Audiences the world over have always taken a keen interest in the personal life of celebrities. This world of glitz and glamor that is mostly inaccessible to the common person holds a certain kind of enigma that attracts much attention. This is why for decades, ever since this world-within-world of entertainment industry was born, people have clamored for any kind of access to the secrets of the celebrities that they so adore and like.

The arrival of social media has dramatically lessened the mystery element of the celebrity world. While previously monthly magazines or the entertainment pages of daily newspapers were all the rage, nowadays there is no obstacle in the way as celebrities themselves have more or less put their full life on display on their social media for the audience to see. One aspect of that is the stars’ personal relationships, more specifically the romantic ones, that draw much public attention and result in much fame.

The jori craze

It comes as little surprise that stars are now more open about their relationships. As the local society has opened up, celebrities are increasingly not shying away from sharing snippets of their romantic and intimate moments with their followers and well-wishers via their social media. ‘Dating’ is now, not taboo, and what’s more, it gets the stars more followers, hits and views on their online accounts.

Over the last few years, the jori phenomenon has taken over the entertainment industry. The audience’s very keen interest in the confirmed and rumored real-life pairings of the industry is at par, if not more, than the traditional reel-life pairings. The audience now wants romance not just in fiction but in real life as well. And they look towards their beloved actors and celebrities to fulfill that demand, something the celebrities apparently are more than happy to deliver!

Noticed how quickly the off-screen moments of some celebrities go viral? In recent times pairings like that of Iqra Aziz and Yasir Hussain, Hania Amir and Asim Azhar, Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir have arguably made more waves and news due to their personal equation with each other than the work they do.

Measure of popularity

As already stated, there is no denying the immense popularity that these real-life joris enjoy on social media. However, the important question remains — does that popularity also translate into actual successes i.e. hit dramas and blockbuster movies? Are these pairs mere products of the social network, or legitimate performers that the audience craves to watch?

For instance, for all the love that Hania and Asim get as the young, carefree, unabashedly in love pairing of the industry, that love of the audience was not seen in the reaction towards the telefilm that they acted in together, which came and went without much of a buzz. And then, Sajal and Ahad have done three projects together, but are yet to replicate the all-around success of their first project together that aired when the two were not even in a relationship. On the other hand, Iqra and Yasir will be seen together on-screen for the first time in a film after their marriage and it remains to be seen how the audience would react to their reel-life pairing, although we have to admit, so far there is close to zero for their supposed project together titled Half Fry.

Does the industry not offer these joris the kind of projects that would perfectly capture their chemistry on screen? Or has the exposure on social media given the audience a case of full-belly when it comes to these pairings? It is clear that there is a real difference between the social media popularity of a pairing and how it is shown in real life i.e. the ratings and the conversations their projects generate.

Or have the celebrities themselves realized that they can better capitalize their chemistry and relationship in collaboration projects like magazine shoots, TVCs, or fashion ramp walks. It’s quick, effective, and is more sustainable both in terms of monetary gains as well as maintaining their social media dominance. After all, the chances of any of the real-life pairings being in news because of their appearance at a social gathering or a development of their rishta from baat pakki to nikaah is way more than them grabbing eyeballs as they act out different characters onscreen in a drama. Performing to match the hype is well, tough work.

This is certainly a very interesting phenomenon that has become a trend in the industry. It is no longer enough for the joris to just work their magic onscreen. The same has to be seen offscreen. So, be it confirmed real-life pairings or rumored pairings, our celebrities don’t shy away from flaunting that chemistry for the ‘gram. After all, the project’s success can only be determined after the project has released or been on-air for a significant time. But the jori‘s success is determined as immediately as the picture is posted on social media.