No helmet stir ft. Amitabh Bachchan, Anushka Sharma: Why do celebs forget social responsibility?

There has been a stir around the pictures of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Sharma riding a bike without helmet, which has sparked a debate on the social responsibility that an actor has. And industry insiders feel such imagery should be avoided as millions of people look up to them.

Soon after, their pictures riding as pillion on a bike without wearing a helmet surfaced online Mumbai Police received complaints from social media, which they took note of. In fact, Bachchan clarified that it is the location shoot, writing, “The dress I wear is my costume for the film ..And .. I am just fooling around by getting on the bike, of a crew member .. not even moving anywhere, but giving the impression that I travelled to save time”.

Reacting to the stir, Dilip Cherian, Image Guru, says, “The responsibility of actors and those who are in the public eye, like cricketers, maintain and display respect for law is crucial. They are role models to the millions of people who follow their foibles and foot steps”.

“It is therefore unforgivable, unless the story line actually requires it, to show actors flouting very basic rules and regulations. Creative licence should be stifled, which is why I once again emphasize that unless the story line requires it, it’s best to have the law being adhered to, in both letter and spirit,” he adds.

To this, ad guru Prahlad Kakar adds, “They are role models, and they should be careful. All the young people need to wear a helmet on a two wheeler as 90 percent of casualty happens because of not wearing helmets. It is like wearing a seatbelt”.

“People look up to them and it is an important thing to remember. They will be emulated all over the county. It gives wrong imagery, making people think ke yeh nahi dal rahe toh hum kyun dale. They should think about their responsibility”.

Earlier, actor Kartik Aaryan was also fined for parking in no parking zone. According to Raj Tilak Roushan, IPS, DCP Traffic Central/HQ Mumbai, there is no reason for anyone to flout rules.

“We have worked on both the complains and issued challans. We found out the motorcycle number and issued a challan. Celebrities have a big responsibility because they have a big fan following, not only across India but across the world. They should behave responsibly while travelling, driving, taking a ride as a pillion. They should follow the rules no matter what the reason is. With us taking an action, it sends a positive message to other people to follow the rules, otherwise it was sending a negative message that they can be cool with breaking the law,” Roushan says.

Here, marketer Varun Gupta asserts that the matter is getting stretched, and is unfair.

“There is way more additional scrutiny when a celebrity does something. For instance, smoking is banned, but we still see so many people smoking out in public. But if we were to see a celebrity doing it, we would take offence”.

“We have gone a bit over here. I am not justifying their actions. But if it is wrong, every citizen doing it should be penalised, why just a celebrity. This is stretching a bit too far. If it is wrong, it should be wrong for everyone. No one noticed until it was brought to the notice by the police. We get a bit too harsh for stars. Rules and relaxation should be the same for all,” he ends.