Living off Sanjay Dutt

BY Rema Sundar| IN Media Practice | 09/08/2007

Rema Sundar

While  cinema and movies are closely followed in India what is increasingly inviting more attention is not the artistic content or quality of cinema but the personal lives of stars and starlets. The media, especially the visual media, is an enthusiastic participant in reporting on the personal affairs of actors. This was evident during the Abhi-Ash wedding or during their visit to Tirupati, or in the coverage of  Shilpa Shetty post her winning the Celebrity Big Brother. While this trend is very much vogue in Western societies, in India it is a recent development, especially after the increase in the number of television channels. The media¿s stance is that it is demand for such programmes which prompts them to supply, the viewers state that they watch it because it is shown. It is a case of equal marks for demand leading to supply or supply to demand.

Sanjay Dutt¿s conviction and arrest following the pronouncement of six years rigorous imprisonment by the TADA Court set up to try those accused in the Mumbai blasts of 1993,  saw a media frenzy unleashed. While the trial itself managed to get only its fair space in the media, it was the celebrity factor in Sanjay Dutt that made the media go gaga. His several visits to the courtroom have been reported, as have been his visits to temples, or the colour of his shirt. The build up to the day of Judgement began days in advance. His lawyers were interviewed so as the Public Prosecutor. It heightened on the 29^th of July, his 48^th birthday. News anchors speculated on the nature of his birthday celebrations, or concentrated on reporting the fate of his film projects in the likelihood of any sentencing.

On the day of the judgement, the 31^st of July, the Times of India* carried excerpts from a letter that Sanjay¿s daughter Trishala Dutt had written to her father. It contained raw and personal emotions of a young daughter; and was very typical of letters that young ones write to their parents. Was it necessary to make it public? Again on the same day, Headlines Today credited itself with saying that it had managed an exclusive telephonic interview with Trishala. The interviewer was heard asking the young girl as to whether she had been sleeping well, to which Trishala replied that she had been having sleepless nights. Citing the reference of the TOI letter, the interviewer then asked her as to why she did not want her father to be married again. Trishala, being a student of law, the opportunity for the interview could have been used to ask questions that bore merit, but it was wasted in asking sensitive personal questions.

The media then focused attention on varied opinions that came forth after the sentencing. Some upheld the judgement as a case of showing the fairness of the judiciary, others felt it was very harsh. The conviction stirred everyone to make a comment and this was lapped up by the media. It approached people from various spectrums for their take, from Bollywood to the fashion industry to the common man. The Internet and the blogosphere were awash with wide ranging opinions and opinion polls. Some were a matter-to-fact reporting of affairs, others reported the exchange of words between the Judge and the star. Yet others pointed out that the actor had deviated from his trademark blue shirt during this court room appearance. Websites on astrology predicted as to when the Sanjay would be set free again.

The next day¿s reporting was on how the star spent his time in the jail. Some said that he took biscuits; others noted that he was found interacting with other inmates. Yet another described the contents of his personal kit, including toothbrush, hair oil and stuff that he had been permitted to keep.

But what could be described as the height of the media frenzy was the coverage given to Dutt¿s transport from Mumbai to Pune. Remarkably so was the live coverage in the Headlines Today channel. The live telecast was on for more than an hour, which showed visuals of the police van carrying Dutt along the Mumbai-Pune highway. The channel brought to drawing rooms visuals of attempts at communication between his friends and well-wishers who had followed him throughout. Another vehicle that also attracted the camera attention was the one carrying Dutt¿s friend Manyata. The telecast brought out visuals of speeding vehicles, crowd that had gathered to have a glimpse of the star and the police van reaching the Yerawada jail, till the point the jail gates were closed shut. The live telecast was kept ¿alive¿ by anchor persons with a range of absurd questions. The studio anchor was heard asking the reporter as to what could have been the possible communication between the friends and Dutt. To which the man in the is the anchor at the field replied that it could be reassurances and advice. Manyata was identified to the viewers and it was noted that Dutt had ¿actually stood up to acknowledge her presence¿. Devoid of anything substantial to speak on, the anchors were heard reiterating the same few points. One could not help feeling sorry for them. 

True Dutt has become a sensation, especially after the Munnabhai series, and the public interest in him is high, but what is not clear is why the media resorts to live coverage when there is no significant story to tell. Considering that he has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment, his stay there is unlikely to be a piece of cake. Publicising details of his life in jail would only serve to enhance the pain of his grieving family, friends and fans, especially since there are fans who resort to methods like cutting their fingers as a mark of their grief.  Again amidst media reports that Sanjay has been shifted from one cell to another for reasons of security, one wonders if reports of his routine at the jail would help to achieve anything at al

* Times of India Story