Imaging/Uday mohite

The past year was arguably Shah Rukh Khan’s, who delivered three back-to-back hits—Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki—after a five-year break from leading roles.  2023 was witness to the SRK fandom back in action, selling out shows for weeks, creating fan edits of popular scenes and ensuring his songs were hits on social media before the films they were featured in could be released.

But an essential element of the SRK package was conspicuously absent: the uncensored, witty interviews that the actor is known for—the ones where he regales both the interviewer and audience with charm and wisecracks. What happened in the years between 2019, when the actor sat down with David Letterman for a special episode of the TV host’s show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, and now? For one, Khan and his family were put through a trial when his son Aryan was arrested—and exonerated—in a narcotics case that was fodder for weeks of primetime news debates.

Instead of freewheeling interviews, fans now look forward to the actor’s beloved “Ask SRK” AMA sessions on X, where he—and not the agency who manages him—addresses their questions, concerns and wishes. The simplest, earnest questions are answered. “Love winters. It gives reason to hug your loved ones to keep warm,” Khan wrote to a fan who asked him what his favourite season is.

Is the superstar’s decision to keep away from media interviews also a sign of a growing chasm between Hindi cinema’s biggest faces and the Indian media? Veteran journalist Bharti Dubey is of the opinion that Khan has set something of a precedent. “He didn’t do any press, and yet, his films were super hits. Actually, stars aside from SRK, too, don’t need the ‘interview’ anymore. They can put out material on Instagram. Social media interactions have killed the journalist.”

If she still has access to stars and opportunities to interview them, it is only because of her many years of experience, Dubey admits. But she makes no bones about the reality of the media landscape today: the era of a sit-down chat with celebrities is over. “Now, you are timed. They [publicists and managers] say, ‘10 minutes only.’ But sometimes, it takes 10 minutes just to build a rapport with the interviewee, to warm up.”

As for gossip, gleaned from chance encounters and sources on sets, and presented as blind items—that’s a relic of the past. “What gossip?” Dubey laughs. Whether innocuous, sizzling or vicious, gossip is now considered the jurisdiction of self-styled insiders with massive follower counts on social media, or Bollywood-centric forums on Reddit that keep tabs on and dissect the minutest details.

What emerges from comparisons of the past and present is a dissonance between the press and celebrities—one premised on the guarding of reputations, personal details being turned into clickbait headlines, and a change in the way actors present themselves on social media, on their own terms. As our favourite stars turn the selfie camera on, have we reached a point where it’s no longer possible to have a deep, thought-provoking, or fun chat with the actor of  the hour? Is the celebrity interview dead?

Talk of the days when one could walk onto a set and chat with any artist in their view sounds like urban lore. “I’d flash my ID and walk in,” says Kushalrani Gulab, a veteran entertainment writer and editor. She recalls a vivid memory from a junket in Wai, where director Prakash Jha was shooting Mrityudand, starring Madhuri Dixit. She had famously banned all interviews after the name of the man she was dating had been revealed.

“While the writers of Stardust and Filmfare fumed, I chatted with Dixit’s hair stylist. In turn, the stylist invited me into the vanity, and lo and behold, I had an interview. I broke the ice with the actress by speaking about my nephew—I knew that she’d spoken about how much she loves her own.”

Before Bollywood’s wholehearted embrace of social media, the movie-goer and actor needed the press to reach each other. Film magazines and tabloids brought the reader closer to the person they saw on the big screen. They were brokers of opinion, confessions and secrets—there was no other medium for stars to offer snippets of their personal lives or themselves, save for the occasional autograph or meet and greet. It’s no surprise then that fans would throng the lanes of Juhu and Bandra, waiting for the rare sighting of their heroes—as they continue to, even today.

A well-known Bollywood agent with a 20-year career describes how organic celebrity reputations used to be in the 90s and 2000s. “Actors had certain labels—Preity Zinta was ‘bubbly’, SRK was ‘charming’, Juhi Chawla was ‘affable’—they were naturally like this. There wasn’t any machinery working to create these images and ensuring that everything the actor did was in adherence to the image. It’s what Mr Khan says: He is an employee of the myth of SRK. Unfortunately, this myth-making is now a widely adopted idea. Every actor is trying to build their myth and sticking to it,” the agent says.

