December 18, 2004
Camphones may be kiss of death to secret lives for Bollywood stars
The Times has a story about Bollywood and camera phones.
Over there, kiss remains a taboo. So it was a shock when, recently, one of India's top actresses was caught in a steamy embrace in a restaurant and the images were splashed across newspapers and TV channels as viewers tuned in to see what they are rarely able to at the cinema.
The five-second video clip had been captured on a video-enabled phone by a diner who saw the couple kissing at Bombay restaurant.
Few in Bollywood were convinced by the actress fierce denials that the clip was authentic. Still, there was shock at what appeared to be an unprecedented invasion of privacy.
The paparazzi are an almost unknown phenomenon in Bollywood where compliant photographers play along with the stars' whims for fear of being blacklisted and shut out of events.
The advent of camera phones may change all that. Other young stars expressed horror that they could be the next target. “Today it's her, tomorrow it could be me,” one actress said. “For Christ's sake, don't we have the right to enjoy a private meal at a restaurant? And to pay such a heavy price for being celebrity is just not right.”
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