Meanwhile

Since the first Indian silent film, Raja Harishchandra, directed by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913 and the first talkie movie Alamara made in 1931, which had a four-minute long kissing scene (it would give Emraan Hashmi an inferiority complex) up to Ranbir Kapoor’s Jagga Jasoos, the Indian film industry has come of age. With an estimated annual turnover of over $3 billion, offering direct and indirect employment six million people approximately and churning out more than 800 films each year in more than half a dozen languages, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world in numbers. Around 1.3 billion cinema tickets are sold every year; more than the sale of tickets for Hollywood flicks!

Nowhere film actors exercise such a hold on the national psyche: college and university students and the youth in general try to emulate their favourite heroes and heroines in their dresses, hairstyle, mannerism and body language. Corporate sector laps at reigning male/female actors for endorsement of their brands. Amitabh Bachchan is game for any product from cool, cool Navratna hair oil, Chyawanprash, Reid & Taylor to Swachchh Bharat’s Darwaja Band. Shah Rukh Khan is brand ambassador for Dish TV, Santro car and numerous things, including fairness cream. And, Kareena Kapoor Khan endorses Gitanjali diamond jewellery, Pantaloon clothes, laptop and many more. And dream girl Hema Malini promotes Kent Ro water purifier. Apparently, manufacturers believe their sales would go up with endorsement by celebrities.

Political parties rope in popular actors to attract audience add a dose of glamour and garner