Media is often called the Fourth Pillar of Democracy. Yet, it is a double-edged sword; if not wielded with care, it can harm the user, or in this case, the victims. Let me share a secret few will divulge.

Ajay Devgn and Kajol married and had two children. Kajol proved her mettle as an actress, and her pairing with Shah Rukh Khan was hugely popular, making them an iconic lead pair. Their on-screen romance was so electrifying and real that fans began to believe something was truly “brewing” between them off-screen.

Ajay was helpless. Being an industry insider, he understood the dynamics, but he grew increasingly uneasy about the intensity of the chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol. Ajay is a tough man on the outside, but he began to decay internally.

Kajol sensed his distress but knew she couldn’t risk her career by completely abandoning Shah Rukh. Now, she is aging gracefully and hardly acts. Shah Rukh Khan still wanted to work with her, but…

Shah Rukh once met Ajay and showed him some marked fan mail where some crazy fans urged Ajay to “let Kajol go” to Shah Rukh. Shah Rukh Khan was deeply embarrassed and left red-faced. He had no alternative but to work with junior actresses like Deepika and Anushka et al.

Both Shah Rukh and Kajol became victims of social media and crazy fans—all through no fault of their own.

2. Abhishek Bachchan: Trapped Between Comparisons and Gossip

Amitabh Bachchan is a colossal figure in the Hindi film industry. Everyone knows it. Being his son, Abhishek Bachchan, is not easy; it comes with both positive and negative baggage. Abhishek is all too aware of this truth throughout his acting career.

He is a good actor—he comes from the lineage of both Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan, two formidable performers. That’s the tragedy of “Ab Junior”: he is constantly compared to his father, which has contributed to his career’s slow trajectory. Adding to his trouble is his more successful wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He feels crumbled between his struggling career and being unfairly labeled his wife’s “secretary.” Both facts are a real and constant pain for him.

Now, an old case is haunting him like a bad nightmare: the old stories about Salman Khan and Aishwarya’s past romance. Social media is full of stories, most of which are trash. Aishwarya pays no attention to it, but Abhishek took it seriously. He went to court, trying to resolve it and silence the rumors.

Aishwarya didn’t like this approach. Her daughter is growing up, and Aishwarya felt: what is the point of washing dirty laundry in public? She is right in her own way—why attach importance to gossip mongers?

Now, readers, who do you think is being more mature in resolving this?

3. Long Live the King!

The King trailer has launched, and as expected, it has set the screen on fire. If the trailer alone can create such a hype, then the main feature is certain to storm the big screens and multiplexes.

Shah Rukh is in a new look this time, looking dapper with his salt-and-pepper beard and silver hair. The inaugural shot shows King Khan appearing out of nowhere with fireballs in the background, complemented by a perfect background score. It’s clear that Shah Rukh is now opting for action movies.

In an interview, he candidly stated that he wanted to do action films earlier in his career, but Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra steered him toward the ‘lover boy’ image.

Now, after the success of Aryan Khan’s Bads of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan is relaxed and is doing movies according to his own choice. It is evident that King is going to follow the blockbuster path of Pathaan and Jawan.

King is coming. Long live the King!