It becomes even more essential if one is out of work or if one’s movies are not doing well. Very few stars appear to be immune to this; Aamir Khan is one of them.

But it is the brigade of young stars that is aggressively indulging in self promotion. Well, there is no harm in this. But doesn’t this show that a feeling of insecurity is prevalent among the youngsters regarding their future. The examples of Aftab Shivdasani who almost got completely forgotten by movie goers when he did not have a release for more than 8 months has set the tone for youngsters to keep themselves in the news and public memory. Aftab has had to start building from scratch once again; no one would want to do that.

The latest examples that can be cited are Riya Sen and Kunal Khemu. Riya Sen, the almost but not yet heroine for quite a few years has just launched a personal jewellery line.Kunal who… many would tend to ask. This actor is just one movie old (Kalyug) and his second movie Traffic Signal is slated for a February release but he has already launched his personal website. Wonder from where he will find material to fill the web page. One has to admit that this is a time when every Tom Dick and Harry maintains a web page and that there is nothing wrong in a budding actor doing so. Maybe, but this self marketing seems to be happening more out of compulsion than anything else. Are actors losing faith in the quality of movies to make them stars, or do they not trust the public to recognize and reward good work?