No Meet-and-Greet: Why I Appreciate Celebrities from Afar

Do you get that rush some people get from brushing elbows with the stars?

Do you enjoy the thrill of capturing the perfect selfie with someone whose face graces billboards and magazine covers? Or an introduction with a celebrity followed by a short chit-chat?

That's not me. I’m more the type to appreciate from a distance; no fanfare is needed.

Don’t get me wrong — if that’s your jam, more power to you.

I am a big fan of great work. It's just that the lure of being clicked with the superstar or a chat with the celebrity doesn’t appeal to me. It’s not that I’ve never done it. But those few incidents are exceptions, not the norm.

I remember the last time I broke the norm. And it didn’t end too well??.

It was 2002, and the buzz around "Dil Chahta Hai" was electric—a film that had redrawn the boundaries of Indian cinema.

Like any good fan, I was floored by Farhan Akhtar’s directorial finesse. When the chance came up to meet him backstage at an NDTV production for Zee TV, I jumped at the opportunity.

Impromptu and Tactless

Backstage, I was thanking him for this cinematic gem when I blurted out a critique out of nowhere — right to his face. Talk about unscripted moments!

I told him how it was an almost perfect film and how I wished he had not fallen for the predictable blow that Akash (Aamir Khan’s character in the movie) landed on Rohit (played by Ayub Khan) to avenge the way the latter treated Shalini (Preity Zinta’s character).

“Why did you let one shot take away from a film that breaks every stereotype?”

Farhan hadn’t anticipated that question, and I had not prepared it. It came out on the spur of the moment. He smiled gracefully. I can't remember how our conversation ended, but I know a well-timed joke cleared the air.

That interaction left me hoping the show’s producer did not view my “off-the-cuff remark” as a breach of faith.?She had kindly agreed to give me a few minutes to thank him for crafting a masterpiece. I began with that and digressed impromptu with a remark that many would describe as tactless.

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Keeping the Professional Distance

Since then, I’ve avoided these close encounters. Whether Shah Rukh Khan or any other A-lister passes through my set, I produce and direct from the sidelines.

When I meet people outside my profession, they say how lucky I am to rub shoulders with super achievers. I smile and tell them that I don’t.

There's a golden nugget here for those of us in the trenches of producing or directing behind the camera. It isn’t about rubbing shoulders with the powerful and famous or basking in reflected glory. It’s about fostering respect and admiration from a distance without needing the validation of a shared frame or a handshake.

Focusing on the job is paramount. Why get carried away by the lure of meeting and greeting a celebrity? Even if it is at the back of your mind, you may not actively think about it, but it’s somewhere there that could distract you from the core task. Without any such desire, you can be fully present in the moment — a much-required ingredient for accomplishing your job.

And to those who wonder why I never seek an audience with such eminent guests on my set, even though I can do so, know this: the real magic happens behind the scenes. It’s in the quiet dedication to your craft and the integrity of your work, not in the limelight. Trust me, that can give a considerable kick, too.

You could take a beat the next time you think about getting up close and personal with someone you admire. Appreciate the art, but leave the artist their mystique.

It’s not about the proximity; it’s about perspective.

But that’s how I view it. You do what’s good for you.

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