Celebrities are social leaders!

Are we to congratulate Mr. Sharukh  Khan for being the proud franchisee winning owner of Kolkatta Knight Riders in the recently concluded IPL Edition-5 or to reject him for exhibiting his outburst and indulging in misbehaviour in public?  It is even more surprising to see Mr. Khan in such a state, as generally he is known for his people-friendly mannerisms and who is invariably familiar of carrying himself in an exuberant manner in public.

We live in a world where boorish behavior is captured and amplified, particularly when the boors are our heroes and celebrities. Then they issue an apology and all is forgotten.  Is this new?  All this would be just media noise if these people weren’t  such role-models to our children/youth. You can endlessly perpetuate the sensational element behind such episodes. Media are happy, their channels are busy with continuous assignments, people have free entertainment (if not a movie, a sort of reality show!).

Do you embrace them, talk about them and invite debate? Or just ignore and move on? After all, the next news will be ever ready.  In fact when this news broke, people started slowly forgetting the RCB Player Luke Pomersbach and the American lady episode. Celebrities make news, good, bad or ugly. If the news is bad or ugly, the readership and viewership immensely and instantly multiplies.

When celebrities fall short, more when it comes to the stature of Mr. Khan, it affects nearly a whole generation of youth.  If only had Mr. Khan come forward to immediately tender an open apology to the authorities taking ownership of the  incident, not only the controversy would have instantly ended, he would have earned tons of love and goodwill of millions of fans and fellow country-men.  Make no mistake. King Khan is an icon to reckon with. People are likely to imitate the behavior which they associate with success or successful people.

For instance, half the kids who start smoking do so because they see it in movies. Make an announcement that you are bidding adieu to smoking! See the impact it would make on your fan-following!

We are also witness to a great deal of celebrities who have put huge amount of time, money and resources into charity work.  Bill Gates,  Azim Premji,  Rakesh Jhunjhunwala …  always come to mind instantly when it comes to positive celebrity.

 “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.