ARREY, DAN-DA, BOI-ER JHAMELA MITECHE! BUT, AAMIR-BHAI, AAPKA KYA?
In the week that has gone by and the one that ends after two days, a lot of culture curry has been cooked up by our “desh ke vidhaata”. First, it was the case of breaking the Code : a holy task which was taken up not by Pope Benedict XVI but our very own Priya Ranjan Das Munshi! Commendable, considering that the interests of so many ‘believers’ (2.8% of the country’s population and distinct from believers the world over) were at stake. So, while the film started raking in the dollars in the rest of the world, those responsible for bringing it to India had to shelve their plans for another week. Now, it is Aamir ‘Activist’ Khan who is facing the wrath of the rulers of a state for speaking out against its ‘development’. And yes, it is the ‘people’s voice’ in the state that is demanding an apology from him. And, he has given no for an answer.
Whether Aamir’s acts are misfired PR stunts or genuine empathy is a different side of the debate. What is important here is the n number of routes that the authorities take to populism. Be it Da Vinci Code or Fanaa, Hollywood or Bollywood, there is no dearth of issues for sustenance of what else…..votebank politics.
“India is the world’s largest democracy.” That is why, it has governments that are a thousand times more enlightened than the people. That is why, the ministers consider themselves higher authorities on Christianity than the Pope. That is why, its queer politics forms the subject matters of PhD theses in Harvard and Oxford. That is why, celebrities here step on a minefield if they say something on ‘people’s rights’.
Notwithstanding all this, Da Vinci Code and Fanaa have even got my mother hooked. As she eagerly awaits the release of the blockbuster duo, she is also catching up with the print version of the former. And, she is as comfortable in the world of Hollywood and Bollywood as a penguin would be in an Amazon rainforest! So, Dan-da, you have reason to celebrate, because boi-er jhamela miteche (excuse me for going vernacular) and you are all set to reach every corner of India. But, Aamir-bhai, aapka kya? Maybe after Fanaa’s release, some people will become……a little bit wise.
In the week that has gone by and the one that ends after two days, a lot of culture curry has been cooked up by our “desh ke vidhaata”. First, it was the case of breaking the Code : a holy task which was taken up not by Pope Benedict XVI but our very own Priya Ranjan Das Munshi! Commendable, considering that the interests of so many ‘believers’ (2.8% of the country’s population and distinct from believers the world over) were at stake. So, while the film started raking in the dollars in the rest of the world, those responsible for bringing it to India had to shelve their plans for another week. Now, it is Aamir ‘Activist’ Khan who is facing the wrath of the rulers of a state for speaking out against its ‘development’. And yes, it is the ‘people’s voice’ in the state that is demanding an apology from him. And, he has given no for an answer.
Whether Aamir’s acts are misfired PR stunts or genuine empathy is a different side of the debate. What is important here is the n number of routes that the authorities take to populism. Be it Da Vinci Code or Fanaa, Hollywood or Bollywood, there is no dearth of issues for sustenance of what else…..votebank politics.
“India is the world’s largest democracy.” That is why, it has governments that are a thousand times more enlightened than the people. That is why, the ministers consider themselves higher authorities on Christianity than the Pope. That is why, its queer politics forms the subject matters of PhD theses in Harvard and Oxford. That is why, celebrities here step on a minefield if they say something on ‘people’s rights’.
Notwithstanding all this, Da Vinci Code and Fanaa have even got my mother hooked. As she eagerly awaits the release of the blockbuster duo, she is also catching up with the print version of the former. And, she is as comfortable in the world of Hollywood and Bollywood as a penguin would be in an Amazon rainforest! So, Dan-da, you have reason to celebrate, because boi-er jhamela miteche (excuse me for going vernacular) and you are all set to reach every corner of India. But, Aamir-bhai, aapka kya? Maybe after Fanaa’s release, some people will become……a little bit wise.
posted by sheyalpandit at
11:39 PM
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