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Alia Bhatt in oversized sweatshirts. Deepika Padukone gliding through the Mumbai airport in coordinated athleisure. Shahid Kapoor’s monochrome gym looks, timed just right for golden-hour flashes. In today’s Bollywood, the most powerful moments of stardom unfold not on-screen — but outside cafés, gyms and terminals, where flashbulbs replace film lights. Every sighting is a story. Every pose, a post. Behind the illusion of spontaneity lies an industry that has mastered the art of being seen.The cult of controlled candidnessIn a recent interview, author and columnist Shobhaa De called out the curated chaos of Bollywood’s paparazzi ecosystem — one that trades authenticity for attention. “Many stars summon photographers themselves — at airports, gyms, or restaurants — to get ‘candid’ shots clicked,” De revealed. “It’s a tactic to stay visible and manage perception between releases.”The airport-look economy isn’t about travel anymore. It’s about branding. Each sighting feeds the celebrity narrative — carefully edited to appear unfiltered.Paparazzi: The new PR professionalsPublicists once managed image behind the scenes; today, the paparazzi do it in real time — one “exclusive” sighting at a time.“It’s a trade,” says actress Gul Panag. “They get clicks, celebrities get relevance. Everyone’s in on it; nobody’s pretending otherwise anymore. The real question is — how long can the performance last before it feels hollow?”When Kareena Kapoor Khan’s gym look garners more engagement than a film trailer, the power dynamics of fame become clear. The camera isn’t just documenting celebrity life — it’s shaping it. Couples like Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra or Sara Ali Khan waving outside her gym fuel an ecosystem where spontaneity is scheduled and visibility monetized.Visibility is the new talentIn a world where every post is a press release, showing up has become the new form of showing off.“Visibility is the work,” says Gul Panag. ”Social media rewards frequency, not necessarily creativity. And in that blur, many actors find themselves playing versions of themselves — endlessly.“Social media has made visibility the new talent,” Panag continues. “It works brilliantly for platforms — they’ve turned everyone into ‘creators,’ when in truth, we’re actors, singers, writers… people with a craft.”When authenticity becomes the rarest luxuryInfluencer and CMO Ashna Mahendra Misra believes the obsession with visibility has tipped into overexposure.“I don’t agree with everything Shobhaa De says, but she’s not entirely wrong,” she admits. “Calling paparazzi to airports or gyms feels incredibly performative. Where’s the space left for a private life?” She echoes actor Lakshya Lalwani’s recent remark: “PR doesn’t make you a star — your talent does.” “Visibility has become the new currency,” Misra says. “But when every moment is staged, audiences eventually catch on. There’s a fine line between self-promotion and self-parody — and much of what we see today crosses it.”The logic of the lensStill, as actress Pooja Bedi points out, the system sustains itself because it works.“It must be working well for all sides involved,” she says. “Else it wouldn’t have evolved into the paparazzi culture booming today.” The ecosystem thrives on mutual benefit: paparazzi get clicks, celebrities stay relevant, audiences get their daily fix of glamour and gossip.Gulshan Devaiah mocks stars’ paparazzi banterActor Gulshan Devaiah has once again proved that subtle humour is his superpower. A new video shows the Guns & Gulaabs star mimicking how Bollywood celebrities often “fake” their warmth during paparazzi interactions.As photographers request him to pose, Gulshan pauses and jokingly asks, “Khana khaa liya aapne? Yahi poochte hain na?” (Did you eat? That’s what they usually ask, right?). He continues in mock sincerity, “Kaise ho aap log? Happy Diwali haan, khaana khaake jaana. Mere birthday par main cake bhi laaunga, voh cake bhi kaatenge hum log.” (How are you? Happy Diwali, please eat before leaving. I’ll bring cake on my birthday and we’ll cut it together.) The tongue-in-cheek act had fans laughing.
