On a roll, but role-model?!!

Most of the people today, especially children, look upon movie stars and professional athletes as role-models. Hence the stars have a higher moral responsibility especially because they are paid in million by the people for their entertainment.

In the civilized society, sport stars and movie stars are probably the two categories of people who, in their lifetime, have the kind of brush with immortality that was reserved for warriors, gladiators and brave men of nations in the past. Be it the remuneration they receive or the honor bestowed on them, these public icons are non-pareil. However, the price to pay for fame and fortune is often a complete abnegation of one's personal liking and strict adherence to the code of conduct framed by the rabble.

On one hand, this responsibility of public life may seem a small price to pay for being the cynosure of all eyes. In a society where apotheosis of achievers is not uncommon, it is only natural to expect these achievers to shoulder the hopes and expectations of the common man, failing which vilification and obscurity await the icon. Having to live one's life in full view of the public and within the framework of societal norms, unsettling as might be, must be accepted as an integral part of public life.

On the other hand, every individual is entitled to his inalienable rights, the most significant of which is one's privacy. Being a public icon, if anything, should only serve as an additional qualification and should certainly not be looked at as grounds to deny the individual his right to be the master of his own life. Fans of movie stars tend to get carried away by their larger-than-life on-screen persona and pin unreasonable hopes on these heroes in real life. Sportsmen who give the entire nation the vicarious thrill of representing the country earn the wrath of their fans when they don't measure up to the standards set.

There is no gainsaying that a person, who voluntarily or otherwise projects himself as an exemplar citizen, must take on the onus of conducting himself with dignity in the eyes of the public. For leadership is all about leading from the front and none epitomizing this virtue better than our sportsmen and film stars.

But it becomes imperative for the public to shed notions of infallibility about their icon, and realize that their heroes are also men of flesh and blood. While it is reasonable to state that maintenance of public image is a concomitant of public life, one must know where to draw the line lest they intrude on the personal space of their heroes.