CELEBRITY mania is nothing new, but in the recent months, one celebrity who has became the talk of the town is popular actor Fattah Amin.
Since the success of the television drama Suri Hati Mr Pilot, which he co-starred in alongside popular actress and TV host Neelofa Mohd Noor, anything the 26-year-old does makes the headlines.
Fan mania went into overdrive when he and his famous co-star allegedly brought their on-screen romance, off-screen — much to the delight of their fans, who had been rooting for them to be together.
This led to the “lofattah” phenomenon, which spawned into several fan-based Instagram accounts dedicated to them.
Many of their fans have yet to move on from “lofattah” even though the duo have stated that they are nothing more than friends.
Recently, popular celebrity chef, Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, expressed his thoughts on the growing culture of celebrity obsession in a few Instagram posts, which included references to Fattah and Neelofa.
“The posts were meant to be humorous and I never intended to offend anyone,” he told the New Straits Times.
“We all have celebrities who we idolise and I think there’s nothing wrong to be inspired by their acting performance or admire their good looks. It’s normal.”
Referring to fans wanting lofattah’s on-screen romance to become a reality, he said that celebs should be careful to avoid misleading fans,
otherwise they would be disappointed.
Fans should not expect too much from their favourite celebrities.
A few days after NST spoke to Chef Wan, the 59-year-old uploaded another photo on Instagram with a long caption that conveyed his thoughts on the issue.
Part of the caption reads: “I did mention that it’s scary to see how some fans are so obsessed by either one or both of them and start to now ‘bark’ at each other.”
“We need more TV shows to inspire the young to be a more responsible person for themselves, their families and societies.”
The NST contacted J Revolusi actor Zul Ariffin, who was once caught in the phenomena of another hit TV series Rindu Awak 200% alongside another popular actress Ayda Jebat, for his comments.
“These fans... I don’t think they’re crazy or anything, they’re just being fans. It’s a good feeling if they like you because you then know that they appreciate your job.
“But as an actor, you have to know how to handle the situation.
“In acting, you can get distracted by these.
“So, it’s important to be aware
and not let yourself get carried
away and just appreciate the moment.
“You always have to keep yourself grounded.
“I’ve gone through a phase where fans wanted me to date my co-star in real life. Our job is to give our best in acting, that’s all.
“For the fans, it’s not wrong to idolise, but just not too much of it,” Zul said.
Veteran actress Vanidah Imran said the situation would depend on how the actors marketed themselves.
“In the 1990s, what you believed about a public figure was determined by how the journalists write about them.
“Now with the (introduction of) social media, Netizens will believe whatever anyone posts. The post may not be who they are and what they are in reality, but if that’s what they portray, that’s what the fans will believe.
“So I can’t blame the fans too,” Vanidah said.