The online section of a popular British tabloid showed their ignorance regarding Indian actors when famous Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was referred to as ‘the leggy brunette’ and a ‘female companion’ in a report on world No. 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic on a dinner date. The article described Djokovic leaving a celebrity hangout joint The Nice Guy in Los Angeles with Deepika.
Deepika’s fans were quick to take the ignorance as an ultimate form of insult, which made them slam the tabloid on Twitter. Though the website was quick to get into a damage control mode and rectified their ‘mistake’ by uploading a fresh article identifying Deepika and giving details on her career back in India, but her fans were clearly not pleased.
We are sentimental about our celebrities and icons. Fans have all the rights to be possessive about their icons and national heroes, but, they cannot expect the same from people in other countries. Bollywood celebrates are crazily admired in India and Indians living abroad, but, the west is still oblivion to the growing Bollywood popularity.
A few Bollywood stars have gained recognition in the west, but the list is still small. This includes Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan and the latest to join the league is Priyanka Chopra, who has shot to fame with the success of Quantico.
Deepika is a hugely popular and an accomplished star in India, who is yet to make a mark internationally. She has recently bagged a Hollywood movie 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage', alongside Vin Diesel and Ruby Rose. The success of the movie, slated to release in 2017 will decide her international popularity.
Deepika has been a successful model in India, but has not won an international beauty pageant to ring the bell in the west. Unlike Priyanka, she hasn’t yet appeared in series of internationally famous chat shows.
British audience and the media are aware of the popularity of Indian movies and the most recognised Indian faces include that of Freida Pinto, who made an appearance in multi Oscar winning 'Slumdog Millionaire', which was directed by British filmmaker Danny Boyle. A few would quickly spot Dev Patel, the British-Indian actor who played the lead in Slumdog Millionaire and Suraj Sharma who played the role of Pi in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. All these above mentioned actors have made an appearance at the BAFTA that helped them emerge as a familiar face among the British audience.
Realistically speaking, there is a possibility that people in the interiors of India would give a blank expression, if quizzed on multi Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep or George Clooney.
Back in 2014, Tennis star Maria Sharapova had to face the ire of Indian cricket fanatics when she had publically admitted of not knowing Sachin Tendulkar. Troll knives were out and Sharapova was attacked for not being aware of Tendulkar, the ‘God of Cricket’ for Indians.
Tendulkar himself admitted of not being recognised in England when he strayed into a village in Oxfordshire. He missed his last bus from Great Haseley, Oxfordshire and asked for a lift from seven million followers on Instagram and Twitter. “In Great Haseley, Oxfordshire. Missed the last bus, can anyone give me a lift??” tweeted Sachin, sending his fans in a frenzy.
Interestingly, Sachin was not recognized by the locals of the village and was not giving a special treatment in the public transport in which he travelled back to London. This was verified in a picture posted by Tendulkar, who stood in a corner of an overcrowded bus.
Couple of years back, Kate Winslet visited India and spent a considerable time attending a Yoga camp in Rishikesh. The locals did not get a whiff of the presence of a world renowned actress in their neighbourhood. Even the Indian media learnt about Kate’s stay at Rishikesh long after she had left for America. Dressed in a khadi kurta, Kate reportedly strolled in the local markets in Rishikesh and hoodwinked everyone as just another bag packer from the west.
There is always a possibility that the whole world may or may not know a celebrity popular in one particular place. Fans have a right to be emotional but one cannot deny that there are only a handful of celebrities who enjoy worldwide stardom.
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