One of Bollywood’s most loved and renowned actresses, Alia Bhatt, was recently at the centre
of a large social media storm. After partnering with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for a
campaign promoting a drug-free India, what should have been a nice and inspiring message
triggered a huge firestorm. And, as the internet does with its memory and criticism, she instantly
became an internet punching bag. The backlash was swift and powerful; it prompted NCB to
disable comments on their social media accounts – enough said about how much angst the
video had poured into the virtual space let us look at it in brief now.
The controversy is an excellent case study that shows the public’s growing scepticism towards
celebrities and the messages they convey. For many, Alia Bhatt was the wrong messenger for
this particular message. The public outcry is because of the general opinion that there is a
serious drug problem in Bollywood. This opinion was revived after the tragic passing of actor
Sushant Singh Rajput. The NCB, or Narcotics Control Bureau, followed up Singh Rajput’s death
with a full-blown investigation into alleged drug-use by individuals in the film industry, including
numerous high-profile personalities. This was still fresh in the minds of many, and so turning
Alia’s campaign into a way of helping the nation without addressing these serious issues in
Bollywood, or without some admission of culpability to the public/process felt out of place, and
hypocritical. People did not see this as an honest move to help the nation. They saw it, and
probably deserved to see it as a way to “clean-up” Bollywood.
The Harsh Verdict: “Start From Home”
The most direct critique of Alia came in the form of a viral phrase: “start from home.” This was
not merely an insult, but directly referring to her personal life and family background, naming the
many scandals which have come to light in past years. With the internet operating as it does,
there is no forgetting, no escaping the past and old rumors. Alia’s own sister, Pooja Bhatt, has
made it publicly known that she struggled with alcoholism. Although alcohol might not be called
an illegal drug, it is substance abuse nonetheless, and critics jumped on this nuance to point out
the apparent incongruity of Alia’s statements.
In addition to her sister, there were unsubstantiated accusations from years ago made against
other family members, including her father, Mahesh Bhatt, and her husband, Ranbir Kapoor.
These accusations weren’t recent and never even saw the light of day, so a mob mentality was
what fueled that fodder and continued to discredit her. In a world where a volatile public is
becoming increasingly cynical about all things celebrity, the very histories of Alia’s peers and
family made her campaign feel false. The underlying question from critics was oxymoronic,
“How can you tell the nation to be drug free when people in your family don’t?” This inherent
contradiction highlights the extent to which the glamorous world of Bollywood and societal
norms overlap, as the expectations of the common citizen in a world dimly envisioned by glitz
and glamour forms an emotive experience for consumers to share or herald.
Even just a few weeks later, this wasn’t just a talking point over one video. It became a broader
public discussion about the film industry and made it clear that a lot of people are fed up with
the “do as I say, not as I do” nature of stars – they want to see a star with a message that they
truly believe in and trust. In this instance, a lot of readers thought Alia Bhatt, with her
connections and family history, was not the right person to be delivering that for them. The
extreme backlash on social media is also a great reminder that a public’s perception of a
celebrity’s public figure won’t last, and that celebrity is under constant scrutiny in today’s climate
of social media. Authenticity has never been more important. People are no longer buying the
famous face, they want to buy in to a message from someone who is 100% for real.
A Broader Conversation About Trust and Image
The cancellation of Alia Bhatt is indicative of a larger malaise of frustration with celebrity culture
and an erosion of accountability in Bollywood. The public is unprecedentedly aware, and people
are quick to call out what they see as hypocrisy. This incident has led to a necessary discussion
about the role of celebrities in social campaigns. Does someone need to have a perfect
personal history to actively promote a good message? Or should the focus be on the
good message, not who delivered it?
Some may argue that the criticism from the online trolls was out of line, and while that may be
true, it further highlights the important point that for a message about an important issue like
drug abuse to have its intended effect, it needs to come from a place of authenticity. For many
people, Alia’s campaign seems to come off as an industry image advertisement, not an actual
effort to engage and help people dealing with addiction. While it remains to be seen if Alia will
suffer brand damage, this incident serves as a wake-up call for celebrities and their PR team. In
today’s world, it is not enough to slap a famous face on a campaign and call it a day. The public
expects the message to be authentic, transparent, and respectful of their intelligence. Ultimately,
regardless of the controversy surrounding Alia Bhatt’s anti-drug video, it serves as a striking
public relations case study, one that exemplifies that a celebrity image is as much to do with
what they present to the public as it is with what the public perceives.