Lala oh Lala

I’m an Indian who feels terrible for Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Shahid Afridi. In my column last week, I expressed disappointment over the insensitive and hyperbolic reactions of Pakistanis to a legendary singer who unintentionally erred while singing his national anthem. Then, in the days gone by, the anathemas being heaped on Shahid Afridi make you wonder: is Pakistan becoming increasingly intolerant? Does it expect its public figures to be invincible and infallible? Has it lost its ability to embrace defeat with grace? Or is it all of these?

Afridi thanked Kolkata for their reaction to Pakistan. “We don’t get such love even from Pakistan,” he stated. He went on to thank the BCCI for taking good care of the Pakistani team. Within minutes, his comments had sparked outrage among his countrymen. Some went to the extent of calling him a traitor on national television while some others insinuated that his pro-India bias was because he was eyeing a lucrative post-retirement career in India as a cricket commentator.



Afridi’s statements may have sounded politically incorrect in the context of the fragile political situation at the border but the reality is that he was only being polite to a host country.

Former players ruthlessly slammed Afridi’s “tactically weak” captaincy — in some provinces posters and effigies of the players were burnt — and if this wasn’t deplorable enough, irate fans smashed their own TV sets with sticks, reacting angrily to the team’s miserable defeat at the hands of India. Upset over losing the free publicity that she would have derived by doing a strip dance, even a nobody like Qandeel Baloch took the liberty of slamming Afridi on social media.

So, India-Pakistan is more than a match. Sadly, it is war of sorts, a game of major nerves. I get that. I get the nation’s disappointment in its team. I get the emotions at play, the feeling of betrayal. Pakistan has had a poor track record in its matches against India. Afridi should have upped his game on this occasion. He acknowledged a sub-par performance post the loss. But I do not fathom uneducated over-reactions, particularly crass unwarranted remarks that hit below the belt.

Those gunning for Afridi’s blood should instead direct their wrath at one of his earlier offensive and unforgivably sexist remarks, “Women make good cooks and should stick to that instead of playing cricket.” Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), not as many Pakistanis appear to have taken umbrage to this statement, as those thirsting for his life only because he bigged up India and then lost to them, yet again.



Tailpieces

1) Sometimes it gets hard to practice what one preaches, especially when the turf on the other side is greener. Shaan, who has been critical of India and of Pakistani actors’ desperation to get into B-Town, has himself been in Mumbai for the last few days. And for all his condescension about Bollywood, he is sticking to calling his forthcoming film Arth, which is Mahesh Bhatt’s cult classic.

2) It is wonderful to see women getting sexier with age. Kareena Kapoor Khan tops the list. Watch Ki and Ka if you don’t believe me. You cannot get your eyes off this sparkler who is at her uninhibited best. Her first-time pairing with an immensely endearing Arjun Kapoor lights up the screen in what is a charming drama about a woman who wears the pants in an urban household. Sparkling cameos by Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan are not to be missed.

3) For all its hype, Batman v Superman has been pummelled by critics. Those who’ve seen it tell me it is an epic bore. Ironically, the collective might of two superheroes was unable to save the day at the box office.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.

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