There are two kinds of celebrities in social media: Those who give their fans a glimpse into their daily (sometimes, fabulous) lives; and those you can’t see at all. There’s Alia Bhatt, making hearts in the sky at Tudum, celebrating her grandfather’s birthday. Kareena Kapoor Khan is on holiday with the family at the Alps, or recreating the Sex and the City posse with girlfriends.

But if you want to see what their spouses Ranbir Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan are up to, you’ll only find them here—the former is helping her grandfather cut his birthday cake; the latter stands next to her by the bench in a red tee.

Ranbir and Saif are among the handful of A-listers—the others being Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji—who are not connecting to their fans or giving us a glimpse into their lives or thoughts through Twitter, Instagram or blogs. Aamir was on Twitter and Instagram till March 2021. A day after his birthday on the 14 of the month, he announced his departure from all social media platforms saying that he was not very active on them anyway.

“Hey guys, thank you so much for all the love and warmth on my birthday,” the post said. “My heart is full. In other news, this is going to be my last post on social media. Considering that I am so [in] active anyway, I have decided to drop the pretence.”

News agency PTI later reported him saying, “Main apni dhunki mein rehta hoon [I live in my own world]. I am anyway not active on social media… We used to communicate before this [social media] as well. Now that I’ve quit social media, I’ll be able to talk to my audience only through the media.” He guided fans to an official handle for his production house, Aamir Khan Productions, saying, “Future updates on me and my films can be found there...”

Social media is not just a place to flex fitness routines, cute pets and elicit validation about your home-made dalgona coffee. For those in the business of selling dreams and lifestyles, it is now a crucial part of marketing strategies for movies, brand endorsements and their fabled lives. When members of star parivaars such as the any of the four Khans, Kapoors, Bachchans or Bhatts cross post their collective experiences, as do members of the Johar-Chopra posse, fans feel part of the clique, and that karva chauth celebration. And that ostensibly converts to buying of more red ghaghras, glugging collagen boosting power drinks or at least picking up a lipstick.

“Social media is a powerful tool for stars to stay connected with their audience,” says Murtuza Rampurawala, founder of Spectra Digital marketing agency, “Stars can use it to communicate directly with fans. This helps stars humanise themselves, boost their visibility, and maintain an ongoing relationship with their viewers.”

Then how do Saif, Ranbir, Rani and Aamir still pull in crowds to the theatres? And doesn’t this go against the accepted wisdom of maintaining a sense of mystery which keeps the glamour of celebrity intact? That they don’t have a personal account doesn’t mean they are invisible on social media, especially in the case of visual platforms such as Instagram.

“Saif is someone who likes to experience and be present in the moment without the distraction or pressure to capture or share those moments as per timelines, even though he loves taking pictures and getting clicked,” says Urshita Kochar, his manager.

The Associate Vice President of Talent Management at Exceed Entertainment, adds, “He may not have a personal account but there is a lot of Saif Ali Khan you’ll find on social media, be it through brand associations, films, his holiday pictures [on spouse Kareena, sister Soha or sister-in-law Karisma’s accounts], OOTD pictures at the gym [on fan accounts] or at the airport [on paparazzi accounts].”

The same goes for Ranbir; Rani and Aamir are exceptions in this fish bowl, with the former being married to the famously reclusive filmmaker Aditya Chopra. Aamir appears sporadically on the accounts of his children Ira and Junaid. This scarcity increases pull in some cases, with their work and interviews in media becoming their only channel of connection.

“Their absence from social media can create an air of mystery and exclusivity,” says Rampurawala, “as fans have limited access to their personal lives, making them more intrigued and interested in their work. It allows these stars to maintain a clear boundary between their private and professional lives, reducing the risk of online controversies or overexposure. By avoiding social media, they can keep their focus solely on their craft and let their work speak for itself.”

This certainly holds true for OG stars. “Saif’s popularity endures because of his versatility as an actor and the diverse roles he is known to take on,” says Alpa Turakhia, co-founder of Communique Film PR, “He is not an upcoming artist, he has made a name for himself before any of this existed. His career spans decades, which has helped him build a loyal fan base.”

Saif’s ability to evolve with the times and embrace new mediums keeps him relevant in the way participating in reels and trends on social media does for others. He was the first mainstream actor to move to the OTT platform with the web series Sacred Games and is now bringing the character of Star Lord to life in the latest Marvel Audible series.

