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.
The year 2010 was mixed bag but when it comes to the craze for being featured in Page 3 of city supplements, the craze is getting ugly, unethical and disgusting. The real Page 3s now shy away and run miles seeing shutterbugs.
Guys, please take it with a pinch of salt! The most-desperate wannabes who graced the Page 3s this year were:
* Vikaram Sharma oops, Baidyanath. Yes, he gave away his family name and adopted the Brand name of his family business to add some weight to his existence. Last I heard, his uncle is sick paying for the EMIs of the fancy car he bought. A Medianet creation, Vikaram now appears on other tabloids too. But I am confused on why he is always clicked alone. Perhaps nobody wants to be clicked alongside him.
* Vikaram’s sister, Pushpanjali Sharma is following her brother’s footsteps. Wonder what her claim to fame is besides working for Satya Bagla.
* Ala Madhu, wife of Rajan Madhu, the licensee of F Bar in India has suddenly being spotted a bit too often. In fact it’s a gang of ladies who have found their 15-minutes of fame and that includes Kanchan Kapoor, Vandy Mehra of Study by Janak, Ramola Bachchan (still encashing the famous surname), Tarot reader, Poonam Sethi (Her spat with her estranged hubby, Sanjay grabbed headlines. What a pity!) and occasionally joined in by Charu Parashar (with hubby Anupam Parashar always ensuring that he is in the frame) and choreographer Liza Verma and her is, Dimple.
* Then there are Kimmi and Rishi Tej and the designer duo of Kapil and Monika.
* We also have veteran P3 wannabes and foremost among them are Dimpy Kapoor and Ashish Saraf. They literally bully the photographers to take their picture.
* Some like Sagar Mehra in his rainbow coloured jacket and Urban Pind’s Kashif Farooq cling on to random blonde beauties to attract the shutterbugs’ attention.
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!
Page 3 wannabes employ various tricks to catch the attention of shutterbugs at various dos. In fact there are so many ways, some very indigenous ones this desperate wannabes use that I can write a ’101 Ways to be on Page 3′. Any willing publisher here?
Well one of the tricks used by P3 wannabes was spotted by the shutterbugs at the launch of the multi-brand designer store – The Collective at Emporio last night. See the pictures here. They seem to be very hungry. Nowadays Page 3 dos don’t serve finger foods, just free booze. Can you identify the couple? I am so dying to know who they are.
And see how effective this trick is. Most of the photographers at the do went click-click when they saw the two wannabes snoggling. I asked few, “Kaun Hai’ and there was a chorus reply – ‘FARZI LOG”!