Maybe it is their reckless behaviour, carefree attitude, the “not-so-politically-correct” statements, or the oomph factor, some celebs are non-conformists, but remain hot favourites. These are personalities loved by millions of fans for their bindaas attitude. Be it Salman Khan’s recent controversial statements to a Pakistani news channel, or Russell Brand hitting a photographer, Lindsay Lohan again in trouble or Britney Spears allegedly asking for sexual favours from her bodyguard, the fact remains that despite their “image”, millions look forward to watching them on screen.
Says Radhika Banta, a PR professional, “These are celebs who make mistakes and that’s what makes them human. They speak their mind, live life on their own terms and are least affected by what the paparazzi has to say about them. Salman Khan, for one, has always been an honest guy and this is why no matter what the media reports about him, fans love him.”
While examples of stars who hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons are many, what makes these few rare examples more popular than the others? “You can relate to these stars. For instance, when Mel Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and allegedly made anti-semitic remarks, the news was splashed all over, but did it really change the way his fans view him? “We aren’t looking for perfectionists here. We want to see people who are just like us, and can make mistakes,” say Vani Kumar who works with TCS.
Love, they say, has no logic, so many love stars who don’t have a starry aura about them. “I don’t like Salman personally, but I would never agree that he’s a bad boy,” says Meru, a literature student.