Demotional is the way

The premiere of the fifth season of Koffee with Karan, which saw Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt sharing the couch, had many glued on to the screens — and for good reasons! SRK’s tongue in cheek Arnab Goswami mimicry aside and how he’d rather ‘rip off the lips’ of a guy who tried to kiss his 16-year-old daughter Suhana ; what actually got people buzzing was King Khan’s abrupt conjuring of the term, ‘Demotional’ — that denotes being detached but emotional. The term sheds light on a practical mantra that many celebrity B-towners follow — to not let dizzying heights of stardom or callous criticism to get to them.

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor recently stated, “I am a little detached from success and failure so I don’t think I will bog myself down (with failure). As an actor, if one of your films fails, you can’t let that affect your other projects. You have to approach it with an open and positive mind.” Anushka Sharma has also confessed d how she doesn’t take compliments or criticism too seriously. That said, is this new found phenomenon, in a way, a reflective of the coping mechanisms stars employ, in order to preserve their sanity?

Commenting on the same, psychologist Madhavi S Anand says, “The term coined by Shah Rukh Khan certainly sheds light on his perspective. With massive stardom comes a baggage of insecurities — the fear of being replaced, vanity, cut-throat competition, changes in the audiences’ preference. By coining such a term, Shah Rukh also let in on how stars at the end of the day are pretty much like the most of us. They too have fears and expectations that can be overcome by such a perspective. In fact, on a deeper note, the term stands as a tool or rather a state of mind to consider — for individuals out there who need to develop effective thought processes to maintain their stability. It also gives us a deeper look into how stars too need to build a shield against viscous brickbats.”