Jun 03, 2019, 13:36 IST
Shah Rukh Khan's Words From This Old Interview Are What India Needs To Hear
Shah Rukh Khan is at once, both the most overrated and most underrated Indian actor. On one hand, he gets so much love for his acting, driving hoards of women crazy with one stretch of his arms, and on the other, he gets no credit for being one of the smartest actors in Bollywood. Watching an old interview of his from the ’90s proves the latter, especially given India’s socio-political climate today.
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Given the anti-Muslim politics rampant in our country right now, not only is Shah Rukh’s interview a reminder of just how much Muslims are a part of India, but also of the concept of freedom, be it of the press, of speech, or general expression, and how we must never take it for granted.
In conversation with Farida Jalal, he talked about freedom and how his father, who was India’s youngest freedom fighter, told him this: “Shah Rukh, tum apne aap ko bada hero banke ghumte rehte ho. Ye jo azadi hai, ye jo freedom hai, ye humne tumko dilai hai. Aur, humesha isko kayam rakhna.” In case you want more reasons to love King Khan, here’s a breakdown of more important things he said.
Shah Rukh’s explanation of the importance of freedom of the press is something EVERY INDIAN ALIVE needs to hear today
Given how the Indian media is under siege thanks to the forces that be, be it in the form of murders such as that of Gauri Lankesh, or through lawsuits against alternative news agencies such as the Wire, it’s an understatement to say that freedom of the Indian press isn’t safe and sound. When people are jailed for speaking against those in power, we cannot claim to be free. That’s what makes what Shah Rukh said back then more relevant in today’s environment of one-sided news than ever.
“I used to think (by freedom) he meant freedom from foreign rule. But now I understand after having grown up... Jaise humari headlines aati hai newspapers ke andar ki ‘Ye sahi hua, ye galat hua,’ aur humko maloom hi nahi hai, as an aamcitizen, ki isme kitni sacchai hai. Mujhko wahi feed ho raha hai ya mujhe wahiknowledge hai jo main newspaper se padhta hoon.”
Highlighting the importance of a balanced press where every side speaks freely and gives the public a fair idea of what’s going on, he added, “So freedom from the speculation, is this right or wrong? Having freedom of the press, having freedom of speech, ye sab cheezein.”
In a day and age when there are debates about whom India belongs to, he had this to say
SRK also spoke about how some treat India like it is theirs, saying that others don’t belong here (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). To those who treat the nation like property they have a right over instead of a gift they must respect and cherish, he had this to say: “Hum bacche the toh humko ek essay likhna padta tha ‘My Country India.’ I think that should be changed. It has to be that the country is India and we are the citizens of this country. We don’t own it. Ownership does not mean ki ye humaara Bharat hi hai. It is what we … do for our country.”
Way back in the ’90s, conversations of this nature weren’t mainstream the way they unfortunately are now. SRK took it a notch further, being , and also talked about deeming certain people “anti-nationals” because they don’t fit into our ideas of what makes someone Indian. Talking about how this makes him feel, he highlighted the experiences of many Muslims in India circa 2019, who feel alienated for no fault of theirs: “I think the people we call anti-nationals … at the end of it all, these are people who do not think that they are part of India. And I feel very sad because my family has fought for this country, so for me it is even sadder that some people are destroying it. It takes away from what my father told me, ‘Keep this country free, the way I gave it to you.’”
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