Posted:
POLITICAL POSTURING
Victims Like Us
Biswadeep Ghosh, 5 February 2010, 12:00am ISTText Size:|Topics:Mumbai
Something is wrong. Something is seriously wrong. The Shiv Sena has taken an unhealthy and parochial stand once more, demanding an apology from Shah Rukh Khan over his statement supporting the inclusion of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League. The victim is My Name Is Khan, whose release will face stiff resistance in Mumbai. Why, one may ask. Well, there is no answer, accustomed as we all are to the Sena's gimmicky and partisan political posturing so often. Such is the nature of the party's politics that it needs an enemy - as often as possible - to make itself heard. Minus a concrete agenda the moment the party is stripped off its communal paraphernalia, the Sena needs excuses to let the world know what being a 'party with a difference' is all about. They preach the ideology of fear without which they would not exist.
Having said that, it seems really bizarre when a work of art - in this case, a movie - gets into trouble because of the party's absurdly destructive attitude. The film, after all, is a project in which film-maker Karan Johar has tried to take a creative step forward. And, Johar does not own an IPL team. More importantly, SRK, as the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, has every right to voice his freedom of expression. If Pakistani players are talented, and the world knows they are, why should anybody target him and his movie if he supports their inclusion in the IPL? Absurdity has no explanation. But, it is infinitely better as and when anything that is meaningless makes us laugh. The problem begins when a section of the society takes a random stance to generate an attention-seeking uproar. Such an approach is absurd too, but the consequence can be saddening. For, here we are, inhabiting a 21st century India which is growing up rapidly, and whose thinking seems to have changed as well. A lot of what we experience seems fine until the unleashing of a primitive thought process hurts us. The idea behind such terrible actions is to create trouble and display political clout. But, God knows we don't need them. Just ask SRK, or other victims like him.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/5535819.cms
TOI editorial page
Victims Like Us
Biswadeep Ghosh, 5 February 2010, 12:00am ISTText Size:|Topics:Mumbai
Something is wrong. Something is seriously wrong. The Shiv Sena has taken an unhealthy and parochial stand once more, demanding an apology from Shah Rukh Khan over his statement supporting the inclusion of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League. The victim is My Name Is Khan, whose release will face stiff resistance in Mumbai. Why, one may ask. Well, there is no answer, accustomed as we all are to the Sena's gimmicky and partisan political posturing so often. Such is the nature of the party's politics that it needs an enemy - as often as possible - to make itself heard. Minus a concrete agenda the moment the party is stripped off its communal paraphernalia, the Sena needs excuses to let the world know what being a 'party with a difference' is all about. They preach the ideology of fear without which they would not exist.
Having said that, it seems really bizarre when a work of art - in this case, a movie - gets into trouble because of the party's absurdly destructive attitude. The film, after all, is a project in which film-maker Karan Johar has tried to take a creative step forward. And, Johar does not own an IPL team. More importantly, SRK, as the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, has every right to voice his freedom of expression. If Pakistani players are talented, and the world knows they are, why should anybody target him and his movie if he supports their inclusion in the IPL? Absurdity has no explanation. But, it is infinitely better as and when anything that is meaningless makes us laugh. The problem begins when a section of the society takes a random stance to generate an attention-seeking uproar. Such an approach is absurd too, but the consequence can be saddening. For, here we are, inhabiting a 21st century India which is growing up rapidly, and whose thinking seems to have changed as well. A lot of what we experience seems fine until the unleashing of a primitive thought process hurts us. The idea behind such terrible actions is to create trouble and display political clout. But, God knows we don't need them. Just ask SRK, or other victims like him.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/5535819.cms
TOI editorial page
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