Actor Rasha Thadani, who made her debut last month with Azaad, has grown up seeing the stardom her mum, actor Raveena Tandon, enjoyed sans social media. However, a part of the social media generation, the 19-year-old notes that the rules of the game have completely changed now.

Ask Rasha if the value of stardom has reduced with stars becoming more accessible today and she says, “Social media accessibility has its pros and cons. While the negative fallout is that recognition may be temporary as everyone is easily accessible, the brighter side is that you can interact with the audience more. They can get to know and maybe like you as a person, rather than just liking you for your on-screen persona. So, I think it works both ways.”

Having said that, the debutante notes that being elusive does enhance a star’s appeal: “Look at (actors) Prabhas sir or Allu Arjun sir... when they walk in, there’s fan frenzy. That’s because even if they are on social media, they are not active on it. If they post something, the internet breaks because of the rarity of it.”

Isn’t it true that due to the pressure of being popular on social media, celebrities sometimes project a different personality online? Rasha agrees to that, but says, “If you are trying to be fake, people get to know it. The audience is smart.”

She gives an example to make her point. “Why is (actor) Shraddha Kapoor ma’am loved so much on social media? It’s because she is a genuine, humble, kind and pure person, and that reflects. She shares more of who she is, and that works so well for her. It makes even me appreciate her more,” she ends.