It takes a certain maturity to preserve one’s sense of wellbeing by excusing oneself from a platform where one is vulnerable to trolls and negativity. In April 2021, actor Warina Hussain quit social media citing it a burden.

In an interview to magazine Filmfare, she said, “For me it was more of a burden... What’s the point? It’s toxic out there. One comment can ruin your mood and it can demotivate you so much. The best way to deal with all of it is to ignore. Sometimes, I felt like fighting back and commenting on these trolls, but there’s no point to that.” Though the account remains active, Hussain clarified that her team would be handling it to post work related content.

How does one negotiate this when social media marketing strategy is now the pinpoint of focus when a film or project is up for release? “It can indeed pose challenges when strategizing publicity for movies or brands,” admits Rangawalla, “Social media has become a central platform as it offers vast reach and targeted advertising capabilities. Stars who are not active on social media might miss out on direct engagement with fans during crucial promotional periods, leading to a potential loss of visibility and buzz.”

This is probably what keeps John Abraham on Instagram. Though he’s been there for a few years, most posts concern posters and stills of his films: No glimpses of a dinner date, his dogs or dalgona. “Collaborating with influencers, other online platforms and leveraging fan clubs to share updates and promote the star’s work can bridge the gap between the non-social media star and the online audience,” says Rangawalla. “In this case, we must find alternative ways to engage the audience and build excitement around a star’s projects.”

Saif Ali Khan and wife and actor Kareena at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, 2022; Prince Charles at a charity dinner in London, 2015. Pics/Getty Images

In February this year, Alia Bhatt slammed photographers who had from a structure opposite her apartment taken photographs of her inside, scrolling through her phone and spending private time with family. The A-lister took to Instagram to call out the “invasion of privacy” and tagged the Mumbai police.

“Are you kidding me? I was at my house, having a perfectly normal afternoon, sitting in my living room when I felt something watching over me. I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of the neighbouring building with a camera right at me. In what world is this okay and is this allowed? This is a gross invasion of someone’s privacy. There’s a line that you must not cross, and it is safe to say that all lines were crossed today (sic),” the 30-year-old said in the post.

Soon, several other celebrities shared similar experiences. The situation alluded to the cant-live-with-or-without-you equation that cinema stars share with photographers. While the big names may not like to admit the publicity that paparazzi or photographers’ social media accounts generate for them, for the smaller faces, being clicked could prove make or break. It is a symbiotic relationship.

Without the stars, the photographers would not only be jobless, they’d be robbed of the following they enjoy and the reactions that pictures of the famous garner for them. And in this mix is the star’s publicist or manager, often the key to a celebrity presence tip off.

If you thought that the surprised expression that heroine sported when she walked out of a Bandra cafe right into an assembly of photographers, was spontaneous, you’ve been living under a rock. It’s often the manager’s job to alert the paparazzi about the star’s whereabouts, whether it’s a Saturday afternoon blow dry at the salon, a dinner with friends in the neigbourhood or a flight to the next shoot. It changes the headline of the “spotted” picture to “arranged-to-be-spotted”, but that’s hardly of concern to the fans and public, as long as they get to see their favourite star in ‘candid’ mode. 

Mumbai’s top freelance celebrity photographers have a following that rivals the actors’. Viral Bhayani leads with 7.5 million followers; Manav Manglani has 2.8 million, and Yogen Shah has two million. It has made them powerful enough to decide who will be in conversation today, circulation tomorrow. And it’s a power that the stars and their agents have played a critical role in handing to them.

Three days ago, leading film publicist Alpa Turakhia who is co-founder of Communique PR, shared a screenshot on her Insta account of a conversation between a well-known pap and her colleague. The pap wrote, “Even prostitutes want a post for airport spotting. So all these celeb managers are pimps indirectly.”

Fed up, she says, of enduring this behaviour, Turakhia called him out. When this writer, in a moment of solidarity for women professionals, reposted, we received a flurry of messages from celebrity publicists and artiste managers, each with their own version of what they called a pap horror story.

One of them, on condition of anonymity, told mid-day, “Once he [pap] put up a picture of Dharmendra and Waheeda Rahman on his page; it was not a tasteful picture. We requested him to take it down. He ranted, threatened, vomited venomous words. Most of them [paparazzi] are arrogant and have no understanding of how disgraceful their tone can be.”