Social media is the playground where this myth-making takes place, bolstered by complex strategies and image management. The curation concerns everything from the car the celeb will drive, to the food they eat, and the people they rub shoulders with. The agent gives us an example of what such management can look like: “Imagine that you’re a young boy from a small town. It is ideal that you seem relatable. I’ll get the paparazzi to click pictures of you at a local store, or riding in an auto rickshaw. You’ll be seen as one of the boys from the crowd, because you don’t drive a BMW yet. I’ll even get you to post videos about eating streetside chaat. Your interviews will be about the rejections you’ve faced, the trials and tribulations, how the struggles honed you. Soon, you’ll have recall value and land movies that go on to be hits in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.” We’re told there’s an entirely different strategy for star kids, centred on making them seem approachable and aware of their privilege.

Murtuza Rampurwala, who handles social media for bigwigs like Rohit Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, and Shefali Shah, as well as the digital side of movie campaigns, candidly expresses why the vibe of celebrity accounts is positive. “Social media, by design, is a place where everyone wants to show the best versions of themselves—they have to be pristine. We delete negative comments, we manage any small-scale trolling,” he says.

As actors become more comfortable with speaking about their personal lives and preferences online, Gulab points out that entire profiles of stars can now be fashioned based on their social media posts, rendering the interview obsolete. If actors now come to the press, it is to extend the narrative surrounding them, providing manicured details that will not deflect from the impression they want to project. All you, as a journalist, are expected to do is type. “There was a time when I’d walked onto a set where Naseeruddin Shah was present. I asked Shah one question, and he launched into a rant about the Hindi film industry. At the time, he needed a journalist’s platform. Now, no one does,” says Gulab.

The senior Bollywood agent highlights that many of the star kids launched a month ago—Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor—haven’t even given their debut press interviews yet. “The press’ approval is no longer a mandate from the stars either,” she says plainly.

The void left behind by journalists has been swiftly filled by a more appealing face: the influencer. Production houses and OTT platforms often rope in influencers in the verticals of comedy, pop culture and beauty to interview the casts of upcoming projects. Digital creator, Tarini Shah (508k followers), who has worked with celebrities, says that as influencers, they firstly understand the “other side”. “The point is to create a safer space for the celebrity. We are not here to get tabloid news—we are here to talk about your movies, and work, in the most honest way. Every creator has their own niche—for me, it’s my relatability. I ask questions  that I think Gen Z will want to ask about. For me, it’s about giving a safe place where they can be raw and real.”

One of the many things the Bollywood fan looks forward to is a celeb’s soft or hard launch of their beau. Teased, posed for, cheekily confirming rumours—launches of all kinds are lapped up. At the same time, many journalists are held back from asking questions about stars’ romantic relationships. “When they tell me not to ask questions about romantic relationships, I just ask, why? It’s so obvious, it’s all over social media—let me ask the question, and the star can choose to say ‘No comment’ if they want to,” says a senior film journalist who works at a mainstream newspaper.

Till a few years ago, the star had a manager that handled their work—their movies, and everything to do with them, and the production houses set up the interviews, as Yash Raj still does. As avenues expanded and social media entered the fray, the work of a celebrity grew from what they did onscreen to sponsored posts, brand collaborations, and much more. It was then that the PR machinery became imperative—to spread the word.

A PR professional who works at an agency handling Bollywood’s biggest stars says that they are concerned about being misquoted by the press, about their words being taken out of context. 

Another publicist, who has been running a boutique PR firm for a decade, says that actors don’t wish to comment on any issues anymore. “The actor I manage may choose to take a hard stand on a trending topic. But the next morning, when hell breaks loose , I’ll have to figure out remedies and make elaborate damage control plans,” the publicist says.

