Why are we still surprised that Orry is famous? He has all the ingredients to be: friends, followers, frenzy. And he’s certainly not the first person to be famous for just…being famous.
Orry’s just the latest in a long line of socialites — but he’s a socialite who knows how to wield social media, and is unashamed to do so. He knows how to market himself and that makes all the difference.
His latest antic is entering the Bigg Boss house. But here’s the thing: he doesn’t need Bigg Boss, Bigg Boss needs him. The reality show is an experiment in virality, and Orry is a viral hit. At most, he’ll bring a new audience to the show; at least, his time in the house will yield a few trending moments.
He’s Bollywood’s BFF, childhood friends with the next generation of business tycoons, and has hung out with Kylie Jenner and the Kardashians. Even Rahul Gandhi is in Orry’s orbit.
He’s invited to every party. His friends range across age and industry — if his captions are anything to go by, Boney Kapoor is as much a friend of his as his daughter Jahnvi is. The paparazzi hang on to his every move. An Instagram account called @orryoperations tracks his outfits. His phone cases generate as much interest as his clothes. There’s even a Mumbai influencer who has embarked on a quest to meet him, updating his 20,000 followers daily on his progress. He’s a PR phenomenon all by himself.
So why are we still questioning his fame?
The Orry factor
It’s like Orry has been preparing for this moment for years. He’s been working on himself emotionally, mentally, physically. He’s been open about having a hair transplant, for example, and actively encourages people to share his latest photos, where he has apparently shed a few invisible pounds.
He has mastered the art of sharing just enough to keep people hooked, but not so much that gives away his mystery.
What sets him apart from other celebrity phenomena like Uorfi Javed is his access. Orry was born into the elite, and was already friends with celebrities. He isn’t encroaching or encashing on their space: he’s simply acknowledging that he, too, shares this space. And his celebrity friends love him for it — he’s welcome in their world, and not resented for it. After all, his celebrity piggybacks on theirs.
He’s clearly able to take a joke, and seems nice enough to match. He earnestly continues to pose in his signature way, despite being made fun of. He engages with the commentary around him, adding to the buzz. There’s a candid self-awareness to him. Not only is he an insider, he’s gamed the system to revolve around him.
Plus, he’s not “tack,” to borrow Bandra-speak. He’s trendy.
Famous for being famous
Like with everything, the Greeks and Romans had a goddess of fame: Pheme, or Fama, known for being a tremendous gossip. She is the embodiment of fame when she’s in a good mood, the embodiment of scandal when she’s not.
And such is the nature of our own fascination with celebrity. If we think someone’s worth it, their fame makes sense. But if we think someone isn’t — like Uorfi or even a Rakhi Sawant — they’re immediately condemned to a shady spotlight, enjoyed in secret with downcast eyes. And it’s all driven by our own vicarious consumption of others’ lives.
Part of the outrage around Orry’s particular celebrity is that we assume one needs to be famous for being good at something. But that’s simply not true.
The idea of being famous for being famous was first articulated in the 1960s, when celebrity culture was being properly defined for the first time. This kind of fame is far more exciting because it’s difficult to deconstruct. Everyone knows why an actor or an athlete or a rockstar or a tech genius might be famous. But someone with no discernible or extraordinary talent?
In modern-day understanding of pop culture, the Kardashians are that archetype — their fame paved the way for entrepreneurial and business success. And now their fame rests on their laurels. Orry, similarly, is building a brand for himself, and no doubt that brand will spawn something new soon.
Anyway, with him we don’t have to worry about what’s coming next. He’s a liver who works on himself, a giver who indulgently poses for the paps. In fact, he made a recent entreaty to the paparazzi to drive safely while in hot pursuit of him — sure, they can take pictures of him, but not at the expense of their and others’ safety.
Orry is a thermometer for the times. But he could easily be the new celebrity chronicler; he’s already got the Instagram captions for it. And all of us are hooked to his every move, veritable flys on the wall of the most famous fly on the wall.
What will really be interesting is what unguarded moments he’ll show us in the Bigg Boss house. So far, he’s been able to curate his celebrity — the real question is if he’ll be able to hold onto the Orry Factor when the lens is taken away from him and turned on to him.
Orry says that he is loved but misunderstood, according to Ananya Pandey on Koffee with Karan. Hopefully, Bigg Boss will let him set the record straight.
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