Another female publicist, who runs a boutique agency, told us, “They give us maa-behen gaalis; blackmail is common. We have sometimes had to keep proof of text message exchanges so that when our clients [stars] ask us why we aren’t dealing with certain senior paps, we can show them why. In our firm, if an artiste wants a post put up by a pap who has behaved badly with us in the past, we ask the agency to reach out to the photographer directly.”

Turakhia didn’t name the photographer, but she may have been referring to Bhayani, who identifies himself as a digital creator. The independent photographer who has gone from working solo to hiring a team of 12, reached out to mid-day after our post, saying he is often misunderstood. He admitted to being under overwhelming pressure.

“I start my work day at 7 am. It’s non-stop until 1 am. I have a team, yes, but the work becomes too much. I take 200 to 300 calls a day. I admit that I might have spoken rudely or misbehaved with some; I think I should now hire a manager to streamline the communication,” he said.

Bhayani, like most other top paps, gets paid for each post. If he won’t deliver, the publicists and stars are sure to come after him. “Say, I schedule a photographer for celebrity spotting at the airport at 8 am. The publicist to a star will call me at 7.50 am, saying s/he is exiting in 10 minutes. I call my guy, he may not answer. He calls me back after 15 minutes. By then, I have had an argument with the publicist. When the pressure mounts and tempers flare, we become negative and end up saying what we shouldn’t. I am fighting for respect, too. No matter how far I go in life, I will always be seen as the man who chases celebrities. I have once had a call from an actor, threatening, ‘Photo nahin dalega tu? Chal, utha leta hoon tujhe’. I am frequently at the police station handling defamation threats. Having said this, I do want to work on my misbehaviour. I have no vices, no hobbies. I work. I don’t want to hurt with my words,” he says philosophically, mirroring his mood from an Instagram story that quotes Buddha: Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.

Bhatt is not the only one to have taken a stand. Taapsee Pannu’s altercation with the paps during the promotions of her film Dobaaraa is now infamous. When Pannu didn’t like the way they spoke to her, she had a heated exchange. mid-day reached out to Pannu this time to understand where her relationship with the paps stands.

“Honestly, at that point, it was a reflex action. At times, I have felt that they have crossed the line. They have shouted at me. We are extra-courteous to them because we acknowledge that they spend their days filming us and building us up. That said, sometimes when our personal space is violated, it elicits a reaction. I can’t generalize because like every industry, there are good ones too. Someone sitting at a desk across the country doesn’t realize that paps don’t capture the moments when they misbehave because the camera is on us, not on them. The videos of us reacting are used as clickbait later, because negativity sells on social media. After the Dobaaraa incident, I thought a lot about this—is this a healthy part of my profession? Of course not. I am okay if I don’t get clicked often. People notice me because of my work, not how often they see me in fancy clothes. I don’t want to fear what the paps might do if I don’t go out of my way to entertain them. The power we gave them is biting us back. We have overindulged. The boundaries must be drawn. I am happy to meet them at work and entertain them, but not at the cost of my respect.”

Parag Desai, CEO of Universal Communications, a leading entertainment PR firm that represents Ajay Devgan and Amitabh Bachchan, explains how the paparazzi in India became all important. “Social media platforms have become an easy access point for fans to get their news and content on-the-go. Many freelance photographers caught on to this trend and began offering the audience insights into the daily routine of their favourite stars. Their pages soon gained popularity, and the public began interacting with their content. We have come to a point where a top pap’s social media is the essential medium for us to reach audiences directly. For young actors, this is crucial to gain recognition, reach a wider audience, and maintain regular visibility. We work on mutual trust and respect. We can’t do without the other. But, dignity and decorum has space,” he says.

Fan clubs in the city and those who run them understand the angst of agents. They say, they too have been at the receiving end of arrogance. Sumit Kumar, who runs a popular Sidharth Malhotra fan club with 110k followers on Instagram, spoke of paps expecting revenue sharing. “Fan clubs share content taken from the paparazzi, and credit it to them. What is on social media is out there for everyone to pick up. I was threatened by a pap to not pick up his content. He said I had to become a ‘50 per cent partner’, if I wanted to use his content. He wanted a stake in my revenues and followers. I had to delete his posts from my page and stopped using his content.”

Independent photographers charge for every post they put up. Some of them enjoy a remuneration in the range of three to five lakh. An industry insider says, “The top paps charge in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per post. If they are given a non-industry person to post about, they hike their fee by another Rs. 10,000. For instance, a businessman who wants to be featured will end up paying more than a celebrity.”

