There is nothing called instant stardom: Prashant Golecha

Personal PR and artist manager Prashant Golecha has been in the business of managing and promoting artists for decades now and has, over the years, cultivated a wide network for himself. In a tell-all interview with Adgully, Golecha reveals the secrets of his profession, his favourite clients and the challenges of his business.

What changes do you find in the PR industry over the years as you have been into this business for 19 years?

PR, as an industry, has evolved drastically. There was a time when everyone knew everyone, be it journalists or actors. Everyone shared personalised equations and there was more value given to personal rapport and relationships. Now, the time has changed... Social media has changed the way we live and work. There are too many players in the market and everyone doesn’t know what PR is all about. There are plenty of weeds around. PR, as mistaken to be by many, is not just publicity but involves image management also. Actors have limited knowledge and everyone wants instant stardom and instant coverage, which doesn’t happen. The tools of PR have changed. A lot of things have become commercial and that personal touch is missing at times.

Also, with so many players, of varying competence in the market, actors often overlook the power of experience. In my opinion, if you are looking for a PR person, it must be someone with whom you can have level to level conversations over a cup of coffee. Few actors don’t look for PR, they want a yes-man, someone who gives them a sense of glory, at times, one that is not matched to their current work as well. A PR person has to be brutally honest. When you hire a PR like us, you get complete guidance professionally. Frankly, there is no substitute for our personalised service in Mumbai. This is not arrogance, this is being aware of your own worth.

Who are your most prominent clients?

We manage actors such as Somy Ali, Himansh Kohli, Anu Aggarwal, Shivin Narang, Arjun Bijlani, Aly Goni, Vivian Dsena, Avika Gor, Ravie Dubey and Sargun Mehta.

Frankly, I don’t believe in the idea of becoming friends with clients. There needs to be a certain level of comfort and acceptance, but at the same time, one shouldn’t get very close to one’s clients as giving them a sense of reality is also required and is essential.

How do you take up a client?

We love taking up clients who have worked with before, and, honestly, they love coming back as well. We take new comers as well as established artists. There has to be some entertainment angle to every personality. We understand the profile and gauze the potential and based on that we attend the queries.

Is it easy to manage so many clients together every day?

Yes, it is. We are very passionate towards our work. We understand the business and clients requirements. We have a dedicated team.

Where do you feel problems with actors arise and how do you deal that?

In the 19+ years that I have dealt with the best of production houses and actors, I have seen that people value us for our personalised services and how we handle crisis situations in actors’ lives. We have faced unprofessionalism, too, from certain actors, but that’s just part and parcel of our job.

How do actors deal in terms of money?

Money is an energy, I feel. An actor is paying for the service and in-service everything is not tangible or quantified. It is not always about the quantity of articles or say coverage, but also the quality and nature of the article matter. I also feel that in terms of money, it depends on the time type of the client. Two actors deserve a special mention – Somy Ali and actor Vijyendra Kumeria, who transfer money even without receiving the bill. However, yes, there are some who make us wait for our pay cheques, they even haggle at times, come up with stories to not pay on time. So, yes, in this profession, you need to deal with all that as well.

Ironically there are at least eight to ten actors who are defaulters at this point of time in my client list. I have messaged them politely to clear pending dues, but they are indifferent, they are maintaining a lavish lifestyle, car, home and enjoying holidays too. Not paying someone his dues is like a moral crime. I need not even curse them as I believe Karma will do the needful by default. In fact some actors who have defaulted by choice are nowhere and struggling to get the desired work and if they are getting projects they are flopping.  However, there are some genuine cases as well. Recently, one actress transferred money that didn’t get credited for technical reasons. I remember, it was Saturday and the actress didn’t sleep properly till Monday morning, till she sorted it out with the bank and took a sigh of relief only when the amount was credited.

Money is energy and needs to be given with love with the right attitude. PR is an investment and your PR team contributes to your career, name, and fame. Jasmin Bhasin deserves a special mention as she is one actress who sent me a message via the channel when inside the ‘Bigg Boss’ house to continue the PR as she thought her auto debit was for three months and three months are over. Very few people have such class.

Actors often accuse of leaking their personal information to the press. Comment.

I have seen very few people acknowledge a PR’s contribution to their career. Two actresses whose media image we had cleaned and were with us were totally fake and have damaged personal and professional lives for many years and continue to live in their bubble of being the most perfect human beings.

