The pandemic is not yet over and a lot of people are falling prey to it. It is just that cases are not being reported and we are oblivious to the happenings around us. The good news is the media is happy that they are beginning to get work and those who have been retrenched are somehow keeping themselves afloat. Filmi programmes are stepping out into the open and being actually staged in convention halls but zoom interviews continue to happen. Actors are happy they don’t have to attend press meets and they can collectively wrap up interviews in one shot to multiple media persons. Thanks to OTT PROs who have made it a rule that all promotions should happen via their process. It is ridiculous. There are umpteen people who make debut in films and they don’t get featured or promoted via Zoom. Their contribution in the film is significant but they dont get their due only because of these corporate rules. Only the hero or heroine and mostly one person other than the prime cast get space.
One more issue is shortage of content generation in the media, With the onset of festivals like Dasara, Diwali and the up and coming Pongal, television channels and newspapers want to capitalise on eye-catching stuff. The reporters who have been newly recruited are making that extra effort to get something exclusive. They have even resorted to blackmailing actors for interviews. They say that if they dont give an interview they will not be getting any coverage in the future or will get bad Press. Photographers are doing PR, and PROs are into casting. Casting people are getting into production and directors are worried about their payments. This is a time that we are just recovering and we need to empathise with each other’s needs and requirements. Everyone needs money and everyone wants the press conferences to begin so that they can get their benefits but with the wrong behaviour, they will be digging their graves. If they haven’t learnt from Covid, they will never learn. The media should at least now learn to respect the actors’ privacy.