Not everyone, though, is making a killing. A senior photographer with a leading newspaper offers an insight into the freelance photographers’ game. “Most paps make twice the salary of someone like me, a full-timer with a publication, in just a day. Despite this income flow, they choose to hire stringers for as little as Rs 10,000 a month. They don’t ask for hikes, holidays, benefits, food. Most paps you now see hanging outside say, a Bandra cafe waiting for a celebrity, are fans themselves, who want to be close to their stars. They are handed a camera by a top pap and do a bit of his work for him. There is a well-known stringer called Sneh Zala. He was a huge Deepika Padukone fan and would track her every move. He was soon hired by a senior pap. That’s how fans who hang around with their camera phones become ‘content creators’. So many paps have a previous life as delivery boys or drivers. They are not trained or professional. You’ll see them crack cheap comments or catcall the actors.” 

He speaks of success having brought along hubris. “Some of them have made fake press cards,” he says. “It gives them access to places where they ordinarily couldn’t go,” he says. But he adds that it’s a juggernaut with multiple players, and all have contributed to this mess: production houses, publicists, and even the stars.

“There are stars who have multiple paps on their retainer payroll. You won’t find them posting a bad picture of these actors. Every snap and video that goes up has their approval. So, the world is seeing exactly what they want to show—how relatable, s/he is when s/he eats pani puri on the road just like an average Joe.”

When celebrities are involved in major celebrations, like a marriage, iftar party or a house get together, leading paps are paid anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 30 lakh to cover it. Interestingly, not much of this reaches the foot soldiers, who are often jabra fans, too star-struck to ask for more or better. “They are also unaware of the problem they are becoming.”

Discussing what an important cog in the wheel the paparazzi have become in India, Varun Gupta of Max Marketing, tells mid-day, “Before pap culture, only keen fans would know about a certain star’s arrival in say, Delhi to promote a film. Now, everybody knows. If Kartik [Aaryan] and Kiara [Advani] are at a launch in Jaipur, we can reach out to the entire country simultaneously through paps. They are instrumental in allowing us to reach the right target group across the country. Paps started spotting where celebrities frequented— gyms, salons, cafes, etc. It was organic and gradually, the masses followed. Now, of course, authenticity is out of the window. Anyone can pay and earn a post. They have the power to make a nobody a sensation. Take Uorfi Javed,” he says of the television actor with an outrageous fashion sense.

“We all know her, but we have no idea what she does. Ranveer Singh mentions her on Koffee with Karan!”

Gupta cites a marketing campaign they did for Oscar-winning film, RRR. They called it RRR march. “We were in different cities on the same day and did interviews against the most famous landmark of the said city... Varanasi Ghat, Howrah Bridge, Statue of Unity. We took four posts a day with the pap pages in a bid to showcase that we were everywhere promoting the film. RRR was a pan-India movie and we had to reflect this in the campaign. It is a marketer’s job to use the paps right. What you put out there and how you use them is in your control.”

Shrenik Gandhi, social media strategist and founder of White Rivers Media explains that enigma is no longer in fashion. The stars want to be accessible, and relatable. Aura doesn’t sell. 

It wasn’t like this 20 years ago, says veteran photographer and curator, Piramal Gallery, NCPA, Mukesh Parpiani. He remembers a time when they landed a photograph through what they heard and dug out. “When I was photo editor at mid-day, senior photographer Pradeep Dhivar got a tip off about Amitabh Bachchan walking to Siddhivinayak mandir at night. It wasn’t routine for stars to do this back then. We got the shot in 2007 in the wee hours of the morning. When we learnt that Mandira Bedi would run on the beach early morning, we clicked her exclusively. Even when we did a shoot in conjunction with someone famous, it was more about executing an editorial call, it wasn’t staging a picture. I remember that when Rakhi Sawant was becoming famous, we realised that a middle-class girl was making it big. We shot her on a local from Andheri to Vile Parle. It was part of telling her story.” 

Marcellus Baptista, who has been covering Mumbai’s party circuit for decades, recalls a time when celebrity invites were sent in hard copy. “There was no PR agency to speak of,” says Baptista who started his career with Free Press Bulletin in 1981. “It was friendly. I once went to an art event and met Amitabh Bachchan there. I didn’t even know he was going to come. It was wonderful. Perhaps publicists should stop encouraging the paparazzi. They are creating a vicious cycle.”

With inputs from Aastha Atray Banan

Sumit Kumar, Viral Bhayani and Marcellus Baptista

Alpa Turakhia, Parag Desai and Varun Gupta