PR work involves gossip, but ironically many actors do more gossip than anyone else. If someone asks us anything, we are very careful and I surely know where to draw the line. I as a professional have kept the secrets of actors with me. If I wasn’t professional, would I have so much goodwill? There are few actors who know they can trust me blindly. I call a spade a spade. Those who understand we think in their interest, value us.

Do you have actor friends?

Forget actor friends, I don’t have any social friends! There were a few actors who were associated with us and still are, but the equations are not the same. I am a workaholic and work very hard. If you can't understand my sincerity and honestly you can't even hang around me.

Did you hear any rumours about yourself and how did you take it?

Oh yes, loads of them! I recently heard that someone has spread the rumour that I do PR for free for some actors. I laughed on hearing it. People who spread such stuff have their own insecurities and agendas. It doesn’t matter to me.

Who are the most sorted and professional celebrities that you have had worked with?

To start with, there is Somy Ali, she is one of the most genuine personalities that I have worked with. Then there is Himansh Kohli, Jasmin Bhasin, Aly Goni, Shivin Narang Vijyendra Kumeria, Vivian Dsena, Munisha Khatwani, Delnaaz Irani, Nivedita Basu, Chitra Vakil Sharma, Vahbiz Dorabajee and Anuj Sachdeva. Of course, I have to add Sharad Malhotra, Charrul Malik, Sargun Mehta, Ravie Dubey, Avika Gor, Aalisha Panwar, Meera Deosthale, Director Prem Raj Soni, Arjun Bijlani, Mrunal Jain and  Himanshu Malhotra. They all know what they want and always listen to PR’s viewpoint and understand the right perspective. Actually, they trust their PR and prefer honesty. Anu Aggarwal is one of the latest actresses who we are working with and is a very intelligent person. Simi Grewal was one of the classy people we ever worked with. Bhumika Chawla has also been one of the most professional actors we have worked with.

If you have to call three actors who can be called brand ambassadors of Team Goelcha, who will you choose?

It has to be undoubtedly Somy Ali, followed by Shivin Narang and Sharad Malhotra. They genuinely speak very highly about us in the market. Munisha Khatwani is also our loyalist.

Who are the prominent producers/ production houses you have worked with?

I would like to mention Anuj Saxena, whose TV show ‘Kulvadhu’ we did, besides his personal PR, years ago. I was with him that I got into the PR industry, so he will be forever special to me. Rajan Shahi is one A-list producer who has such a hands-on rooted personality and who understands and values his PR. He is a very intelligent and emotional human being. His relationship with his mom Deepa Shahi, who is the co-producer of his show ‘Anupama’, is exemplary. I have been associated with him since ‘Bidaai’ and he acknowledges me as one of the pillars of his organisation, growth and success. This has deeply touched me. Producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary is one ambitious producer with a vision, and it has been a delight working with him. Binaiferr Kohli and Sanjay Kohli are very professional people as well. Producer Yash Patnaik has strong business acumen and is a thorough professional and gives you a free hand in promoting his shows. He is always open for fresh to ideas. All the producers who we have worked with are very creative in their own way and they are the best in terms of creativity.

Everyone wants to appear in big newspapers and get good coverage. But sometimes the profile doesn’t allow that. How do you deal with them?

Before we take up a client, we explain to them what is possible as per their profile. Just because you have a PR team, things won’t change overnight. There is nothing called instant stardom. We tell the actor well in advance. So, people who like our honesty only start PR with us.

What is your take on the social media obsession of actors?

I openly tell actors you are here to act and not to become an influencer. Social media is for us, we are not for social media. Just having X number of followers doesn’t contribute to the craft of acting.

What do you have to say about the trend of spotting?

This spotting obsession is increasing with herd mentality. It doesn’t add value to your profile unless the profile is genuinely big or you are already popular. People are jumping to get paid spotting. Star spotting like say Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif or Shahrukh Khan still matter as they are A-list stars and people genuinely want to know about them. Spotting and acting talent have no connection and people don’t understand this.

What do you have to say about the competition in your field?

Competition exists in every field. Healthy competition is fine. But in my field, the irony is that a lot of actors are falling in the trap of inexperienced PRs just because someone is charging less. There are few actors who even changed PR like shirts! Then there are some agencies who try to poach clients.