Beyond the spotlight

What happens when fame fades and you’re pushed into the shadows? We explore the highs and lows
Actress Sadhana once said, “I want my fans to remember me as a young, beautiful leading lady.” She’s not alone. Many celebrities, accustomed to the spotlight in their heydeys, shun the shutterbugs as they wrinkle with age. Hollywood sex goddesses of the 60s and 70s such as Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Claire Bloom now prefer a life away from the arc lights.Legendary actress Suchitra Sen, who ruled Bengali cinema, also lives a life of solitude.
The phenomenon isn’t new. In Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs the wicked queen plots against Snow White so as to remain the most beautiful. Ageing is a theme that returns to haunt many. Shah Rukh Khan has confessed how he dreads the time the spotlight shifts away from him. Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie Fashion had Kangna Ranaut playing a leading model, who turns reclusive as her career and personal life spiral on a cocktail of drugs, alcohol and insecurity. Says the director, “The industry is an insecure, superficial place, where equations change very fast. Some fading stars even hire PR machinery to create a buzz.”
Rekha is another actress who long after the arc lights shifted focus, attempts to grab attention by sporting sindoor or hob-nobbing with the Bachchans at high-profile gatherings. Recently, in her column, Shobha De pointed out actress Rani Mukerji’s desperate effort to stay in the limelight by squeezing herself into a bikini for a film. An industry insider talks about an ageing actress, who demands to be treated like a diva, inspiring pity. Actor Jackie Shroff, well past his Hero good looks, came back into the news when he hinted at his wife having an affair. He said, “My wife has given me a lot of leeway. There were Meenakshi, Madhuri, Dimple... Usko iska hazaar guna maaf hai.”
However, while some succumb to their insecurities, others manage to ride the tide. Says film and media critic Manojit Lahiri, “Insecurities are high as no matter how high they go, they’re aware that there will come a time when it all goes away. Rajesh Khanna was the biggest star of his time. When Amitabh came on the scene, RK made feeble efforts to stay on, but the slide had begun. He made wrong choices, lost a sense of balance and his marriage fell apart.”
There are those that prepare for a life beyond the warpaint. Says Bhawana Somaya, journalist and Hema Malini’s biographer, “You have to be content within. Hema has always been passionate about dancing and opened an academy. Besides, she is a politician and has an active personal life, and movies.” Somaya adds, “Sadhana’s thyroid problem has changed her face, and she doesn’t want people to see this side of her. I don’t see anything wrong.”
It’s important to look ahead rather than backwards. Says evergreen actor Dev Anand, who has been in the industry for 62 years, “I live on my terms and don’t care about what people say. I don’t entertain negativity.”
Often, the writing on the wall is clear, but only those made of sterner stuff are willing to face the truth. The late King of Pop Michael Jackson couldn’t as he began an obsessive affair with his looks and, in turn, cosmetic surgery. Singer Madonna too follows a gruelling fitness regime, besides multiple facelifts, in order to retain her Material Girl figure. Explains psychologist Varsha Pathak, “One should have a plan in place for the time fame begins to fade.” Reveals psychologist Seema Hingorrany, “Many stars come to me after their career hits a slump, plagued by depression and alcoholism.”
Says former model Meyhar Bhasin, “Today, actors are far more enterprising. Look at SRK, he’s a star and now has his production house and cricket team. Post-modelling, I utilised my MBA degree and began my own academy.”
As 76-year-old former actress and author Joan Collins puts it, “Take control. You will never be loved if you are too desperate to be liked. Live life the way you want to.”