The ugly picture

Aamir Khan, the Bollywood hero who has invited what seems like nationwide hatred from his country after having said that because of ‘growing intolerance’ his family is afraid to live in India, appears to stand alone. As a result of this statement the actor has become the target of attacks not only from the Shiv Sena, which has suggested he leave the country and apparently even encouraged people to slap him but also from his fellow actors in the Bollywood community. Actor Anupam Kher has asked whether India had not ‘made’ Aamir while Paresh Rawal, another actor, has suggested that Aamir does not consider India his motherland. The silence from much of the Bollywood industry, one of the biggest and richest empires in the world, is in so many ways terrifying. It suggests a reluctance to take on the Shiv Sena or to speak out for fundamental rights. No one seems ready to rise to Aamir Khan’s defence despite his status as a hugely successful actor. Perhaps film rivalries are involved; perhaps there are other factors but the overall scene is now looking rather ugly.
No one from the ruling BJP seems too concerned about the situation either. From the opposition, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress has called on the government not to bully and threaten people while Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister from the Aam Aadmi Party, has been braver and said that he admired the actor ‘for speaking out’. But few seem ready to speak out. Photos of the actor have been smeared with black ink across Mumbai and there have been calls to boycott products endorsed by Khan. The situation is essentially a disastrous one. It shows us an India that appears to have changed virtually overnight and donned an especially ugly mask. Apart from Aamir, other Muslim Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan and music director A R Rahman have been attacked for speaking out on intolerance. This then is an India many progressive Indians cannot even recognise – an India where patriotism is tested and criticism of state policy is a dirty word. Analysts say the scenes we are witnessing in that country are the worst seen since Partition in 1947. Is this the true face of India? Does Bollywood have no real heroes willing to speak out for it and paint a better image of an entity that churns out some of the world’s most popular films month after month? Aamir Khan has made it clear he considers India his home. Will India embrace him as one of its own or continue to shun him and other minority members as if they were pariahs, allowed no voice and no expression of thought even in a country that proudly claims to the be the world’s largest democracy? The dangerous path the country seems to be on at the moment can only mean less democracy. It is hoped saner elements in India realise this before its too late.