We cannot stop loose motions by wearing tight briefs”, reads S.S. Radhakrishnan’s eloquent poster. He is an independent candidate from South Chennai and wants to drive home his message in vivid, alarmingly graphic terms. I admire his courage of conviction. This is his way of registering a strong protest against corruption — unique and yucky as it might be! I don’t know this worthy gentleman (I found his priceless poster on Facebook). Chances are he’ll lose his deposit. But the man has to be admired for putting himself on the line and doing the right thing by his own personal definitions. In the same city, art impresario Sharan Apparao chose to make her own, equally unique political statement at a high-profile fashion event, when she sported glittering earrings bearing the images of Amma Jayalalithaa and her patron, MGR. Whether or not Ms Apparao was doing so with her tongue firmly tucked into her cheek, her bold declaration had the chattering classes… well, chattering some more!
The larger question is: Should high-profile individuals reveal their political affiliations or not? Right now, Bollywood personalities are divided on this issue, when they really ought not to be. This week, an initiative spearheaded by Anjum Rajabali, a screenwriter, urging his film fraternity to vote for a secular party was signed by several stars who agreed with Rajabali that “the need of the hour is to protect our country’s secular foundation”. Those who came on board included Mahesh Bhatt and Nandita Das. While Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher voiced their dissent, Mukesh Bhatt pointed out that the film industry has always been “apolitical” and that’s how it should remain. Really? Apolitical? Since when? Not true.
The film industry has always had to kowtow to and play ball with political parties — local and national. Given the somewhat dodgy nature of the movie business, political parties have consistently made strenuous efforts to muscle into “managing” Bollywood. Whether it was the Shiv Sena offering protection against underworld threats years ago, or the Congress getting directly involved in Sanjay Dutt’s contentious criminal past, the relationship between the movie and political world has always existed. Down South, there is a long history of politicians-mega-stars exerting a powerful influence over voters. So what are we talking about?
If a Rajinikanth invites Narendra Modi to a well-timed tea party and the pictures are flashed across India, what does it actually mean — two “friends” sipping chai innocuously? That’s it? If Salim Khan, Salman Khan’s father, meets and greets BJP leaders, is he doing so without knowing the wider implications of that encounter? Let’s drop the charade and doublespeak for once. It is perfectly okay to declare where you stand. You must! It is also imperative to stick your neck out and take a position. If not now, then when? About time we, as a nation, showed some guts and stopped cowering at the prospect of being hounded and harassed by leaders we may have moral issues with, and perhaps, openly criticised. India is not North Korea. At least, not yet. India is not China (ditto). So what the hell is wrong if one guy in Bollywood sends out an email to 350 colleagues and 60 of them sign the appeal for a “secular India”? Have these people committed a crime? Broken a law? Even assuming Anjum is a closet Congresswallah pretending to be neutral — so what? Is the content of his appeal abusive or derogatory? No, it isn’t. Is it rational and sane? Yes, it is. If anybody wishes to read between the lines, go right ahead. If someone thinks it’s a direct pitch to vote for the Congress, again, that’s not a sin. So… what is all the fuss about?
I’ll tell you: No matter what Mr Modi claims in television interviews about not being “vindictive” if he comes to power, nobody believes him. Nobody wants to take that chance. Most people think twice, thrice, a hundred times before saying anything critical about Mr Modi. They quake at the prospect of Mr Modi going after them if he wins. This kind of fear psychosis is not good for a nation. In fact, it is a terrible indictment. Why should any Indian live in fear? Of retribution? Of speaking up? But that awful fear exists! It is real… and it says a lot about what’s happening in the country. There is paranoia and that paranoia is pretty justified given what we have observed during the past few years. There are open threats being issued of throwing people into prison. Or of releasing those who are in prison. There is no mention of following the law of the land. How can Bollywood remain detached and uninvolved? Why should it? Why should anyone?
Going by what happens in Hollywood, why can’t we be equally upfront about our political loyalties? Revenge and retribution are scary words. It’s a shame they have found acceptance across the board… and with good reason. The people of India fear the wrath of
Mr Modi.
A great leader only succeeds when the people respect the person… trust him or her with their lives. When those very lives are threatened, when that precious bond of faith is broken, what one gets is a country under siege. Nothing suits India’s enemies better than an India that is terrified of itself.
As for me, I am definitely looking for tighter briefs. Much tighter!