The editor of a well-known website tells us that OTT platforms, too, are using the power dynamic of access to their benefit. “During the press interactions for the AP Dhillon documentary, more than eight journalists found that the footage of their interviews was reduced to half. And I could pin the blame on one platform, but at some point or other, every OTT platform has done this to me. Their reasons for censoring are that our questions weren’t relevant, or that the talent wasn’t comfortable with the answers they gave.”

Former print journalist, the host of a popular chat show and influencer Nayandeep Rakshit says that the dissonance between the press and celebrities is the result of many factors—and holds all stakeholders responsible.

“Journalists have asked very catty questions, assuming they are fun. The stars have even answered these questions. What follows is social media trolling that is hard to fathom. I asked Ranbir Kapoor a question about what he loves, hates and tolerates about his wife, Alia Bhatt. He answered the question, and the next thing we know, there were armies of social media users slandering the actor for being an inconsiderate husband. What followed was toxic, and that wasn’t my intention, and so, I felt horribly guilty.”

Rakshit traces the changed environment of present times to the moment that shook the Hindi film industry—Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise.

“Mainstream news channels were up in arms, to portray Bollywood as a world where actors have no morality. I loved how Karan Johar addressed it in his chat show last season. That said, it has resulted in actors being more measured, more guarded. Anything and everything they say will be held against them,” Rakshit says of the mistrust that celebrities now harbour.

Dubey, who is speaking to us from a press conference, which she rarely attends these days, adds, “Maybe it’s a phase. I have been told it is. It will all calm down. But will it ever go back to how it used to be? I don’t think so.”

When and how did the transition from Bollywood to motherhood and entrepreneurship happen?
When I was pregnant with our older son who is now 14 (the younger one is 12), I stopped getting acting offers. It came to a point where I started wondering what I would do because I have always enjoyed working. My father said: ‘Don't sit and wait for the phone to ring. If you want to do something, create it’. I started thinking about the things I am passionate about. I wanted to be on screen. I enjoyed business. And I am passionate about being with my family and my kids. So, I thought why not combine these to create a show about the incredible journey of being a mom. The show was never intended to be patronizing, giving tips or tricks. It was more about just sharing and learning from each other — literally from cleaning babies' potty to giving them a bath to taking them on a long flight. It was a process of discovery with the audience. It's kind of like what Insta Stories now is except that this was on television.

It's almost like you invented the word mompreneur…
It's not like that. I remember when Kajol was a guest on Season 3, she spoke beautifully about how actually for generations, women have been working and multi-tasking. But these are words that we now use to credit ourselves, saying we are mompreneurs, we are working and looking after kids at the same time! A lot of my work happens from home so I used to wonder: Am I really working? But I realized I bring in brands, it is an advertiser funded program, I am earning and I am doing what I love so I shouldn't play down this space that I have created for myself.'

Today’s parents are very hands-on and have a gentler approach towards parenting. It is sometimes considered a form of self-healing — perhaps overcompensating for something they didn't have while growing up because maybe their own parents were strict. What’s your take?
I don't believe in generalizing. My parents were extremely involved and encouraging. I'm half Indian and half English (her mom is British). I am mentioning this because I think everyone's parenting style is a little different. My parents were always quite sporty and loved the outdoors. We often went on rough and tough trekking-like trips. I find we as parents are quite like that. Our kids are really into sports. I agree there's a lot more talk about this ‘gentle’ kind of parenting. But I think that's also perhaps a perception that has been built on social media. So, I don't know if the style has changed because I know, stereotypically, one wants to think that earlier generations were stricter. But again, it's a function of each family. Perhaps situations have also arisen where more people work from home, there is a bit more flexibility. Covid-19 has changed so much of how we live.

Your father, Pratap Sharma, was a well-known novelist and thespian. In this digital age, how do you ensure that your children don't lose touch with the joy of reading?
The reality is that gadgets and technology have come into our lives in a bigger way than we had access to. I come from a family of books. My father was well-known for his voice, an author and a playwright, and my mom writes too. My grandfather was a publisher. But honestly, I am not a very good reader. My husband (Roopak Saluja) reads a lot more. We encourage the kids to read but they don't read much. Something their school principal said makes a lot of sense. He said we need not just think of reading as picking up a physical book or a physical play. All forms of reading, whether it's articles on the internet or even something on Instagram, adds to our knowledge. While we try to inculcate a love for literature and the classics, I find that even a lot of my news consumption comes from social media. So I think when we talk about kids reading, we also need to rethink and recalibrate.

