I don't know how closely you follow film industry news, so I'll give you a quick recap. A few weeks ago, a tabloid wrote a story about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The story was false, and it really angered the entire family. Amitji demanded a public apology (which they have not yet received), and things have generally gotten pretty ugly. I have my own running war with another tabloid (I haven't spoken to them in about a year, and they make sure to write nasty stuff about me every so often), and if you look around, you'll realise that pretty much everyone in the biz has had a fallout with a certain section of the media at some point or another.

The debate rages endlessly, with the media saying that every aspect of an actor's life is fair game "because it's news and the public deserves to know", and actors saying that their personal lives are exactly that; personal. The debate will never reach any kind of resolution, and it doesn't matter anyway, because things will continue exactly the way they are, regardless.

What got me thinking, and the reason I'm bringing all this up, is the commonly heard lament that actors only talk to the media when they have a film to promote. I personally like to keep a low profile when I'm not promoting a film. For a few reasons. Mostly because when you're doing the promotion rounds, you talk so much that it drains you, and you need a break after that. And because I don't want to be everywhere all the time. People will just get bored of you if they see you all day, every day.

But there's another point that nobody has ever brought up -- choice. As an actor, I can choose when I speak, and to whom. It's my choice entirely, and all said and done, nothing can change that. Similarly, every newspaper has a choice as well.
They can choose not to write about me, because that's the freedom that they have. No one's holding a gun to anyone's head, and if they are, they shouldn't be surprised to find one pointed at their own.

Because ultimately it's an equal relationship, one of give and take. Stars wouldn't be stars without the media, it's true. We all know that. But if there were no stars, what on Earth would all those tabloids write about?

Replies: Arjun, I'm glad I changed your mind. I'll look forward to reading your weekly emails! Sneha, ever since PC kicked my butt I've decided to steer clear of the Men Vs Women debate... but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the kind of guys you're talking about aren't worth your time. You can do better.

Patrick, looks like you win the bet. Fuddu. And dude, now you owe ME a favour! Sanya, good luck with the Social Science, and happy birthday. Look at it this way, if you start your birthday with an exam, the day can only get better from there. Pam, thank you for your nice words. It's always nice to get some encouragement from one's readers. And yeah, Abhay's a friend of mine. He's a good guy.

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