Posted:
I am wondering - many people on social networking sites(not necessarily india forums) oppose Salim for loving a dancer.
In 21st century we modern young people do not like parents interfering in our choice of groom/bride or boy friends and girl friends or profession etc. Whether in city or small towns and villages commonly young people revolt against family, society to asset their rights to love person of their choice or marry irrespective of what profession, caste, religion, class etc
So its a surprise to me that even in 21st century people are having such thoughts. Indeed if Salim had really loved a dancer and want to marry her and give her respect and status in society how is it so wrong? especially for people of 21st century. This is an age where princes are marrying commoners, film stars, dancers, singers etc. So why do we viewers who are usually commoners having such a big objection to a crown prince marrying a dancer in 21st century.
Every past generation has issues and clash of values with their next generation. Its obvious that parents and grandparents have different values and way of thinking. Indeed the past generation or one behind had a different way of looking at house maids etc now in this generation atleast few people treat them with some amount of respect. Just because the past generations thought that playing with maids kids is wrong or treating maids with respect is not a given it does not mean next generation thinks like that.
Now look at film stars and dancers in dance shows they are all treated with respect is it not by society? But 50 years back they were not treated so it was a very bad profession. Today if your family member is a film star or dancer its matter of pride and status. Now anarkali's profession is similar to film stars to entertain her audience the emperor and his guests by dancing. Till now she was never shown being exploited by any man so we can assume she just only dances to entertain. In this century when people can accept film stars and treat them with respect, why not respect anarkali an dancer?
From this angle I would like to view the love of salim for anarkali. His father-mother family may think a dancer is lower than them in strata and society, but Salim may not think like that. He may consider a dancer, a commoner, a soldier as equal to him and deserving of similar respect and love. That is the basic premises of this love story. When a person breaks the barriers of society, family, caste, religion, class, creed and profession and steps forward to accept a girl why not support that change? Especially modern society viewers who come from educated background are supporting Akbar is a bit shocking?
Akbar and his before generations kept dancers to entertain them in palaces, some may have fallen in love with these dancers too but never dared to publicly acknowledge their love, they just lived as cocubbines and rakasha all life.
Salim wants to acknowledge so what is the issue? Some generation has to break the past rules and move forward, so why not appreciate and support? Is it not nobel to accept your love public and give your lover a position by marrying her rather than keep her as cocubbine or secondary wife without any value in society or respect in society.
Akbar himself wanted wife status for all his wives and cucubbines and secondary wives and ulema objected. So how can he oppose Salim love?
I think anarkali must get a chance to come up in life from the mess that life has pushed her into. In those days marriage was only way out for girls to come up usually especially the commoners and in this case marrying a royal would definitely be good for her. I do not care if Salim gets his love he has a privilege life already and I do not care for Akbar's prestige talks he also had a privileged life being born to an emperor and having backing of Bk etc. All we can expect is that she gets a fair chance to come up in life.
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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