As soon as a new movie is about to hit the big screen, Bollywood celebrities flock to religious places like birds during migration season. It is rare to spot celebs at a spiritual place on a regular day. And often, their visits are accompanied by pap photos. It’s like they are letting everyone know, ‘Hey, I was here.’ Most recently, the cast of Stree 2 was seen at a Gurudwara to seek blessings ahead of the release of their movie. Similarly, Sharvari Wagh was spotted at the Siddhivinayak Temple before the release of Vedaa.

But are these Bollywood celebrities heading to these religious places because of faith, or is it just another stunt to stay in the limelight?

Genuine faith or just another PR stunt?

Most of these visits are carefully crafted PR stunts to keep the stars in the spotlight. After all, in the show business, all publicity is good publicity. Most of these visits to temples, dargahs and gurudwaras, usually done before movie releases and announcements, have become more of a spectacle of faith than a spiritual experience.

Be it Ranbir Kapoor’s visit to the Golden Temple during Brahmāstra or Priyanka Chopra’s visit to the Siddhivinayak Temple last year with her daughter, they have all received flak from the audience. While Ranbir’s visit turned into a media event with everything, including his outfit, being documented, PC getting herself clicked inside the temple left the fans irked. A personal act of faith became a public spectacle and a promotional tool.

Another popular actor, Salman Khan, has made several visits to religious sites — from Ajmer Sharif to Siddhivinayak — and these almost always coincide with the days leading up to the release of a film. Alia Bhatt was seen at a temple around the release of Raazi, the Golden Temple around the release of Brahmāstra and other religious places before the release of her other films. In fact, all popular actors, from Shah Rukh Khan to Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone to Sara Ali Khan, have been caught on camera at one religious place or another.

Celebrity visits to religious sites have become so commercialised, and their looks stylised so much that even if a celebrity were to visit on a personally special day, their intentions are questioned. Recently, Janhvi Kapoor visited the Tirupati temple to commemorate her mother, Sridevi’s, 61st birth anniversary. The photos and videos of this visit were filled with comments like “Is there any movie coming”, “She is a bigger camera-obsessed personality” and more.

अब लोग दर्शन करने भी कैमरा मैन के साथ जाते है ऐसा क्यों ? 🤔

— Yadvendra (@Official_Yaad02) August 13, 2024

Pta karo south movie aane vali h kya iski koi

— Dpac Rajawat (@RajawatDee43909) August 13, 2024

Is there any movie coming?!!!

— Napuor Organics (@NapuorO) August 13, 2024

As Bollywood continues to blend faith with fame, it’s pretty clear that their visits are nothing more than a careful blend of fashion and publicity. Adorned with designer clothes and coming out with HD images of their visits to temples and mosques, the timing, publicity and fashion make you question if it is a genuine act of faith or just another tool in the celebrity PR arsenal.

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