No society can probably give us more examples of negative publicity turning good than India. Among its 1.24 billion citizens, many trends are such that blend notoriety and fame into an unqualified advantage of publicity.
Among the most prominent instances of negative publicity turning good is the movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a hero of the seventies with average acting skills, who in a few decades turned into a brand ambassador for India. After several flops in the late eighties, he was gradually being retired, when presumably to make a living, he started brand endorsements appearing in ads of such diverse enterprises as a cement company, a pen maker, a fabrics company, a hair oil brand and the tourism department of the state of Gujarat. It was nothing but this offensive ubiquity that made Amitabh Bachchan one of the most valuable cultural exports of India, even though many regard him as a severe embarrassment to the national image.
Another example from the movies is the Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, who has spurred a genre of jokes on him that relate to his impossible on-screen heroics/antics that often challenge the rules of physics.
Here are some more instances of positive mileage coming out of negative publicity:
1. The song ‘Kolaveri’, which went viral in spite of having nothing musical or lyrical about it. Though no one knew why they liked it or shared it, the fact that they did made the song a superhit.
2. The music director and singer Himesh Reshammiya, ridiculed for his nasal voice, gained huge though short-lived fame, mainly because of the criticism that went around.
3. Innumerable polticians who ride on the media waves focusing on the scandals and corruption cases against them, and use this as opportunity for free publicity.
4. The television talk show host Arnab Goswami, whom everybody loves to make fun of for being too overbearing and not letting his guests speak, is however popularised by the very ctitics.
The polyphony of opinions in India on what is acceptable or good stems from both wide economic and educational disparity and cultural diversity. Having too much to choose from seems to have made Indians weary of choice itself, allowing mediocrity to flourish and dominate the mind of the nation.
Intellectual Curry 