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| Shahrukh is saucy...Bhindi is boring |
| By Neha Lall, Tuesday February 23, 2010 |
| So we are going to talk about Shahrukh Khan and all the madness which surrounded him for the days leading up to his film release. The sheer madness, furore and excitement which hogged our television sets, news paper and magazine headlines for days. For about 2weeks all we got was SRK and his tweets, Uddhav Thackeray and his blanket statements. The audience was a ping pong ball being thrown between the camps. You and I have lived in Bombay long enough to know how the city works. You and I have lived long enough in India to know how the country works. So then why are we shocked, surprised, outraged and disgusted when the Shiv Sena declares war on non Mumbaikars, taxi drivers and Shahrukh Khan, Jaya Bachchan and many more. Let me remind you, the Shiv Sena and the MNS are a right wing group of fanatics. Their political agenda and manifesto comprises of violence, fear and often blood shed. That's the way the roll and you should know that by now. So why the shock when they attack King Khan or Pakistani cricket players? At no point am I defending their actions, I am just stating the obvious. Do you really think the Tiger is going to come out applauding Rahul Gandhi for having slumber parties with Kalavati and Lilavati and all the Dalits in a 100yard radius? I don't think so. If Hitler was alive today, do you think he would be wearing Levis jeans and drinking Starbucks coffee? No he would not because they are legendary companies founded and run by Jews. And that goes against his political and personal views. So please tell me why the acts of any right wing political party amaze you? Remember they will stop at nothing to get political mileage. I could not agree with you more if you argue that we have to stand for what his right. But do you really think Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar and the multi million dollar company, Dharma Productions needs you to rally behind them? Shouldn't you be diverting your energy and views towards a more pertinent issue, and that being the price of your breakfast, lunch and dinner is going to go up. Should you not be sparing a thought that the animal you point out to your children as the National animal may no longer be there by the end of 2012. Remember Shahrukh Khan along with the rest of tinsel town have more money than brains. The cost of aloo, pyaaz and tamatar is not on the top of their list of grievances, it is the number one grievance on your list. The amount of energy and time spent on following the MNIK vs Shiv Sena saga only did one thing, put the price of bhindi and bhajji on the back burner. Which according to me is the scariest crisis on our doorstop (After terrorism that is). Being barred from watching a Hindi movie really isn't top of the list. Had the millions of Indians shown such enthusiasm and interest towards price rise, trust me that is energy well spent. Clapping outside a movie theatre when ticket sales open is sheer stupidity. Remember those hoodlums dancing outside Menoka cinema in Kolkata and pouring milk over Shahrukh posters when MNIK released? Well I wish they had taken that same energy towards a peaceful agitation to show an over weight, over paid and under worked Agriculture Minister that screwing us is not okay. My problem lies with displaced emotions and energy of the public. Looking back was all the hoop- la worth it? What did you as the "common man" get out of it? All that defying the Shiv Sena rubbish, where did that get you? Has SRK gushing to his fans via Twitter reduced the cost of the aloo bhajji you are eating for dinner? It's a fact of life; humans are attracted to instant gratification. Cinema and celebrities are instant gratification; price rise and the dying tiger is an issue for another day. Fight for the Tiger....fight for the Tamatar. |
Neha Lall is a freelance journalist based in London. After obtaining a Master's in International Journalism at City University, Neha now works with Al Jazeera English, Institute of Education and NDTV to name a few.
