabangg 3" performed moderately at the box office, will next be seen in Prabhudheva's "Radhe". The film will hit the theatres on Eid this year.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 24,2020

Paris, Jan 24: Rahul Mishra and Imane Ayissi made history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian and black African designers to show their clothes on the elite Paris haute couture catwalk.

Only a little more than a dozen of the world's most prestigious luxury labels -- including Dior, Chanel and Givenchy -- have a right to call their clothes haute couture.

All the clothes must be handmade -- and go on to sell for tens of thousands of euros (dollars) to some of the richest and most famous women in the world.

Mishra, an advocate of ethical "slow fashion" who blames mechanisation for much of the world's ills, said "it felt amazing and very surreal to be the first Indian to be chosen." "They see a great future for us -- which will make us push ourselves even harder," the 40-year-old told AFP after his debut show was cheered by fashionistas.

Both Mishra and Cameroon-born Ayissi, 51, are champions of traditional fabrics and techniques from their homelands and are famous for their classy lines.

Ayissi said his selection was "immense" both for Africa and himself.

"I am so proud that I can show my work and showcase real African fabrics and African heritage," he told AFP backstage as celebrities, including the chic head of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay, congratulated him.

Mishra broke through on the Paris ready-to-wear scene after winning the International Woolmark Prize in 2014, the top award that also launched the careers of such greats as Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent.

The purity of his often white creations with their detailed but understated embroidery has won him many fans, including Vogue's legendary critic Suzy Menkes.

The doyenne of fashion's front row called him an Indian "national treasure".

But this time, Mishra turned up the colour palette somewhat with dresses that subtly evoked the jungle paradises and pristine underwater world off the Maldives he worries that one day we might lose.

Appalled by the smoke and pollution that meant he had to keep his four-year-old daughter indoors in Delhi for nearly 20 days in November, Mishra said he imagined a "pure virginal and untamed planet... with ecosystems crafted out of embroidered flora and fauna".

"I am very emotional about it. Sometimes it makes me cry. All our children should be growing up in a better world," he added.

"When I take Aarna (his daughter) to the foothills of the Himalayas and the sky turns blue, she is so happy.

"Once, when she saw the River Ganges, she said: 'Can you please clean it for us so can go for a swim?'"

Mishra said he was reducing the quantity of clothes he was producing while at the same time increasing their quality, with humming birds, koalas and other animals hidden in the hundreds of hand worked embroidered leaves and flowers of his "jungle dresses".

The designer has won ethical and sustainability awards for his work supporting local crafts people in rural India.

"My objective is to create jobs which help people in their own villages," Mishra said.

"If villages are stronger, you will have a stronger country, a stronger nation, and a stronger world," he added.

Ayissi takes a similar stand, refusing to use wax prints popular in West Africa which he dismisses as "colonial".

Dutch mills flooded Africa with cotton printed with colourful patterns borrowed from Indonesian batik in the 19th century, and still dominate the market.

"When we talk about African fashion, it's always wax, which is a real pity," he told AFP, "because it's killing our own African heritage."

Ayissi, a former dancer who worked with singers such as Sting and Seal, told AFP he wanted to open up "a new path for Africa" and find an "alternative way of doing luxury fashion".

He has gone back to using prestigious local materials, like the strip fabric kente woven by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which was originally worn only by nobles.

The son of an undefeated African boxing champ and a former Miss Cameroon, he also uses appliqued techniques from Benin and Ghana.

Haute couture shows only take place in Paris and the criteria to enter and remain in fashion's elite club are strictly enforced by French law.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 11,2020

Los Angeles, May 11: Iconic soul and R&B singer Betty Wright has died after a battle with cancer. She was 66. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Grammy winner passed away on Sunday in her hometown Miami, Florida, Wright's niece confirmed.

The news comes a week after singer-songwriter Chaka Khan tweeted praying for her "beloved sister", without mentioning the cause of ailment.

"Calling all my #PrayWarriors | My beloved sister, Betty Wright, is now in need of all your prays. 'Que Sera, Sera | Whatever Will Be, Will Be' In Jesus Name We Pray for Sister Betty All My Love Chaka," she wrote.

Wright, whose real name was Bessie Regina Norris, was born in 1953.

She started singing as part of her siblings' musical group called the 'Echoes of Joy', but she rose to fame in the 1970s.

The singer was a member of the gospel ensemble until they parted ways when she was 11, leading her to embrace R&B music.

Wright signed with the label Deep City Records in 1966, a year later becoming a local hit with songs "Thank You Baby" and "Paralyzed".

Her first album My First Time Around wasn't released until two years later featuring the hit "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do."

The biggest hit of her career Clean Up Woman came a year later, which was certified gold barely days after her 18th birthday.

At the age of 23, she went on to win her first Grammy Award for Best Song, Where is the Love?

Wright continued writing and producing music for two decades, her final hit  No Pain, (No Gain) was released in 1988.

Wright also collaborated with talent in the industry including fellow Miami superstar Gloria Estefan, for whom she arranged the harmonies on the 1991 track Coming Out of the Dark, as well as Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, and Joss Stone.

She served as the vocal coach of the girl group Danity Kane on "Making of the Band" (2006).

With her collaboration with The Roots titled Betty Wright: The Movie, Wright again came under spotlight in 2011. This was her first album in a decade.

She scored a Grammy nod for the song Surrender from the album. Her work has been sampled throughout the years by Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Afrika Bambaataa, and Chance the Rapper. Several names from the music industry such as Snoop Dogg, John Legend, and DJ Khaled condoled Wright's demise on social media.

Snoop shared a video of Wright singing "Tonight is the Night" and thanked his mentor for inviting him to "thankful Thursday's" at her Florida house years ago.

"I know god is pleased with your work. Tonight is the night you get to heavens gates. Long live. Betty Wright," he wrote on Instagram.

Legend said Wright will be missed.

"She was always so loving and giving to younger artists. Always engaged, always relevant," he tweeted.

Khaled shared a clip of his performance with Wright on the song "Holy Key" at the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards.

"Betty Wright, you are an angel. You one of my realest friends I have! You are like a mom to me! You had my back from the very beginning! We made beautiful music together! Betty Wright is an icon! And the Mother of Miami," he wrote.

Wright was married three times - her final marriage was to reggae legend Noel 'King Sporty' Williams from 1985 until his death in 2015.

She had five children: Aisha McCray, Patrice Parker, Patrick Parker, Patrice Parker, and Chaka Azuri. Her son Patrick was shot to death on Christmas Day 2005 at the age of 21.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.