Decrying the cynicism that greets celebrities when they attach themselves to a cause, Khan said that the problem arises because people believe that well-known faces only do it for the publicity they garner. While Mirza agreed with the sentiment, she added that causes gain a lot out of the association as well, because of the initial attention generated by having a well-known face support them. However, she added, “Compared to celebrities abroad, Indian celebrities don’t do enough. But the fault also lies with the government for not giving us platforms to do enough.”

To this, Hirani pointed out that the onus for properly using the leverage a celebrity brings them also lies with the organisation using them: “NGOs should do more than just ask celebrities to lend their name, they should know how to take the relationship forward fruitfully.” Bajaj summed it up by saying that a balance had to be maintained. “The relationship between a cause and a celebrity is symbiotic. It turns parasitic when the celebrity gains more out of it than the cause. That has to be prevented.”

The debate took an interesting turn when the link between social and political responsibility was discussed. Referring to actor Aamir Khan’s face-off with the Gujarat government on the Narmada dam rehabilitation issue, Panag pointed out that while people expect celebrities to take on social responsibilities, political statements are frowned upon. “Indian celebrities are expected to be politically correct at all times. The problem is that we’re just not used to celebrities making political statements, when in fact, that goes hand-in-hand with social awareness.”