In the sunlit uplands of fame, the smallest gesture can command the greatest attention. The whiff of an affair, the scent of a scandal, and yes, even the spectacle of an actor shedding his pretty boy image to emerge as an enlightened do-gooder, are irresistible grist to the media mill. So when Aamir Khan spoke in support of the Narmada dam evacuees at a Narmada Bachao Andolan rally recently, he must have known that his comments on such a hot-button issue would be lapped up by a media that’s always hungry for celebrity sound bytes. What he perhaps did not foresee is the ridiculous brouhaha that followed, one in which the Gujarat government has taken such awful umbrage to his comments that his latest film Fanaa is not being screened in the state.

But despite (and to some extent, because of) his unfortunate row with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and his cohorts, Aamir Khan can now well and truly be regarded as a fully-fledged, card-holding member of the pantheon of celebrity activists ? those actors and entertainers who campaign for a cause or two to try and make the world a better place.

The celebrity-activist hall of fame is, of course, crowded with some of the world’s most beautiful people. There’s Richard Gere, that silver-haired knight in shining armour, who’s been working for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. There’s Angelina Jolie, sex goddess and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose humanitarian efforts in places like Sierra Leone, Sudan and Pakistan make nearly as many headlines as do the salacious details of her love life. There’s rock star Bono who travels to Africa to focus attention on AIDS and poverty, actor Sean Penn who is a virulent critic of the Iraq war ? the list goes on.

In India too, social consciousness is fast catching on amongst the star set. For decades, Shabana Azmi was India’s best known actress-activist, working for the uplift of Mumbai’s urban poor and lending her voice to a variety of social issues. But today, you have a Viveik Oberoi who is an avid campaigner for the anti-smoking lobby, and one who made a significant contribution to tsunami relief last year. You have a Rahul Bose who did likewise and who makes it a point to take a stand on issues he feels deeply about (he termed the banning of Mumbai’s dance bars last year “unfair”). Then there is Nandita Das who speaks out against communalism and gender discrimination, and Bengal’s Roopa Ganguly who has set up a non governmental organisation to educate underprivileged children.

So what makes a celebrity leave the confines of his or her self-obsessed starry life and get into the reality show of the world at large? Most say it is a genuine desire to make a difference to society. “My activism arises out of my social consciousness as an individual,” says Rahul Bose. “It has nothing to do with me being a celebrity.” Actress Roopa Ganguly concurs, “I have always been a responsible and conscientious citizen. So in my own small way I try and do what I can for society.”

Still, there are those who question the motives of a celebrity who wakes up one fine day and decides to champion this or that cause. Those like Arundhati Roy (who has been pursuing her own algebra of infinite activism) who are outraged that Aamir Khan should endorse a multinational brand like Coca Cola and an august cause like Narmada Bachao with equal felicity. Of course, the commonest charge against celebrity activists is that they are merely seeking a new platform for their self-aggrandisement. Film maker Mahesh Bhatt, while maintaining that stars can do wonders for a cause, puts it pithily: “Having indulged their narcissistic instincts, they now want to pursue sainthood!”

But whatever the motive ? the quest for deification, some well-timed publicity or pure altruism ? the fact remains that when celebrities throw the weight of their glamour behind a cause, they automatically put it up there in the spotlight. “In a celebrity-obsessed culture like ours, it is but natural that they will be heard much more than anyone else,” says Ranjani Mazumdar, associate professor of film studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. “Besides, as Aamir Khan’s case shows, when stars enter the realm of humanitarian or social causes, because of their iconic status, they often become the vehicle through which various conflicts are articulated.”

So then should we bring out the brass band and celebrate actors who turn into activists? After all, if they can drum up support for a cause by using their formidable star power, why run them down just because they get gazillions of publicity each time they open their mouth? Activists themselves take a cautious view of the issue. Says Teesta Setalvad, who runs the magazine Communalism Combat and has been at the forefront of the movement to seek justice for Gujarat’s riot victims, “A celebrity who speaks for or endorses a cause is always welcome. But you have to remember that though they might train the spotlight on an issue momentarily, whether or not they make a real difference depends on how long they stay with the cause.”

That is something Rahul Bose agrees with. “You have to walk the talk and stay committed. Otherwise, the public will get disillusioned with you.”

Again, while it is unfair that their day job as actors and entertainers should stand in the way of their being regarded as serious do-gooders, celebrities certainly run the risk of dwarfing the cause they champion. When Angelina Jolie swoops into Third World misery we remember her missionary zeal much more than the mission itself. And, of course, the Aamir Khan episode has now become all about the actor’s right to freedom of expression versus the Gujarat government’s fascist posturings. The question of rehabilitation for the displaced has receded far into the background.

Setalvad feels that the media is also to be blamed here. “In their eagerness to focus on larger than life figures, the media manages to shift attention from the issues that really matter,” she says, adding, “It is the duty of the media to focus on the issues much more than who is articulating them.”

But that’s a homily which is likely to fall on deaf ears in a society where celebrities and the media feed off each other.