Psst... Rumour has it

How the movement of celebrity gossip in Bollywood has been in reinvented

Right at this moment, it doesn't matter if you are an addict of the Mumbai-manufactured movies or not. Anyone whom I meet - be it in my home city, New Delhi or Timbuktu - is 'Bollycurious'.
Not about the movies at all, but about the torrid rumours swirling around the leading lights of showbiz. The top questions addressed to me go something like this:
. Will Salman Khan finally marry the Romanian model Iulia Vântur on November 18 to coincide with his parents' wedding anniversary?
. Have Alia Bhatt and her beau of Student of the Year and Kapoor & Sons, Sidharth Malhotra, called it quits?
. Is Katrina Kaif doing okay after her split with Barfi! star Ranbir Kapoor?
. Is Deepika Padukone serious enough about her Bajirao, Ranveer Singh, to formalise the relationship?
. And, last but not the least, what's the update on Rekha who has become ever so reclusive?
When I cry out loud that I don't have a clue, the response is, "Go on. Don't keep secrets to yourself." No point arguing. And when I raise objections to confirming idle talk, pat comes the retort, "There's no smoke without fire." That cliché has cost me several friends over the years.
Undoubtedly, gossip is a tribal rite as old as civilisation itself, exacerbated today by websites, apps, social media, television channels and even by the entertainment supplements of century-old newspapers. Forget the papers and TV, actually. If you're not hot on the Internet, you might as well retire into the sunset.
Advertising revenue goes for a toss if an influential celebrity flares a nostril or two. Star attendance at the events conducted by glossy magazines and portal groups thins. One salacious tidbit, and attendance at the event is out of the question. Plus, PR corporates have to do their job: safeguard the privacy of their clients. No film star worth his or her salt is accessible now at the punch of a cellphone.
Result: the demand for gossip (aka 'goss') has accelerated. The supply just can't keep up. Consequently, no
news becomes news. For instance, consider the chestnut of a story about Mallika Sherawat - where has she vanished, by the way? - who, once upon a time, flew from the French Riviera to practically every continent in private jet planes fuelled by an European gazillionaire? End of the so-called scoop. No photographs of the afore-cited gazillionaire, no more details.
The last big story that commanded attention had to do with the intimate exchange of emails between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut earlier this year. Allegations of the most scandalous kind were hurled against each other by the co-stars of Krrish 3. Whatever happened next? The story fizzled out, naturally, since follow-ups can be very tedious besides being road-blocked by legalese. Presumably, the Hrithik-Kangana case is sub judice or both the parties have resolved to opt for silence and move on with their individual lives and careers.
And the last paparazzi photos which had that classic scoopy element had shown Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif holidaying on an Ibiza beach. Those photos went viral. Ms Kaif was wearing a swimsuit; naturally, a sufficient reason in the realm of Bollywood to go, "How daring is she!" The scoop wasn't quite in the league of the photographs of Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor in the throes of romance during the making of Cleopatra. And that was in another millennium.
In fact, I'm inclined to believe that the late Devyani Chaubal would have clucked at today's glut of gossip. It was she who had reported on the secret marriage of Dilip Kumar and Asma in 1982, besides being unsparing in her comments on Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra. According to the book publishing trade, two biographies on her bravado are in the works.
And I suspect that the ever-prolific Shobhaa De, pioneer of 'Hinglish', would certainly disapprove of the chronic absence of styling. Those spicy words, amalgamating Hindi with English coined with her feisty team at Stardust magazine, continue to be imitated but never with the same inventiveness.
Hang on though. Is gossip a totally reprehensible word? Is it to be dismissed cavalierly? Admittedly, you have mixed feelings. After all, oftentimes gossip has served the purpose of exposing the behind-the-scenes frailties of film celebrities, who are under the scanner as it were. Once a star, there's bound to be public curiosity. That's a given.
Nowadays, Bollywood generates non-stories along the lines of Sonakshi Sinha landing up at a Chinese restaurant to dine with a group of friends. Ditto Varun Dhawan's Instagram photo at the same restaurant with his steady date Natasha.
Or take the case of stars running a slight temperature. Undaunted, they show up for an everyday work-schedule at the studio. Bold headlines announce the health report. Next day, the fever abates. That's gossip - or is it publicity? - for you.  
wknd@khaleejtimes.com