Stardom! A word that conjures up images of glitz, glamour and fat paychecks. What lies behind that glitzy exterior is something different altogether. As they say, “All that glitters is not gold”. ‘Stardom’ unarguably comes with a huge price. The crème de la crème of Bollywood brigade would vouch for that! It brings with it, a huge baggage of expectations, a few gibberish fans and needless to say- the media frenzy, to keep a tab on each and every happening (whatsoever it may be) in their lives. Moreover, stars are hounded almost about everywhere and anywhere. Every breath they take makes news. They are under constant media glare with very little space to themselves. Everything has its pros and cons and stardom is no exception.

For every crazy fan dying to catch a glimpse of their favourite star, there is a ‘fan’atic who’d go to any extent to peek into his favourite stars personal life. Voyeurs are getting intrusive by the day. The recent case of a fan allegedly sneaking into John Abraham's new apartment and later posting details on John’s website doesn’t really come as a surprise.

Threats, peek-a-boos, mobbing and stalking!!! You name it and the stars have witnessed it all. It’s indeed heart warming to see fans go ballistic over a charismatic Shahrukh Khan. It’s incredible the way Amitabh Bachchan is literally worshipped here. (just a few examples.) But the famous, successful stars can’t even freely take a stroll down the road, can’t even watch a film (just like any of us) without the fear of being mobbed or relish a simple meal at a restaurant without escaping awkward glances. The minute they step out, the celebrated stars are likely to cause a stampede. The ridiculous, incessant speculation about Aishwarya Rai’s marital status just doesn’t seem to die down.

Phew! It’s time we give them a breather guys!

Well no one is really complaining, as Abhishek Bachchan rightly said in an interview, 'I keep my private life private because I don’t want people to know what pajamas I go to bed in or what I say to my dad. We conduct our lives on a public stage but please I would request people to leave ‘this’ bit to us so that we can keep our sanity. Am I uncomfortable? I would say no. Because I know that an actor’s life comes under immense scrutiny and observation. If you don’t like it then you shouldn’t become an actor. If you want to be there, then you must know how to deal with it.'

The other side, the brighter side of stardom…Obviously its reassuring and rejuvenating to know that millions across the globe are crazy about you, it’s a lovely feeling to know your work is being lauded and appreciated by everyone, it is obviously gratifying to see your family get the best of everything in life, it reinforces self belief when you know you can quote an ‘x’ amount of money and instantly get it, it gives a high to know that the products you’re endorsing are readily and instantly being purchased by fans, it gives a sense of pride to know you’re an icon / idol in the eyes of many… (I could go on)

Evidently, stardom and the resultant inevitable repercussions it has, are the two sides of the same coin. Celebs know for a fact that they cannot keep the invasive media at bay. They know that a fan, no matter how obsessed he/she is, ultimately brings a smile on their face after a hard days work. The star-media quotient and the star-fan quotient is a mutual give and take relationship. Both go hand in hand and both cannot do without each other.

source:glamsham