Lifestyle - Look Iam in Love

When Rishi Kapoor — the chocolate boy of Bollywood belted out 'khullam khulla pyaar karenge hum dono' to a cherubic Neetu Singh in the 1975 blockbuster Khel Khel Mein, little did he anticipate it would become an anthem for Bollywood's beaus — amongst them his own son — almost three decades later.

In the age of instant gratification lubricated by the invasive gaze of reality television, million-buck endorsements and spill-your-guts-out chat shows, filmi love affairs no longer masquerade under a clandestine cocoon. And yet all is never what it seems. In the game of truth or dare between stars and their subjects, the real winner, says director Mahesh Bhatt is the 'peeping tom audience.'

"Despite Saif tattooing Kareena's name on his arm, stars continue to nurture a hidden life. What's being marketed is only what's palatable to consumers who superimpose their unlived fantasies onto their favourite stars. Everyone's involved in their own myth making," believes Bhatt.

Tinseltown's citizens — Ranbir Kapoor, Imraan Khan, Shahid Kapoor, John Abraham, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu and Kareena Kapoor — are being intimately informal when it comes to love. "Love in Bollywood is finally in your face, thanks to the heightened visibility of stars. Earlier, there was a great deal of enigma attached to their personal lives. These days, being in a relationship doesn't diminish off-screen popularity," says Malaika Arora Khan.

A far cry from veterans like Raj Kapoor-Nargis, Dharmendra-Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bhadhuri, who hid their affairs from a judgmental society, stars now date openly, much like the teenage audiences they cater to, and thus are able to freely translate private chemistry onto celluloid.

This candour reflects stars' changing attitudes towards love. Actress Mandira Bedi feels it also abets a marketing strategy involving stars as brand entities. "Being in the news for your relationship is a unique image building exercise. It even enables film-makers to cast the two together. A high-profile relationship works as mutually profitable for the significant other," adds Bedi.

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone have been seen coochie-cooing brazenly at award functions (Ranbir was caught whispering 'I love you' backstage, minutes before Deepika's performance at the 53rd Annual Filmfare function) and are hand-in-hand at premieres. The dashing Kapoor junior claimed they were 'just friends' before they started 'officially dating' during the making of an upcoming flick in Australia. "That's when we really got to know each other. Then we shot an ad together on our return," confessed Ranbir to a glossy, before adding, "We aren't getting married right away. Let's see where it goes."

Even Ranbir's family is in no mood to cover up his amorous afflictions. Asserts elder sister Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, "My parents are the coolest people in the world. They get along well with Deepika. My brother has a large friend circle compromising both the sexes. And it's only natural for a guy his age to date. We don't interfere in his life. The day he tells us he's getting married to Deepika, my family will get involved," adding, "Media speculation is part of the business. Today's generation of stars are confident enough to wear their heart on their sleeves."

"Actors are hot property. And seeing them together as a couple in films, ads or events enhances their brand mileage," says ad maverick Prahlad Kakkar, pointing out real-life couples like Ajay Devgan-Kajol cashing in on joint advertising revenues. "Seeing John romance Bipasha on screen explores a scripted chemistry. It gives voyeuristic junta a chance to even analyse their body language," he adds.

"There's a lot more money riding on stars," says Malaika, who feigned divorce with her husband of ten years, Arbaaz Khan as a publicity gimmick for a skin cream. The ad escalated into national media frenzy which Malaika today regrets, "as we've been looked upon by our fans as the ideal couple. Today, we're more cautious about endorsements."

In a 'what you see-is what you get era', the most openly flaunted relationships are also the ones that face the most flak. Perhaps that explains actress Priyanka Chopra's continued denial of co-star Harman Baweja's presence in her life. The couple still arrives to social events in separate vehicles and insists they are 'buddies'. "The more you conceal, the more the rumour mills churn," feels actress Pooja Bedi who's open about her love interests.

But does the end of a liaison spell disaster at the box-office? "Stars are a lot more professional today. Their personal life is what transpires post pack-up. Look at Kareena and Shahid who parted ways during Jab We Met. They were professional enough to complete the project," states film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Whether Bollywood is ready for the lip service or not, only time will tell. For now, it's lip locked on unguarded intimacy.