The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Technology shrinks distance between actors and fans

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Monday, Jun 22, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Technology shrinks distance between actors and fans

S. Aishwarya

Celebrities make good use of web to connect with their fans in a better way

Networking online: Communication between actors and fans have become easier through internet.

CHENNAI: Not long ago, information about tinsel town celebrities made waves among the audience who would depend solely on newspapers to know the off-screen lives of the heroes they admired.

A news item or two about their temple visits or impending weddings apart, film buffs would not get a chance to know more about the celebrities. With technology a making vibrant entry into everyone’s lives, the celebrities too make a good use of it to connect with their fans in a better way.

Even as the popularity of the blogs of Bollywood actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan are reaching far and wide, Tamil film celebrities too are gripped by the concept of virtual networking with fans.

Actors such as Dhanush, Simbu and Trisha hold a Facebook account, while actor Madhavan maintains an Orkut account, besides keeping in touch with his fans through his website www.rmadhavan.com.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost” was actor Vishal’s message put on his page for voters on the day of election. His web page, vishalblog.com, has exclusive content including pictures, songs from his new releases and even everyday off-screen happenings. Suriya’s guest book entries have crossed 4,000 and Sneha’s, a little over 2,000. With loads of pseudo profiles of these celebrities doing the rounds in social networking sites, many prefer to spruce up their obsolete websites and share personal pictures to prove their authenticity.

Singers too make their presence felt in the virtual world in their signature style. Singer P. Unnikrishnan scrupulously updates his kutcheri dates on his website, which is popular for his prompt responses. Singer Chinmayi’s blog is a rage among her fans. Naresh Iyer and Benny Dayal are among many other singers who are active on Facebook and Orkut.

“Blogs and websites do their bit of help in propelling the publicity of the celebrities. From the charity works that they have done to their everyday health regime, they update regularly. Their larger-than-life image is broken and fans relate to them better. They look up to them with respect and adoration,” said Vineeth Sharma, who created a dozen communities in Orkut and an equal number in other social networking sites for Hrithik Roshan.

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