Sunday, April 15, 2007

Matrimony or Matri-Money?

The world is full of people in awe of movie stars and who dream to be in their shoes। Then there are those kinds of people who try to live their lives through these celebrities. People all dream of making it big in the world of showbiz and for other people to recognize them and love them. With stardom, the interest of people grows as does their curiosity to know everything about them, but how much of peeping into their lives is really appropriate?

The celebrities are made to live under microscopes for satisfying curiosities of such people। The media jumps right in to this to make their dough out of these common people. Especially where the love lives of these celebrities are concerned, this curiosity of the people and media seems to take a life of its own. One such over exposed couple is Abhishek and Aishwarya.

"Abhiash" or "Abhiwaria" are some of the names the media have come up for this couple। Just because the foreign media have a habit of combining the names of two celebrities who come together, such as "Brangelina" or "TomKat." Is that reason enough for the India media to jump into this arena? The media circus is at its crescendo with the couple's upcoming nuptials on April 20, 2007.

Fair enough, Abhishek is claimed to be the most eligible bachelor in Bollywood, what with lineage like Amitabh Bachan and Jaya Bhaduri। Aishwarya is supposed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world so some interest in them is reasonable, but is this reason enough to fill up the newspapers, magazines, and television channels so frequently?

The more the couple tries to keep their celebration under wraps, the crazier the media interest becomes। Every minute detail is being dug up in the name of entertainment. The details go to such heights that one has to wonder, is this really entertainment? The world is full of people who want to know about them, but is this really what the public wants to know about a celebrity on a daily basis? It feels more like media-created hype.

Every day the media is trying to create sensation by predicting who will be invited to the wedding. Speculations are rife as to who is designing the bride's wedding dress. Where is the wedding taking place? Worse, who is going to be standing where for the ceremonies or following them around during their temple visits?

Discussions on various websites are asking people if the couple is the right match for each other। Should Aishwarya work after marriage? There are polls conducted by magazines to find out whether they should have a large or small wedding or small. There are articles asking whether or not Aishwarya will take the Bachan surname, or how fifteen kilos of henna has been ordered for her henna ceremony from the state of Rajasthan - the same place Liz Hurley ordered hers. Pick up any magazine or flip through any Indian news channel and almost everyday you will get to see this so-called entertainment news!


The funny thing is though celebrities in Hollywood can afford to have very lavish weddings, they make money selling their so-called exclusive photographs to make enough money to organize these extravagant weddings। Technically, who ends up paying for these dream weddings in the west are not the people who are getting married, but the ones who buy the magazines to get the preview into their lives.

In a way, they do get the last laugh। Thankfully, this trend hasn't reached India, but they are definitely trying by creating the news that the Bachans have given the exclusive rights to the wedding photos to some foreign magazine or channel. Contrary to the expectations of many people, they are having a very private ceremony with little more than a dozen guests.

Hopefully the media will respect their wishes and not turn into paparazzi. People please give them a break. Let them enjoy their day in peace - leave them alone