Ash: Sense and Sensibility! 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, May 23, 2005 - 03:55 IST
Whether she qualifies for the most talented actor in Bollywood continues to be a sticky topic. Even after sashaying the Indian screen for 7 long years, self-styled media mahouts have a gala time post-morteming her acting skills. But what cannot be argued for is the impeccable manner in which she conducts herself in public eye. And no we aren't into her closet, so nothing on her fat or fur.
Here's an incident where some rare dignity and conduct was on display, Ash style. Something that her own celebrity club is alien to…Sometime back the 'Thanda Aish Caish' Coke promotion was running in the city. And Ash being the brand ambassador for the cola brand was present there to announce the winner. While Coke had arranged for a 50 member media team to cover the event, such is the pull of Ash that 100 odd journalists turned up out of nowhere. The number grew and the shutterbugs easily outnumbered the volunteers present there.
And once Ash made her appearance, the media went wild! 'Ash look here', 'Ash, smile, 'Aishwarya yahan pe dekhiye', 'look straight', 'Aishwarya, side profile dijiye', 'ek yahan pe', the flashbulbs looked starved for the star. Any other celeb would have soaked in the 'media fair' happening there. But Ash took us by surprise when she was seen requesting the officials to curb the paparazzi and get on with the announcements instead. But the media showed no restrain. They were all over the place leaving the winners to fade in the background. And the ceremony, well, it was being delayed without a caution.
Now was the time for action!
Ash takes centrestage…
Looking at the situation slip out of hand, Ash walks to the podium, picks up the microphone and addresses the media. Everyone including the Coke officials looked stunned when she said, “This is to all my media friends gathered here, I would really appreciate it if you stopped taking photographs, so that we turn the spotlight to the winners of the contest who are the real celebrities this evening.” Ash spoke in her untainted English. “We are already running behind schedule, so if you could back off from the stage, I can then call on the winners to whom this stage truly belongs!!” That was it, the media mellowed & the evening finally kick started. She taped the 100 odd journalists to their seats.
But since the photo-session had eaten into too much time, the plan of calling on the 10 winners who were promised to be photographed with Ash looked difficult. This justifiably upset the winners. After a tiring evening they were looking forward to the snapshot as a fond memory to carry home. Inspite of foul cry from the winners, nothing happened. No sooner than the closing speech happened than the media once again sprang onto the stage to capture Ash. Now the officials were adamant to wrap the evening & wanted the field clear. So the volunteers began to hush the winners away from the stage so that the camera crews loose interest and keep away. But this led to misbehavior.
Quite a mouthful!
The winners were being man handled and yanked away from the stage. And a small girl was caught amidst this confusion. While she was smiling and posing with her favorite star, a volunteer carelessly yanked her away thereby hurting the girl. Ash who saw the callous action turned to the guy, “Guys, just let her be, she's just a child! She's here with me to get a photo clicked. Stop pulling her, you are hurting the girl” Any other star in her place would have turned on her heels and reached for her vanity van to escape the chaos. And here was Ash showing some refreshing care amidst the mess.
Bring on the spotlight!
And finally the winner was announced! Instead of covering the winner, the scribes began to shoot questions to the stunner. Here for the third time in a row, Ash arrested the media frenzy. “Questions for me can wait, here's your hero” she said putting her arm around the shaky guy. “Shoot questions to him. Ask him all that you want!” she said helping him to the microphone while she herself melted into the backstage.
Bravo, lady! You are real, rare and sensitive. Wearing a Versace and selling solitaire stories makes for cardboard celebrities not an icon that millions swear by. Its time that Bollywood dunks some of its phoney attitude and sign up for Ash classes! Because fake celebrityhood is something that neither the Armani's nor the Chanel's of the world can fix.
Right, Ash?
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Aishwarya at no.9
