Weathering the negative storm

They say ‘To err is human’ but the same is not applicable to famous people. There have been numerous cases of artistes, especially movie stars, caught in acts punishable under law — be it Salman Khan in the infamous black buck incident, the IT raids at the houses of Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif or the recent arrest of singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for carrying undeclared foreign currency. Metrolife talks to the young population of the City to get their opinion on these incidents and asks them whether these cases are of any importance.

 Many young students say it is quite shocking to see public figures caught in such situations.  “These artistes are youth icons and surely set an example for many. It is really shameful especially in cases where celebrities, who don’t pay tax themselves, work in ads urging the common people to pay tax,” says Naveen, a student of Christ University. Others agree. “Many people look upto these artistes so it is obviously sad that they are involved in such activities. It is something that their fans must be disappointed with,” says Shreya, a BBM student. “I guess many of them don’t realise that once they are in the public eye, their actions have bigger consequences. They should be more cautious since they are the role models for many,” says Ashvin, an IT professional.
A certain set of the population remains cynical about such cases. “Tax evasion by the high and mighty is nothing new. The news of Priyanka Chopra stashing away crores wouldn’t have raised so many eyebrows had the media not highlighted it. All this will soon be just a faded memory as rarely have the guilty been punished. There must perhaps be countless film stars who have got their own share of hidden cash. There is nothing unusual about stars hiding their money. But if they get punished for the same, that would be something new,” says Avi, a content writer.

And most people think film stars remain unaffected by all this. “These cases might have no consequences but are highlighted because these artistes are always in the public eye. In the cases of Priyanka and Katrina, their image is tarnished of course. But then any publicity is good publicity for them,” says Vijay Isaac, a professional.

Others say that artistes are not expected to behave properly anyway. “When you talk about youth icons, a young politician involved in cases like these would have mattered to me. Artistes, because of their profession, are not expected to be confined to a certain kind of behaviour,” says Shruthi, a BSc student. “I don’t think any fan cares about their money and cases. A fanatic might,” says Vijay.