Fashionscandal.com posted on 23rd May 2012 ‘The Demise of PAGE 3″. Thousands agreed with the post and those who polluted it grumbled and threatened me. On 15th July the widely read Sunday Magazine of Hindustan Times – BRUNCH had a Cover Story – “Who Killed Page 3?” It is a well written and an exhaustive piece and also has a quote from your humble blogger! Here is the link to the Brunch story:
It’s not just me but thousands who feel that ‘Page 3′ – the party & gossip section of tabloids is dead. The real achievers who work hard and party hard are shying away from Page 3. Nowadays all you get to see on the once coveted Page 3 are wannabes, PR driven activities and shameless plugs.
One can understand the deterioration of Page 3 of the National Daily that embarked upon the infamous idea of paid editorials – Medianet. Anybody and everybody who is willing to pay for his/her party to be covered is featured. One doesn’t expect real Page 3 stuff from this newspaper. But what shocks me is the appalling degradation of stuff featured by other top newspapers that aren’t bound by a concept like Medianet on their Page 3. In fact Page 3 has become a jamboree of absolute losers, wannabes and random people. High time the Editors take a look and stop the rot.
Come on who the hell are Mamta and Manu Rawal? The newspaper claims they are designers and splash a party hosted by them. Lately they have become Page 3 regulars. Who is Salloli Kumar? Last I knew that she and her hubby were notorious gatecrashers. Housewives turned event organisors, yesteryear models turned pimps or whatever, random DJs, model co-ordinators, builders who look like goons and automobile dealers now peep out of Page 3 day after day. It is such a horrendous site!
It is not that the real socialites or savvy and fashionable people aren’t partying. They just don’t want to be on Page 3 amongst pimps, gatecrashers, self-proclaimed fashion designers and dolly aunties, clamouring for space. My sincere appeal to the Editors to stop this rot and get the grace back on what Page 3 was originally conceived with. If they can’t then all newspapers should follow the Medianet route and earn huge revenues.
In my previous post I wrote about a Real Estate Company – AMR Group creating a new Fashion Council – India Fashion Council (IFC) in alliance with few media personalities, a former FDCI Executive and some designers. You can read the previous post here:
On the 26th of June the Board of Fashion Designers Council of India (FDCI) had a meeting and took stock of the so-called new Council’s formation and unanimously decided to disassociate with any such organisation that is planning to form an alternative fashion council. The designers who were approached by IFC did agree to participate in it under the wrong projection made by AMR that a National Daily is backing the new venture, have now washed-off their hands from it. Once it was clear that IFC formed by AMR is not a Non-Profit Organisation and is in no way associated with the claimed National Newspaper, most participant designers withdrew.
Resultant the much-touted Press Conference and post party announcing the launch of India Fashion Council at BlueFrog on the 1st of July stands cancelled now.
The most ridiculous excuse AMR MD, Kapil Aggarwal came out with was that IFC is India Fashion Company and was erroneously mentioned as India Fashion Council by their PR Agency. Well it is nothing but a white-lie because I have in my posession numerous communications sent out to designers and other people from the fashion industry where IFC was clearly mentioned as India Fashion Council. Kapil Aggarwal in his letter to FDCI President, Sunil Sethi writes – “This is to state that the word ” council” was never the format of IFC , and its a complete mistake of our PR ageny involved in the promotion of Indian Fashion Company.”
Finally an ambitious businessman whose sole – objective is to get his photographs on Page3, which he has ensured by buying Medianet space in Times of India has been exposed and his fashion council stands nipped at the bud.
As we draw curtains on the year 2010 and look forward to 01.01.11, I thought I should bring forth to you the list of most-desperate Page 3 People of the year 2010. I will also enlighten you about Paid (Medianet) P3Ps, hosts and hostesses on hire and of course the year’s biggest losers.
Folks, suggestions are always welcome so help me draw out the list of 2010s MOST DESPERATE!
Fashion Weeks are a great place to catch up on latest gossips and Lakme Fashion Week is no different. It was a ‘first’ of sorts – Amitabh Bachchan coming for a show at a Fashion Week. Yes indeed it was for the first time Big B and his wife, Jaya came to see Nachiket Barve’s show at Lakme Fashion Week. Though Bachchan came to see Nachiket’s collection, few other designers did not want to lose a photo opportunity. I overheard a designer excitedly asking a private photographer, “Did you get me in the frame with AB? Show me. Oh please crop the picture so it’s just Big B and me and let me immediately buy ‘lead picture’ slot in Bombay Times through Medianet.” It was first for me – to see one designer hijack another designer’s celebrity guest and encash on it. Come on folks, grow up!
Few Editors of Fashion Glossies are always busy texting or playing ‘Dumb Charades’ with socialites on the opposite side of the front-row. They hardly look at the clothes on the ramp. Wonder how they write lengthy tributes on collections without even watching the show. A keen observant said, “Oh these ladies think and behave like social butterflies. All they are concerned about is a change of outfit before every show.” How true!
A designer was really pissed off when the organisers disallowed an additional firang model for his show. This model has a business visa and holds a PAN Card but organisers aren’t satisfied and said that the model won’t be allowed till the designer gets a NOC from the Home Ministry. Now that’s isn’t an easy job. I can only blame it on cartels. Believe you me; fashion industry here is fraught with camps and cartels.
It’s beyond doubt that the Page 3 has lost sheen. Those were the days when we were briefed, “P3Ps are those people who work hard and party hard too and are aspirational role-models for the readers”. This credo doesn’t work anymore thanks to the dawn of the era of Medianet & PR Agency created P3Ps a-la Poonam Sethi – Tarot Reader, Bikaram Sharma…oops…Baidyanath (The dude changed his surname coz a Sharma can be a grocer or a chemist and to add his Company’s name in the photo-caption, he had to pay ‘Corporate Rates’ to Medianet, which was twice the ‘Individual Rates’. Hence he conceptualized a new name where he replaced Sharma with the Company/Brand name- Bikaram Baidyanath. Smart move, huh???) and a vague designer duo – Kapil and Monika.
Some of these Medianet P3P s graduated to be featured in Page 3s of non Medianet tabloids too. Tashu too started as Medianet P3P. I still don’t know what Ammu Saidi does or what’s her claim to fame besides the fact that she is loaded with moolah. Ammu is rarely spotted with her better-half, who I am sure must be slogging to earn the moolah for the Rocks the adorn his begum’s dainty fingers. And can anybody tell me what aspirational values do these creatures instill in our readers? Thanks to her money-power, pushy PR agents and some unholy media nexus Ammu beams out of P3s every now and then. Do you recall a charity fashion show hosted be Leena and Ashima for Khushii? Well there was tussle between Ammu Saidi and Tanisha Mohan for being the show-stopper celebrity on the ramp. Guess what? Truce was worked out and both walked with Irrfan Khan after bidding jointly for the show-stopper outfits. I am khush coz Khushii benefited!
The designer duo – Kapil and Monika…gawd…they are an insult to P3P. Their gaudy creations will rape your aesthetics and their poses for the shutterbugs are hilarious. Why should I see him every weekend as I flip through the ‘haloed’ (or whored) Page 3?