What, according to you, is the right age to give a phone to a child?
We have all been told that preferably the later you give the phone, the better. But one sometimes feels compelled to give the phone early on. I think Covid-19 accelerated our moving to tech. It was a very difficult time but what kept us all sane was that our kids had great online schooling. Of course, tragically, many children did not have that. Before the pandemic, our kids hardly had any screen time and then suddenly all kinds of interaction, including schooling, playdates, even birthday parties were online. You have to question why you are giving the phone. For example, our younger son plays semi-professional football. He often goes far away to play and we need to be in touch so he needs a phone. More than the rules, it's also explaining the values to the kids on how to use the phone. That if you have access to the internet, how to ensure you're not watching the wrong stuff. These are the things that one has to have conversations about quite early on. It is better to give them freedom but with the responsibility of how to handle it.

You have a teenager and a pre-teen. How are you coping with the tantrums?
I believe every phase of parenting is incredible in its own way. But I will say parenting teens is a whole different ball game. You are often unsure and all you can do is be there, give them the values that you feel are the right ones. Roopak and I work as a team. He's very much part of their parenting. I am often unable to discipline them; he is better at it. You have to give them independence and space. I am grateful that both our kids are very independent. We don't have a culture of 'you have to show me your homework when it's done'. And I know every child is different. It's okay to have fights, perhaps even to scream and shout. I'm guilty as charged of doing that. I think it's important for people to know that it's so normal. I have yet to know of a family where there are teenagers and they don't have shouts and fights or eye-rolling situations. I have been doing my show for 15 years and a lot of parents have been with me on this journey. Many say this phase is the most confusing one. It's no longer just about changing a nappy or managing a tantrum. But one thing that has helped me a lot is to know that even if a teenager is being mean to you or saying they don't want you around or is upset with you, this is often the time they need you most. This is something I keep reminding myself. Even if you're being yelled at or even if you're not feeling good about yourself, they need you.

One thing that I found very useful on my show through the seasons was having all kinds of inspirational persons from sports, among others, like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Chhetri and Rohit Sharma. Today, I listen to some of those chats and I use their advice. Chhetri told me his biggest competitor for football when he was a kid was his mother. I know how much we (Roopak and I) play football with the kids. While my younger son is playing intense football, the older one has taken to tennis. Each child is different, but a sport helps. We've always encouraged some music too; I grew up like that — some sports, music and academics. Both our kids play an instrument. And they love school, they have friends and we're learning as we go along.

Adolescents are quick to pick up on social media buzzwords and are often seen correcting their parents for not saying the right things or being out of sync with lingo and nomenclature.
Yes, our kids do sometimes think we're dinosaurs, as young as we may think we are! When it comes to "woke-ism" and being cool, of course as parents we're often told, "Oh God that's old fashioned" and "that's not right". And teenagers do have moods so sometimes those things are said in jest and sometimes, maybe not. But I think it's important to give them their space and much as we adore our kids it's important to have our own work and interests too. After a long time, I'm acting in a film — in Zoya Akhtar's 'The Archies'. It's only a small role. But my joke is that I am not Betty or Veronica but a mother!

All generations were very cool, but I think this generation of parents are exposed to so much more on social media and we are consuming and or have access to the same content as our children so we know some of their buzzwords and what's going on to an extent. Sometimes the kids tell me 'Mama, your YouTube channel is fine but if you really want viewership, you should get into gaming' (laughs). Kai is still okay with me attending his football matches, I am quite a soccer mom, but as a teen Zen is more inclined to say: 'Oh, you don't have to come, it's not necessary.'

