when a star is in trouble...

When a Star is in trouble, where's the industry???

(Filmmaker Kunal Kohli takes up cudgels for Aamir Khan in an open letter. This letter was published in Bombay Times on 22nd April 2006 and is being reproduced with due permission from the author)

The film industry never fails to show its support when one of its own is in trouble – whether any star is going in or coming out of hospital or jail, half the industry lands up to offer support and help only adding to the media circus. The designer clothes suddenly give way to salwar kameez and jeans and white shirts – perfect attire for times of trouble. Strangely when Aamir Khan supported the Narmada Buchao Andolan nobody came up to support him, not a single person from the industry has got up and condemned the cowardly act of burning posters and effigies, why? Are they scared that if they support Aamir they might be targeted next? Or do they just not support him and his cause? How can you not support what he's saying when all he's saying is rehabilitate the displaced farmers, something even the SC wants and has ordered? I think it's a combination of many factors and reasons why nobody wants to support Aamir.

Most stars who are supported, are supported by their 'clique' their 'camp'. Yes the industry will scream itself hoarse saying there are no camps, but take a look at those who visited Salmaan in Jodhpur. Only current directors, co stars and producers! When a star is in trouble his 'camp' is there for him, not the full industry. Let's face it. Aamir belongs to no camp. In the last 10 years he's hardly repeated a director, producer or a co-star. His friends are different from his work. Skeptics might think of my support to him as exactly that, but those who know me will know that I have always been a great fan of not just Aamir the actor, but Aamir the human being. After interacting with him closely while making my film, my respect and fondness for him has only grown.

Aamir has taken up support for an issue that most of us have got tired of reading about. In India a topic barely takes a few weeks to go from page 1 to somewhere inside. The Narmada issue has been on for about 20 years now and I'm sure if you take a test of most people they wouldn't know what the issue is, or even where the Narmada flows from.

Aamir is one of the most integral personalities in our society. He is always looked upon as an honest, sincere person who has a lot of dignity. So when Aamir decides to take up a cause, the general public feels there really must be something in it for him to have taken it on, otherwise he wouldn't.

Has the level of our political parties come to such a low that instead of getting into a debate they can only burn effigies and posters? Why can't they get into a healthy public debate with a person like Aamir or whoever they have a problem with? Why must they resort to such gundagardi as this to oppose someone? Why must we turn to violence to resolve matters? And if our political parties do it, then how do they expect the public to react? Thankfully our public has more sense than these political hoodlums.

And for all those little minds that think Aamir is doing this for publicity, do you even know that Aamir Khan has got the biggest opening a film can ever get twice over, in Mangal Pandey and Rang De Basanti without doing any interviews. He doesn't need the publicity; the people attacking him need it.

Arundhati Roy has asked Aamir to give up endorsing coke. I would like to ask her one question, since she is such an environmentalist and is so quick to attack someone like Aamir. Ms. Roy, your book sold over a million copies world wide, in paperback and hardback. How many trees were cut down to print your books? Or were they all printed on re-cycled paper? Do you have any idea how many trees are chopped to make one book? I've always respected Arundhati for giving up so much and fighting for a cause. But for her to dismiss Aamir's support was shocking to say the least.

I suppose these are the reasons why not a single person from the film fraternity has stood up to support Aamir Khan. But whether they do or not, the public sure has stood up to support Aamir, as is evident by all the letters one reads in all the various media. It's very easy for us to attack or ignore Aamir, but will we please see the intention of the man first, will we please stop to see why he has taken up this cause, what is he going to get from it, why from his busy schedule is he willing to go and support farmers who have no connection with him.

That is the problem with us, we will worship cricketers who don't score runs, we'll make celebrities of people who buy, sell and take drugs, we'll let a man shoot a woman in a bar and walk away scot free, we'll vote to power all sorts of criminals and we'll let political parties burn effigies, and threaten a man like Aamir. Shame on all of us!

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