Media stunts: IPL, Marriage, Bachchans...

...all commodities!

A few days ago there was a story about Malaika and Arbaaz’s marriage going ‘kaput’ and Arbaaz wanting to remarry. Who they? Okay, Arbaaz is Salman Khan’s brother and has done some forgettable films; Malaika’s contribution to urban Indian society is that she is hot. She works at it. Next day Mumbai Mirror was all martyr:

Turns out we’ve been had. Go to page 2 to read how the two celebs lied through their teeth for money and publicity.

These two are featuring in some skin-care product launch where they will play the Greek characters of Aphrodite and Eros who get married. That was what the whole “remarrying” thing was about.

Now here is what the paper said:

There were many reasons why we thought the story deserved front-page treatment: Malaika Arora is a huge pin-up star and Arbaaz is a celebrity in his own right, and comes from one of film industry's most respected families. In an environment where celebrity unions crumble faster than cookies the two, who have been married for 10 years and are parents of a five-year-old boy, offered a great example of a happy family unit in the face of relentless public scrutiny.

What message do we get from this?

1. Pin-up stars are news?
2. Being the son of a well-respected family makes you newsworthy?
3. Being married for 10 years is an achievement?
4. Being parents is news?
5. Public scrutiny for the above reasons is news?

Oh, tell that to some stupid ad jingle walla. The newspaper cannot be so naïve as to believe anything someone tells them. The couple sent out feelers, and then they spoke. What was the hurry to publish it? And if at all, this goes in the entertainment pages, not the front page. Do you understand? And, yes, we will wait and see if you carry ads of that product or not and whether you give this couple any space in your paper or not. Then tell us that you have been had.

Having said this, and quite certain people will talk about why this is so darn terrible, today’s paper gave us another bit of pathbreaking news: Aishwariya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Yes, the same couple that had a “simple marriage” where the whole media and suicide missions landed up. Now the two of them are in Miami, so Papa B had this brilliant idea. He called his friends and the media for a bash at a five-star hotel and set up this huge screen for a video conference. The couple spoke a bit. Do you know what the real deal was? To promote their film (of which Papa B is also a part) directed by Ram Gopal Verma.

And what happened to the media that was boycotted during the wedding? They get breathless:

Family plot from Mumbai to Miami
Bachchans celebrate Abhiash anniversary, and how!

If you ask me, this is a cheaper stunt than the former.

In the first, the media did not cross-check and went along with what was a parody, however disgusting.

In the latter, you have superstars using their marriage (Jaya Bachchan did her saas act with a tearful moment too…she is missing her beta and bahu).

Was there any need to make a public display of this? Who foot the bill – the producer? Then this too is the buying of anniversary rights. Accept it. Let me see how many will run this grand affair down.