Breaking News, says Sajid Khan

Breaking News. Breaking News.. Breaking News… Really??? Good lord, let’s not change the news channel. Must be something very important. After all, the ticker does say Breaking News.

Oh! A particular heroine was detained at the airport for two hours as she misplaced her passport. Okay… So where’s the breaking news? Oh, THIS IS THE BREAKING NEWS! F**k it. Let’s watch another news channel.
By Jove, something has happened in the country because this news channel’s ticker also says Breaking News. Cross border terrorism? A tsunami wave? Petrol prices hiked? What is it?

But this channel is showing that a particular film’s shows were cancelled in a few screens because of political reasons. Okay? So a few shows got cancelled, but where’s the breaking news? Achha achha, this is the breaking news! F**k it.

Channel change. Uri Baba, idhar bhi the ticker screens ‘Breaking News’! That’s it. Perhaps this channel has integrity and is truly reporting some durghatna which is capable of being called Breaking News. Ae lo ji. A cricketer has announced his retirement. Haan toh? Yeh breaking news hai?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! All these are breaking news. Only difference is after watching these news, you end up either breaking your head or your television sets.

There was a time when you were on TV because you were famous. Now, you are famous because you are on TV. Quite a paradox, isn’t it? In the same way, people believe what they are made to believe. The priority level in one’s daily conversation is fed by a single person taking a decision as to what that priority should be.

In short, news isn’t made. It’s created. Just like it’s fashionable to have almost every newspaper and film website carry photographs of celebrities walking in and out of airports or local multiplexes. Reason being space bharna hai.

Now running a corporate media house i.e a news channel, a newspaper or a website on a day-to-day basis isn’t easy. It’s not just about reporting the news, it’s about enhancing it to a level where it grabs your attention. Even if it’s for a mere two minutes.

And like I said earlier, people believe what people watch and read. Even if it’s just for gossip sometimes. Let me give you a personal example. Last year, a news channel which had an entertainment section carried out a five- minute TV story on how I got drunk and bashed up my building watchman and broke the lift door and how I’ve been getting into trouble with my neighbours because I’m always drunk!!!

Mi lord, iss point ko note kiya jaaye that my client Sajid Khan has never touched alcohol in his entire life. Not even champagne or wine. When I spoke to the editor asking how they could put out something like this, which was completely false and made up and had not even 1per cent iota of truth in it, her answer was superb. ‘Come on, take it with a pinch of salt. This is the price you pay for being a celebrity.’

When I told her, ‘The story is completely untrue and what will people think about me?’, her next answer was even better. ‘People have a very short memory. They’ll talk about this for a day and forget it when the next breaking news on some other celebrity comes out. But Sajid, you must come on Twitter so that in the future, you can give out clarifications.’ Wow, solid jawaab, I must admit! But I have to agree what she said did make sense.

So, friends, out of sheer personal experience, I can tell you, don’t believe everything you read, see or hear about Bollywood. 

Because there’s a very strong chance that it was made up to fill space. Nahi samjhe? Kaash main samjha sakta!