Placards shout loud: Bollywood celebrities don’t make noise
Silence is the new way to make a statement, and Bollywood celebrities are hitting the right note with it. Right from stalwarts such as Amitabh Bachchan to newer faces such as Kriti Sanon and Shruti Seth, actors have managed to create a strong impact with videos in which they deliver their messages without uttering a word.
While Kriti’s rebellious video highlighted people’s tendency to talk but not take any steps to ensure women’s safety, Shruti’s video aimed to promote an upcoming festival.
“If you try to put out your message through a post, people don’t take it seriously anymore. Youngsters these days watch videos. So if you want to deliver an impactful message, you [have to] know that people want to watch celebrities delivering a message,” says wrestler Sangram Singh, who was part of the video on women empowerment.
However, Shruti and Gul, who appeared in such a video together, say staying silent was unintentional. “It was just a tact, and I don’t think that much thought went into it. It was a different way of presenting. We also had a small budget, so it worked for us,” Shruti says.
Advertising veteran Prahlad Kakkar says the trend will be impactful as long as it doesn’t become too common. “It’s a silent statement. Wherever you are crowded, you are dead, and wherever it is less crowded, it has a lot of impact. At one time, placards were in, but then they became common and went out of style. People took up singing and dancing, but that also went out of fashion. Placards work like a gunshot, because it’s different and not crowded. As long as it remains uncrowded, it will remain impactful,” he says.
If you try to put out your message through a post, people don’t take it seriously anymore. Youngsters these days watch videos. SANGRAM SINGH, WRESTLER-ACTOR It was just a tact and not much thought went into it. It was a different way of presenting. We also had a small budget, so it worked for us. SHRUTI SETH, ACTOR