Public Figure vs. Public Property

At the recent India Today conclave, Akshay Kumar told journalist Rajdeep Sardesai that he has no objection to photographers clicking him and his family. “Ek photographer ko kariban 3.5–4 hazaar milte hain. Aur agar usko milte hain toh mere liye kya problem honi chahiye?”(A photographer earns around Rs 3,500–4,000 for clicking my photo. If they are earning that, why should I have a problem?) the actor said.

This amiable approach resonates with many stars, though not with all. Some flag issues inherent in the situation.

Says Taapse Pannu, “I have no problem with photographers clicking me. But there must be boundaries. You can’t click me without permission. I believe respect is a two-way street. I have worked in the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi industries and I’ve dealt with the paps in all three industries. A lot of them are my friends. But some of them sometimes forget that there is a very thin line between being a public figure and public property.”

“I never call them for my personal publicity. They are invited by the production houses. Sometimes their tone is so insulting. Of late, anyone with a camera or a phone is a paparazzi. The camera gives a one-sided narrative. It is very easy to target a person and demean them. Certain members of the clan feel that just because they’ve the power to put content on social media so they have the upper hand. Sadly, they are the windows for the public to ‘see’ celebs.”

R Madhavan, on the other hand, feels photographers are considerate. “If you ask them nicely not to click, they listen to you. It’s not as if they shove cameras in faces when they are not open to it.”

Actor-activist Sonu Sood agrees. He feels they are just doing their job. “They never intrude. They very politely ask permission before taking pictures. And if you tell them no, they move away.”

Raveena Tandon believes it is the paps’ right to shoot stars in public.