Superstar Houses

Published on 5th March, 2017, in Mumbai Mirror. Every day, as I pass the houses of Bollywood superstars, in the suburbs of Mumbai, I see vast crowds of tourists waiting to have a glimpse of them. Excited families pose for selfies. On certain days, they emerge and wave out to fans, like the Pope granting audience to the faithful, or the Queen to her people. They cheer. They cry. They click photographs. They return home, nourished. Are these tourists or pilgrims? In South India, temples are built for heroes and heroines, by their fans. Some stars belong to totally different leagues: milk being poured on ..