There's very few of them in South Africa's TV industry, but they do exist: true stars like Tumisho Masha who in seldom seen moments, not in the public eye, actually demonstrate the real responsibility of celebrity and are willing to make the real sacrifices for fame and which comes with fame.
Tumisho Masha, the accomplished actor and TV presenter currently in the soap The Wild weekdays on M-Net was on the same flight as me on Friday morning.
I travel so much and log so many miles that for years now I just zone out. He sat in the row in front of me, but I honestly didn't see him. It was when we landed when the first really great thing happened. He noticed me and he said hello and out of his own started up a short conversation. I have huge respect for people like that.
Like the hundreds of people over years I've seen get on the same airplanes as me and who then make as if they don't see me, Tumisho Masha could have just pretended he didn't see me and didn't know who I was. It would have been okay. But he didn't and I thought that was great.
But the real big great thing was still to happen. As we disembarked the plane, he was obviously walking in front me with all the passengers already out as everyone filed out from the front. Then it happened.
A member of the ground staff, an ordinary, slightly older man, an ordinary worker, stood on the side and waited for all the passengers to get off the plane, when he suddenly noticed - and recognised Tumisho Masha. It was early in the morning and his face suddenly lit up. I've seen it happen thousands of times before; it's always the same; and it never ceases to amaze me.
When an "ordinary" person notices a "celebrity" person and suddenly realize that someone they've seen on TV or in a movie or listened to on radio or a song is in real-life in their presence, their behaviour changes. If it's someone they like or admire or feel they know, you can see the sense of awe or reverence in their eyes and their changed non-verbal behaviour. And the hope that please-maybe the star might return their small overture of a meek (yet so brave) "hello" or an outstretched arm.
Over the years my work as a journalist and as a TV critic has often afforded me the opportunity to invisibly see this and this Friday morning I saw it again. The airport worker in his yellow jacket, half-shy, yet instantly compelled to reached out to Tumisho Masha, put out his hand. And Tumisho Masha stopped and took the man's hand to shake it, who then clashed both his hands around Tumisho's, with obvious awe and happiness and gratitude.
I walked by.
Here's why it's awesome. I've been on many, many airports with many many so-called stars. I've seen them be rude, arrogant, dismissive, angry for being recognised, irritated with fans, and mean. Last year I was in the presence of another soap star who threw a tantrum when a passenger took an cellphone photo of the person at the airport (I never wrote about it but in that moment I almost felt as if I wanted to apologise to the person on behalf of the star).
It's a business and the (horrible) truth is that most stars will only meet with fans if they're on stage during a gig, doing some kind of publicity junket, appear at a mall as part of a marketing exercise or something like that. If they actually are getting paid for their time and to be there. Otherwise they don't really care.
Famous folk will be nice to vetted and access granted fans or viewers at pre-planned events when a lot of viewers and fans are around and can see it publicly because then it's a public relations exercise. They don't take time or want to waste time to meet someone one-on-one, unexpectedly. And they don't want to touch them. But Tumisho Masha did.
He stopped and he talked to the man; for however long, I don't know, and took time out of his day and gave public persona energy which he didn't need to do in that moment. That is what selfless celebrity really is. Not the arranged photo opportunity after volunteer work, done mostly because the star knows he or she will be seen and get exposure.
Tumisho Masha could have done the same as I've seen countless others behave when stopped for an autograph or by someone who just wants to touch you in some way because it would make their day unreal: Think that he doesn't want to, that he doesn't have time for this, won't be noticed or make a difference either way, and is late and busy and that he just wants to get to his destination.
So, for all of the true stars like Tumisho Masha, not looking down and being wholly absorbed in their iPhones to deliberately not see people, who will randomly meet someone and give a minute's time and energy and effort when the world isn't watching, thank you. Especially because those are not the moments which are ever written about.
To the ones who have a platform in the world through media, which afforded them a level of fame and yet still remain aware of others and why they have that factor of fame in the first place, thank you.
And to all those famous people who in this day and age where fame has a whole new handbook and even a handshake is often too much to ask and yet still reach out; thank you from all of us ordinary people who will gladly clasp both of our hands around yours and in that moment feel as if you've made our entire day.
