The big news last week – other than the success of Kannada star Yash’s ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ – was the Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt wedding. Having dated for more than five years, it was expected that they will tie the knot but the small home affair was the surprise. But as a couple, it seems like Ranbir and Alia value their privacy and wanted to make their wedding as less disruptive as possible to their busy shooting schedules.
Unlike several decades back, when actresses who got married were seen as losing their market and most of the yesteryear actresses discontinued signing films and focused on raising their kids after marriage. Today times are have truly changed. And for the better. Top Bollywood stars from Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma to Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt now, have realised that success is not limited to their marital status and they can continue to grow to greater heights even when married. The audience has evolved as well and want to see their favourite heroines in diverse roles and the longevity of the actress’ career has increased as a result. But a celebrity wedding is also fodder for media; a time when everyone goes all out to cover everything from who designed their outfits and jewellery to who catered the ceremony and did the wedding decor.
However, it is interesting to see the media put out stories on an actress’ brand value and assets as compared to her husband’s, especially if she is marrying a celebrity. According to one report, Ranbir Kapoor had a net worth of Rs 322 crore in 2021 while Alia Bhatt’s valuation was Rs 517 for the same year. Stories of the number of properties and cars the newly-married couple owned did the rounds as well. And these stories emerge almost after every Bollywood star couple’s wedding.
The next line of stories that do the rounds is the set of people who were not invited to the celebrity wedding. And this would often include the ex-es and so on, along with stories of whom the couple had dated earlier. During the Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal wedding, there were also stories about who had gifted her what including her alleged ex-es Salman Khan And Ranbir Kapoor. Post the wedding of course, it is where the couple are off to for their honeymoon. The airport looks and any pics from their holiday is all the more sought-after.
The tizzy the media gets into during the wedding of a star couple is probably why the celebs try and conceal as much as possible from the public eye right from the time they think of getting married. Privacy is a highly valued right and unfortunately, celebrities don’t enjoy it as much as the common person does. We believe that if a person is a celebrity then they should be ready to see their personal lives splashed across the papers. For fame and fortune, celebs trade in their privacy but the question remains as to how far can should that boundary be pushed. In Hollywood, celebrities take their right to privacy very seriously and there are stringent measures in place unlike in India.
In India, the audience showers a lot of love, affection and attention on their favourite stars. For instance, we have seen the hundreds of fans who land up in front of Shah Rukh Khan’s home, Mannat, every Sunday just to get a glimpse of the superstar. This happens with Salman Khan as well and used to happen with Amitabh Bachchan too in his hey days. Indian celebrities believe that it is because of their fans and the audience that they have achieved so much fame and fortune. So they too don’t mind all the stories in the media and the attention of their fans when they step out. Media attention and celebs go hand-in-hand but sometimes celebs need a few ad breaks too.