How much is too much when it comes to ‘sharenting’ (sharing about kids) on social media?
When it comes to sharing, I think the safety of our kids is paramount. When I started my show, people asked: are you comfortable showing your babies on the screen? At that time, many parents would not. But for me, as a family, we had discussed it, and we were okay. The show started as a diary of a new mom. Authenticity and being real is intrinsic to it, so sharing was what made it real. But as the kids got older, we evolved the show into a platform where I chat with inspirational people who are bringing about positive change. We stopped having our kids in it as we didn't want to encroach on their privacy. So, I think it's a personal decision. As kids get older, their consent is important too.

Is there too much focus now on getting parenting right?
I don't think it's about getting it right. It's about doing the best we are able to do while living our own lives. Parenting is a part of our lives but it's not the only thing. I'm Tara, an actor, producer, entrepreneur, devoted mom, sports enthusiast — so many things. My kids are the centre of my life. But there's other stuff too. I don't think we're all in a race to parent right. We're all doing our best. All our parents tried to do the same. There's no generation that didn't try to be a good parent. I don't think it's unique to this generation.

More and more moms are starting their own businesses from home. What advice would you like to give to mothers who are just starting out?
I would like to wish them luck. Mothers definitely are great multitaskers. I think that's something I definitely got better at once I became a mum. Also, I think it's also really important to define what success is for you. I always knew having a family, being healthy and happy is a priority. I have created work around my kids. I started my entrepreneurial venture out of what I value. If you are someone who's excellent at baking or designing clothes and you want to do it from home, that's great. You don't have to feel like 'Oh, I'm not as good as somebody who's got VC funding and become a huge millionaire'. It's really important to not constantly compare yourself to others. The best you can do is equip your kids with the right values and then let them captain their own ship. You are there to stand by, to support, to steer, but not to actually captain.

There’s something endearing about Shweta Bachchan-Nanda. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and the newly published author of Paradise Towers walks into a room at Janak, the Bachchans’ office in Mumbai’s Juhu. Dressed in a loose tee and slacks, her hair heavily oiled, she asks with childlike curiosity: “Did you really like my book?” Rarely known to give interviews, the statuesque daughter of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan is expressive and often self-deprecating in person, as she tells Mohua Das about writing a light-hearted book of fiction, being shy, and starting a new life at 44
Mohua Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 23, 2018)

Congratulations on your debut as a writer with Paradise Towers. How did you manage to spin a tale on people in a Mumbai high-rise, given that this world is removed from the kind of home you’ve lived in?
This is something that I’ve been asked before. In fact, the first time I was asked this was by my own mother because she’s the only one in my family to have read the manuscript. Please allow me this flattery, but she said, ‘How do you know so exactly what happens in a multi-storeyed building? That’s not your life’. And I said ‘Yes mama, but I have eyes, I’ve had enough friends growing up who lived in buildings, and I observe.’ She felt that there are a lot of characters and a certain milieu of society that I’d got bang-on. I think it’s one of the benefits of being born into a family of actors. They observe. Wherever they’re going or whatever their interactions are, they observe the characteristics and quirks of someone’s nature… the more pronounced the better, and I think I’ve just inherited that. It’s something I do actively whenever I’m meeting someone or out at a party. What I love doing is just sitting and watching things unfold. And today it’s not just passive observation, I also make notes.

You mean, active eavesdropping!
No no! (Laughs) I was a very shy child while growing up. Always hiding behind my mum, hating being pushed forward… I’d sit quietly and observe things and I think that has become second nature. We lived a very protected life, growing up. My parents were from UP and MP — they came to Bombay to work and make a living, it was the ‘70s. My father worked hard and made a name for himself but back then it was all very new. My brother and I were the first inheritors of what my father had made for himself. And of course as a parent you don’t know how this recognition can affect your family, so the first instinct is to be protective. We were also part of a very big joint family — my chacha, my cousins were always together. My grandparents lived with us. But there was always this curiosity about life in buildings when friends in school would say, ‘I’m going to my building friend’s birthday’ or that magic hour between 4 and 6 in the evenings when they’d all go down to play. The grass is always greener on the other side and Paradise Towers is born out of that observation and desire, for ‘building friends’ you can access at any time, and interactions between people in different flats. It’s come from 44 years of keeping my eyes open, being shy and looking at what everyone’s doing.

