When news of Nayanthara and Prabhu Deva’s break up went public, speculations were rife about the one-time queen bee of Kollywood making a comeback.
Later reports confirmed her role in Ajith’s next film, for which she is expected to be paid a whopping sum.
Similarly, Sonia Aggarwal’s comeback film Oru Nadigaiyin Vakku Moolam too, became the talk of town when director Selvaraghavan’s ex-wife went through a complete makeover.
Famous Bollywood split-ups, like that of Karisma Kapoor-Abhishek Bacchchan, Deepika– Ranbir Kapoor (wherein Deepika entered another relationship and bagged several plum offers) and Kareena Kapoor-Shahid have all boosted the novelty factor of these actresses.
Producers and filmmakers, observing these trends in the film industry, find personal life significantly influencing an actor’s professional image.
As Sushant Prasad, Head, Cloud Nine Productions, says, “Personal experiences make a huge impact in building the brand image of an actress. Audiences here relate to a star’s personal life. Even though it may not affect the film in any way, it makes an impact on the public image.”
Relationship experts attribute drastic incidents in the life of actors serving as a measure to build up curiosity among fans.
Dr Dheep explains further, “Fans are always keen to follow up on an actress dating X or Y, or being linked with someone else, and also whether all these instances affect his or her performance. Some actresses issue statements about choosing a more docile image when they announce their marriage, and if the marriage breaks, people always want to know about the impact.”
He further adds, “But this hype holds good only for the first one or two movies.”
Actress Sonia Aggarwal feels that the outcome of such instances varies from person to person. “I had to stand up for myself. But this incident made a huge difference to the kind of person I am today.
Some people may choose to be laidback, while some may choose to fight it. But, if you take it up as a challenge, things will eventually fall into place,” she says philosophically.
Actress Sneha seconds Sonia’s opinion. She says, “I’ve faced situations where a lot of untruth has been spoken about me. A break-up, or even a rumour, should not reflect an actor’s personality, especially when they’re in the limelight!”
Film critics opine that once the image of an actress is tarnished, producers and distributors are hesitant about casting her.
As well-known critic, Anandan, explains, “Nayanthara’s Sri Ramarajyam bombed at the box office. Distributors are skeptical about screening her films ever since rumours about her relationship started doing the rounds.
"This kind of news makes a huge difference to an actress, though male actors usually come out of these situations unscathed. In future, people will think twice before releasing a film with Nayanthara in it.”