Where are the Bollywood Khans when India needs them most?

The silence of A-list stars suggests that Modi has gained complete control over B-town influencers

KARACHI:

Perhaps it is unfair to expect more from our entertainers than just entertainment. We the ‘commoners’ do have a tendency to forget that they are only human too, like us. And what are we if not selfish, one way or the other.

The countless movies we have watched, the books we have read and the stories we have heard would have us hope we are cut from the same cloth as heroes. We would hope that in our darkest hour, we would have the courage to light the way forward. But maybe the non-fictional heroes we have read or heard about are just outliers and anomalies. Maybe, that too is wishful thinking and really, heroism as a concept is just fiction.

Let us be honest with ourselves, after all. What would we do?

Across the border, Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party seem hell-bent on dragging India along a path to fascism. Emboldened by the relative silence and lack of resistance his move to strip Occupied Kashmir’s special status and incarcerate its people in their own land received from even saner minds in the country, the Hindu nationalist leader has seemingly embarked on phase two of a plan to re-engineer India’s ethno-religious dynamics.

The latest step in that phase is the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which at face value, seeks to provide religious minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan a path to becoming naturalised citizens should they wish. To some, it may seem innocuous enough, but considered alongside the controversial national register of citizens, the entire experiment betrays Modi and BJP’s sinister intentions.

By singling out Muslims and casting doubt on India’s secular aspersions, Modi’s latest move has prompted many segments of the country, who find their voice increasingly sidelined, to take to the streets. At the forefront of the burgeoning charge are the students of some of India’s more prestigious varsities, particularly the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

Although some prominent members of India’s showbiz fraternity have come out in support of the student protests against the contentious act, conspicuously silent are its biggest names. There was Akshay Kumar’s misstep – liking a pro-student protest tweet only to take it back and issue a ‘clarification – that has dented the star’s ‘good guy’ image. Ironically enough, though, it is the silence of the Khans of Bollywood that has raised most eyebrows given that Muslims are at the receiving end of the brewing crisis.

From a cynical standpoint, it makes perfect sense. India’s film industry has long enjoyed strong ties with right-wing Hindu groups, the ruling BJP in particular. Many figures have embarked on political careers of their own while wearing religion on their sleeves once the curtain dropped on them. Others, like Amitabh Bachchan, the original patron saint of Bollywood himself, have only stopped short of being full BJP members. There is also the fact that under Modi, the BJP has gained almost total control over most of India’s media industry.

In effect, to stay in show business or really any business in India nowadays, going against the country’s ruling party appears to be a suicidal prospect. More so, if you go by the ‘wrong’ surname. We must also not forget that Modi and his ilk have also betrayed a callous tolerance – some would actually call it patronage – of right-wing mobs. At a time when ‘vigilantes’ lynch minorities over mere rumours of eating beef, is it really all that shocking that the Khans may want to stay quiet and wait for calmer weather?

Let's get one thing clear. It is no indictment, but the Khans and other Bollywood leading men and women are no heroes. They only play heroes now and again for our entertainment. If any of them are reading though, this is a good opportunity to be one.

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