Your parents must be proud because you’re carrying forward the legacy of both your grandfathers — Harivansh Rai Bachchan (noted poet) and Taroon Coomar Bhaduri (journalist and author).
They’re happy — proud they will be after they read the book when it releases next month. No one apart from my mother has read it yet because she’s direct, honest and if she didn’t like something she’d tell me. I’m not the only one who writes though. My cousin brought out a book of poems. I’ve been a writer for myself, I’d write short stories and they remained in my journals or got torn up and thrown away. It was only when I started putting some of my writing out in a column and got a compliment or two, that I found the confidence. Then one day I just woke up with this story in my head and it took me a year to put it together.

Why take a risk with fiction when you could have rustled up an authentic account of India’s most famous film family?
Fiction was a conscious decision because my father has said many times that he doesn’t want his biography done. I also feel that actors’ lives are shared with the public on such a large scale, that sometimes you have family memories or moments you may want to just keep to yourselves. Their lives are so vast that I wouldn’t even attempt or know where to start because I’d be biased and not be able to look at either my father, mother, brother or sister-in-law’s lives objectively.

Are you nervous about living up —or writing up — to expectations?
I am, but I hope it’s enjoyable and it gives people a couple of hours of feeling good. It’s not a heavy book or one fraught with darker issues. It’s a light book that my mother feels one can pick up and finish reading on a flight from Delhi to Bombay.

You’ve been famously media shy. Suddenly we’re seeing a lot more of you in the public eye… You’ve been writing columns, you faced the camera for an ad film and you also launched a fashion line. Has the last year given you a newer perspective on life?
It’s actually not that thought-out but I also believe something I read somewhere that every seven or eight years, your life, outlook and many things about you change completely. It’s almost like a snake shedding its skin. For me that happened when I hit 40. Both my children were out of home in boarding school and suddenly I was sitting there with nothing to do. I thought I’d go crazy just looking at the walls or going to visit my children and sitting on their heads. Which teenager would want that? It would have caused a lot of teen rebellion and friction. I am shy, I am an introvert and I’m trying to push myself out there, so I’m not in my comfort zone even as I sit here talking to you but it’s just out of a desire to do something. I feel good about starting a life at middle age. It’s fun and I hope more women do that, especially if you’re a stay-at-home mom and you find yourself in that space when children have their own lives, husband’s away at work and you’re wondering ‘what am I doing with all this free time?’ Women are famous multitaskers. I’ve always heard that said, seen my mum do it, and now suddenly I’m doing it. Be it designing or writing, they’re all different aspects of creativity and it’s keeping me busy.

You must be tired of being asked this but does acting still not interest you?
I have no potential as an actor, let’s get that sorted!

But your father insists that you’re the real actor, a mimic par excellence in the family…
I think there’s a very fine line between good mimic and good actor and I don’t think I’m crossing any of those! Even this ad I managed to do because I had him right by me. He asked me to behave with him the way I do at home. My Dad and I have that equation so it was easy but I don’t think I can do it otherwise. I have complete respect for those who face the camera every day and manage all those emotions they share with us. I’m happy to hide behind my words.

Does the public gaze bother you more now? You maintained a certain normalcy while growing up but how do you shield your children today with so many more cameras and paparazzi following star kids around?
In a certain way, yes but I also understand that this is the way the world is now. They haven’t lived in India for so long and have been away from the film scene here but yes, there’s a constant gaze and they’ll have to learn to balance and make their peace with it. They’ve also made my job easy by not being the kind of children I need to be constantly watching over. I also had an internal dialogue and made a conscious decision to take a couple of steps back when they turned teenagers. Of course I’m always there for them. My son Agastya is in England, my daughter Navya Naveli is in the US and they’re fed up of me asking them for pictures even if it’s from their geography field trip! (Laughs)

And, how would you define the Bachchans in one line?
I think we’re very, very tight knit as a family.