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Selling an image

Tweets in lieu of cash isn’t something too surprising in the age of ‘influencers’; but as an alleged ‘expose’ puts 36 celebs in dock for ‘selling’ social media posts to benefit political parties, as general elections in the country draw near, it sure rakes up a storm

Selling an image

Sonu Sood



Mona

Tweets in lieu of cash isn’t something too surprising in the age of ‘influencers’; but as an alleged ‘expose’ puts 36 celebs in dock for ‘selling’ social media posts to benefit political parties, as general elections in the country draw near, it sure rakes up a storm.

So are we really witnessing a time when celebs are earning by selling their opinions? Akash Garg, a media student, opines, “Anything that helps one pocket the money is a done thing in the materialist world today. If celebs can promote anything from cola to cars for money, selling a propaganda is just furthering their business.”

Social eye

Social media has revolutionised the way information, opinions propagate. From Swara Bhaskar’s open letter to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali over glorification of jauhar in Padmaavat to our very own writer-director Tahira Kashyap chronicling her battle with cancer, today social media is a legitimate platform to serve a cause. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook are fast becoming the tools to sway products, services to now the party manifestos.

Free choice

While the actors embroiled in the recent controversy have brushed aside the claims, the entire exercise sure raises some pertinent questions. The first one to clear his stand is Sonu Sood, who has called the Cobra Post video ‘wrongly reproduced and projected’.  However, he holds, “Promoting brands, political parties, individuals or corporations isn’t wrong as long as you believe in the product, the ideologies and the intention.”

Karenjit Kaur Vohra aka Sunny Leone has stated in her tweet that she isn’t ‘promoting any political party unlike the news that’s circulated’ about her. “If I choose to promote anything political in life, I would choose things I only believe in,” she makes her stance clear. 

Free citizen

Controversy queen Rakhi Sawant’s calls the sting ‘all rubbish’, “Parties call us for rallies and we go when we feel like for I am a free citizen of the country. I have neither taken any money for it nor ever will. If I am impressed by a party, I would promote it on my own.”

Shares TV actor Shashank Vyas, “As an actor, people look up to us, they follow us. This status brings power to us, which comes with responsibility. So I feel one should not use this power for wrong things.”  

True belief

Saumya Tandon, the Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai-fame actress, admits that offers as such have come her way each time before elections, but she has never taken them up. 

‘Anything for money’

  • Over 30 Indian film and TV industry artistes were caught on camera accepting a ‘cash for tweet’ offer during a sting operation conducted by media portal Cobra Post over a period of 3-4 months last year. Actors Vivek Oberoi, Shakti Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Amisha Patel, Mahima Chaudhary and Sonu Sood; and singers Kailash Kher, Abhijeet and Mika were some of those caught on camera during the sting. 
  • Filmmaker Hansal Mehta said he was “disgusted but not too surprised” with the revelation. “They’ve chosen mostly soft targets for the sting — the ‘anything for money’ types. I’m sure there are bigger names seeking more than just endorsement fees,” Mehta said. 
  • Composer Vishal Dadlani quipped: “What I find really funny about the sting is that there are celebs out there who think AAP has money to pay for tweets... guys, AAP ko support karna matlab jeb se paise donate karna, oopar se mehnat bhi karna (to support AAP means donating money and then working hard as well). No profit here! Do it for India, or don’t bother.” 
  • Cobra Post revealed that Saumya, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi and Raza Murad were the only ones among those approached, to refuse the offer. IANS

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