HIV/AIDS, cancer, polio immunization, cruelty to animals and climate change all social issue come attached with a star these days. It is the 'in' thing elsewhere in the world.

And Indian celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Dutt, Preity Zinta, Salman Khan and John Abraham have jumped on the bandwagon.

Some superstars have their reasons, such as Sanjay Dutt's drive against drugs and cancer is personal. Others want to give something back to society.

Such as Big B and his family's campaign against global warming. He has also campaigned against polio. Many other stars often do these endorsements free of cost.

But others may be contributing for reasons less than altruistic. Many organisers of social causes feel that stars end up pay lip service.

Moreover, the questions about celebrity inspired causes can backfire, such as the Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere kiss, which got more attention than the charity.