The Autograph Phenomenon!

By Anant Mathur (October 09, 2010)

When I was a child my brother went on a school trip to a hill station in Northern India. While they were at the hill station, he got to meet Dharmendra who was shooting for a film there. I was a huge fan of Dharmendra at the time.

When my brother returned he told us how he met Dharmendra and got his autograph on a 10 Rupee note. I was extremely excited until he revealed that he accidently spent the 10 rupee note the next day. Understandably, my excitement turned to disappointment.

It was a different era an autograph was worth something (not monetary but on the emotional level). If it happened today, I don't think I would care. At that time, movie stars were stars in the true sense of the word and not self promoting machines like they are these days. Now you can find your favorite star at a function, catch them on TV, chat with them online or even converse with them on Twitter. They’re everywhere!

Movie stars used to be as distant from fans as the stars in the sky are from our homes. On the off chance you were able to find your favorite star somewhere; you would get their autographs and perhaps talk to them for a couple of minutes. And if you were really lucky you might even get to shake their hands and not wash yours for many days after that. Then you would inform your friends about it and be the envy of everyone.

It was a time when fans would line up for hours to get an autograph and one couldn't wait to read their latest interview in the latest issue of FilmFare magazine. Sadly, that era is coming to an end. With the advent of the internet and social networking sites, the star power doesn't hold the same meaning. In the past, a film could run on a stars name alone and not just for a couple of weeks. Today, no matter how big the star is they have to promote a film through every possible outlet - be it Twitter, Facebook, TV shows or the hundreds of other media schemes.

Nowadays, even if the minutest star wears a hideous pink dress, it’s the talk of the town. Everyone knows about it!

Today’s fans have changed too, no longer are fans just interested in an autograph. With technologies like digital cameras and cell phones, fans now want a Photograph with their stars instead. They still tell their friends but now they're able to post a picture on Facebook to gloat even more. As they say “a picture is worth a thousand words” and I guess that’s much more than the few words in an autograph.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.