THE CELEBRITY BANDWAGON

A longing to place someone on a pedestal, to surrender to charisma, to believe in magic even when it's manufactured in a vanity van

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Celebrity worship in India isn't just a pastime; it's a full-blown national movement with more followers than most religions. These new-age gods have abs, endorsement deals, and PR managers who tweet on their behalf. We're not talking admiration here.

We're talking full-blown bhakti. It's easier to idolise someone from afar than to navigate the mess of real people and real problems. After all, when life revolves around traffic, power cuts, and overpriced vegetables, who wouldn't want to lose themselves in a world where a man can defeat terrorism, patriarchy, and cholesterol in one punch; all while lip-syncing to a love song in Switzerland?

The obsession starts early. Posters on walls, birthdays synced with film releases, WhatsApp DPs switched to the celeb's photo during emotional milestones. The fans don't stop at cheering. They defend. They speak of celebrities as if they raised them. "Sir wouldn't do that." Bro, Sir doesn't know you exist. He's in Ibiza, possibly forgetting the name of the last movie he did.