Urmila's speaking up on threats from media itself is an act of resistance.
That is what stars should do. Mithun also spoke about media crossing all limits when he joined stars banning media in early 90s.
I like how Saif and Kareena also speak about bigotry they face due to their marriage and names they chose for their kids. Saif wrote a column on absurdity of love jihad allegations in 2015.
In 2005 Aamir also gave an explosive interview exposing lapdog media.
I feel there are ways of showing retaliation and resistance.
Bollywood and regional stars can make films, skits, satire films, shows on such corrupt politicians, fake news, or campaign against fake propaganda on social media, educate public not to believe whatever they see on Whatsapp or make films exposing dark underbelly of media, cyber bullies, IT cells, threats from politicians, refuse to endorse certain politicians and parties or attend their events.
Or make movies and expose them later unabashedly or write columns when certain bullies are not in power anymore. Like we have books and movies on Emergency and 1984 only years after those incidents happened and party was no longer in power.
Infact cyber crime is something that Bollywood has never touched in its films except for few offbeat films.
Bollywood stars can learn a thing or two from Virat and Anushka who got that man arrested and tracked, revealed his real identity, who was sending rape threats to their daughter through an anon Twitter account.
Taking on bigger fish is difficult but suing YouTubers and websites or getting trolls arrested through cyber crime branch is easier.
I do not think media has that much power to tarnish reputations now as much as it perhaps did in 90s because there was no internet or social media back then and stars could not directly speak to masses. Stars depended on media to take their voice to masses back then. And people also believed media at face value compared to now, when masses do have sections that are aware of paid media, media bias and do not take all stuff shown on TV at face value.
Even in 70s or 90s media did not have as much power to tarnish reputation as it threatened. Media banned Amitabh, Salman and Aamir themselves banned media and stopped speaking to film magazines, that did not affect their stature at all.
I wish Aamir had not deleted his social media accounts either. He could have kept them inactive but still up there and blogged as he did till 2011.
Salman's dig at Arnab last year was good. So was skit caricaturing Arnab in Kapil's show. I think Kiku Sharda does resistance art in his own way when he mimicked that rape convict Ram Rahim and Arnab.
For that matter I really like Saloni Gaur mimicking Kangana and Navika and satire on thesr ladies.
These are small but own ways of showing resistance.
And if I was an industry person I would never work with Khers and Kangana at all. As a viewer also I avoid watching any film with Anupam and Kangana now. I have stopped watching old iconic films also on TV or elsewhere that have Anupam in them, given his insufferable bigotry.
Fan Fictions
Anupamaa
