Actors or social workers?!

We see them everywhere -- from inaugurating stores/restuarants/gyms/beauty parlours/coffee shops, to flashing their superficial smiles while endorsing brands on television or print, to prancing around extravagant sets at weddings/film awards/charity functions. It's extremely hard to ignore the film fraternity.

But when these actors adorn the role of social workers it turns extremely comical. This is because, in most cases, they have very little understanding of the cause and have no clue what to say. They mainly reach the venue, dressed in simple clothes, only to portray an intellecutal look, in an attempt to state there is more to them make-up, chant a few rehearsed lines and rush back to their Bollywood bubble. This five-minute soundbyte will fetch them more publicity than any of their flop films.

The most recent celebrity goof-up was by little-known actor Diya Mirza. Unlike other glamour dolls in the industry, she wanted to be "different" and choose to take a stand on the highly-debated Narmada dam issue. At a function in Rajkot on Sunday, the actor claimed she supported Aamir Khan's stand on the issue.

When told that the dam, if completed, will supply water to lakhs of villagers in Gujarat, she said, "People should also think about the thousands who are getting displaced. Should Gujarat drink water at the cost of thousands of displaced people?" . So is she proposing that people should die of thirst because some villagers can not be displaced? I don't contest that the problem of rehabilitation is a large one (and the government is working on it) but to ridicule the drinking problem of the other villages is deplorable. It just shows that she prefers to take a stand without understanding the problem, but because it is the "in" thing to do.

Aamir's stand in itself is debatable. The actor was seen mumbling his reasons for joining the movement in a recent TV interview . One of his reasons being inspired by his own film Rang De Basanti -- An interesting way to market your film, don't you think? So had there been no Rang De... he would have been relaxing in the comforts of his luxurious homes ignoring the plight of these villagers? His stand would have achieved some level of credibility if he had cited rehabilitation of the villagers displaced by the Sardar Sarovar dam as the ONLY reason.

Most often filmstars use such public protests to either promote their films or book a place on the TV slots and newspapers for their own publicity. Being actors they don't find it tough to make their act, however shallow, just as convincing and genuine for the star-struck public.

But for a few of us who can see black from white. You need to be more believable!