AE SPEECH HAI MUSHKIL

I was supposed to write this a lot earlier, but these days, you
have to choose your words carefully, making sure you are not
offending anyone, even if you are speaking the truth or putting
up your opinion. Freedom of Expression is limited to a fraction
of our population, who despite of not having done anything
towards the development of our nation, have the spine to stand in
the shadow of a strong Prime Minister or some misplaced
ideologies, and abuse anyone whose views are different from
theirs. The most recent is Amartya Sen, some days ago it was
Raghuram Rajan, and some other before that. A couple of days
back, one of the greatest actors the world has ever seen, Meryl
Streep made a strong speech while receiving her Golden Globe for
Lifetime Achievement, criticizing the ideology of the current
President-Elect of The United States of America. While the speech
was filled with power and courage, our stars back in India were
criticized for never having taken any such stand. Or have they?
Bollywood, or the Hindi film industry, is one of the biggest
strength pillars of our economy, a major source of taxes and jobs
creation and most importantly, the gateway to entertainment. I
would limit my article only to the Bollywood, due to my lack of
knowledge on the political and social views of artists outside
Hindi Films. Sometimes, it is better to accept what you lack,
instead of making random posters and tweets, the fact quotient of
which is an absolute zero. We have seen that in past, with a
tweet making rounds on social media, apparently written by Mr.
Shah Rukh Khan, saying he will leave India if Mr. Narendra Modi
becomes the Prime Minister. Now, Twitter has a verification
badge, for any authentic account of public interest. Any Mr.
Khan, who is the biggest movie star in the world (Google it, and
dont crib about the Quora answer. Go check the article Forbes
has written) was one of the earliest in India to receive Twitter
verification. Clearly, the tweet was constructed purposefully
from a fake account, to tarnish his image and bully him for
something which he has not done. But this was not the first time
for him, and not the last either. Shah Rukh Khan has to
repeatedly prove his patriotism to the country which his father
fought for; he was born in and has worked hard to put it on the
map of global cinema. His article, Being a Khan in Outlook
Magazine was met with criticism, not by the people who read it,

but by those who reacted to the comments of our stupid neighbors,

who also havent read or understood it. He was criticized by a
certain faction of people for selling-out and going to meet Raj
Thackeray before the release of Raees, to ensure its release
without any hiccups. And I dont blame him for it. Dilwale was a
disaster thanks to its script, but Fan was a failure because he
was carrying the baggage of his misquoted words, which he spoke
on his 50th Birthday. In a very noble message to the future
generation, he advises them to not discriminate anyone on the
basis of race, religion, caste, creed, color or gender. He hopes
that the future generation of India is tolerant and inclusive.
Yes, he does mention that there is extreme intolerance in India,
but if you had the patience to listen to what he says next, you
wouldnt disagree with him. He mentions about how social media
has become a hub for trolls and abuse. Is he wrong? He took a stand
back in 2010, when Pakistani players were not picked at the IPL
Auction. The movie didnt release in Maharashtra on 12 th February. I
remember going for it on 13th February, watching the movie with no more
than 8-10 people in the whole theatre. It was not because people
boycotted the film, it was because outside every multiplex in
Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena brigade made sure people have troubles
getting inside. Dilwale and MNIK incurred huge losses, owing to the
fact that their screenings were disrupted. He just wanted to avoid
that this time. Wont you?
I was one of the few who criticized Karan Johar for coming out with
that video, in those dark noir-ish backgrounds pleading for the
release of his film, because it starred a certain Mr. Fawad Khan from
Pakistan. But I think he knew the protests wont die down. Months
back, another Dharma Production movie, Kapoor and Sons released in
March 2016, two months after Pathankot Attacks, without any
disturbance. One month after ADHM release, Dear Zindagi starring actor
Ali Zafar, released peacefully. We need to understand that political
parties dont get any mileage boycotting a Shakun Batra or Gauri
Shinde film, but when it is Shah Rukh Khan or Karan Johar, you come in
limelight. Pull out the patriotism card, and there are enough foolish
people who will even believe something you are faking.