It was merely a publicity stunt for a fairness cream they were launching. But was the couple fair in leading on the entire country?

A suitably penitent Malaika tells us, “The episode has affected us badly. We have been written about as publicity and money hungry. But we don’t need both these things and especially not this way. Pond’s told us that it was going to be like a stage musical wherein we’d have a fight, break up and then remarry.

The story was then leaked and Arbaaz and I kept getting calls from the media (Pond’s PR, though, insists it did no such thing). Thinking that we cannot reveal anything till the event happened, we kept telling them, ‘wait and watch’, not realising that it’s going to work against us and not Pond’s. We’ve been called liars, but we are not. We’re just actors who were given a script to act.” But backfire it did. For, whatever the couple may choose to tell us now, they were very much a part of the whole ‘staged’ affair. But Malaika insists that the company is equally to blame for what happened, and so, it would be wrong to single them out. “Pond’s had decided on this publicity gimmick. Not Arbaaz and me.”

But they’re not alone in spinning sensational ‘personal’ yarns, for the sake of the brands they promote. Not so long ago, a ‘phone conversation’ between Priyanka Chopra and Sreesanth did the rounds, validated by suitable quotes from the latter about this ‘crush’ he had on Priyanka. Finally, it was revealed to be a part of an ad campaign for Lux!
Continue reading ‘Gimmick & bear it!’