Take it easy, celebs!

It has now become a ritual for stars to make appearances on reality shows just before the release of their films. Over the last two weekends, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh...

It has now become a ritual for stars to make appearances on reality shows just before the release of their films. Over the last two weekends, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akthar were seen on every big show on every possible channel.


Watching them do the same charade on back-to-back prime time like Indian Idol, India’s Dancing Superstars, Dance India Dance Super Moms, Jhalak Dikhhla Ja and Comedy Nights with Kapil was a little too much. Not to mention their innumerable interviews on lifestyle channels and appearances on youth-oriented shows.

Farhan-Akhtar-dances-with-wild-card-contestant-Rochelle-Maria-Rao-in-Jhalak-Dikhlaa-Jaa-Akhtar-visited-sets-of-the-TV-show-for-promotions-of-his-upcoming-film-Bhagaa-Milkha-Bhaag

Usually, film producers approach TV channels they feel will give them the target audience for the promotion of their film. Many a times, channels too come up with ideas on what will work best on which show. With the kind of power TV commands these days, some channels have even been known to turn down lesser-known films stars eager to make appearances on hit shows. On the other hand, some channels go out of their way and provide vanity vans, hair and make-up artists, and even clothes for A-listers who can fetch their shows high TRPs.

Barter is not a new concept in the TV industry. No wonder that three years ago, Bollywood’s reigning superstar chose to launch the music of his film on TV and even made an appearance on the finale of a hugely popular show. The star grabbed all the eyeballs that he needed and the show got its much-needed TRPs. Now, we don’t really mind catching big stars on the small screen, but a bombardment of celeb presence on TV makes even channel surfing a test of our endurance.