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Nidhi Taparia
When Juhi Chawla had a baby earlier this year, she chose to announce it not through a newspaper or film glossy, but on her own stardome at SRKWorld. The actress even had a contest running to help her decide what to name the child, and then announced the chosen name online too.
Last November, Hollywood star Melanie Griffith walked into a rehabilitation centre in California with her husband, Antonio Banderas. It wasn't The National Enquirer that broke and kept updating this celebrity scandal. It was Griffith's personal website.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones used the Douglas' official site to announce their marriage, and even report the birth of their son Dylan. There is also a newsletter written by Michael to his fans every month. Then, take Cindy Crawford, who is using her site to set the record straight on her relationship with NBA star, Shaquille O'Neal.
It has become increasingly common for celebrities to use their personal websites where they can spin news about themselves on their own terms, respond to rumours, and reach their fans directly.
Like Aamir Khan, who is in the process of setting up his official website. Jackie Shroff, who was one of the first to have his own site, says, "I wanted everybody to know me and everything about me through the right channels. They should get it straight from the horse's mouth, which is why I put up my site. I reply to everybody who writes in."
Shah Rukh Khan, the most high profile of them all, said at his launch, "The site will be an insight into the film star, where a person can obtain all kinds of details and trivia."
Then, seven to eight months ago, Khan decided he couldn't stand alone. According to Shailja Gupta, Joint Managing Director of the site, "It is not just a platform for Juhi and Shah Rukh Khan, but a platform for the entire industry. If, tomorrow, Fardeen would like to reach out to his fans or issue clarifications on his recent drugs controversy, he could do so through this site. Since we do not encourage any gossip, it also helps fans take the site and what is said on it more seriously."
And there is no doubt about the popularity of these personal pages. Shah Rukh Khan gets around 500-1000 emails daily and, despite his busy schedule, makes the effort of replying. So does Juhi, who went through each and every entry for her baby's naming contest.
Set to join the bandwagon soon are Anil Kapoor, Namrata Shirodkar, Sushmita Sen, and Kareena Kapoor, while popular star of the 80's, Poonam Dhillon, has also gone and got herself one.
Even TV stars are going online. Like Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, whose site has been getting a million hits every week since inception.
Now, bitten by the dot com bug, even the Prince of Wales has set up his own site, although it covers his official activities alone. A recent instalment at its 'Latest News' section tantalisingly revealed that Prince Charles had "planted a tree in Green Park, London".
Additional Resources
Look for your favourite stars on Rediff Search.
-- Juhi Chawla
-- Shah Rukh Khan
-- Aamir Khan
-- Jackie Shroff
-- Sushmita Sen
-- Kareena Kapoor
-- Mihir Virani
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