The Common Man Speaks

Only Fawad Khan faces opposition in India, other Pakistani actors are spared

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Earlier this week, Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor starrer Abir Gulaal was announced. Directed by Aarti S Bagdi, the film is a romantic drama. As soon as the announcement was made, a section of the political class in Maharashtra came up in arms against the film since it stars a Pakistani actor. They have said that they won’t let the film release in theatres in Maharashtra on its scheduled release date, which is May 9.

This is not the first time that a film starring Fawad has faced opposition in Maharashtra after relations between India and Pakistan soured following the Uri and Pulwama attacks in 2016 and 2019 respectively. A lot of efforts were made to stall the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which also starred Fawad. Last year, his Pakistani film The Legend Of Maula Jatt also faced opposition in Maharashtra, although it wasn’t planned to release in the state.

Strangely, it is only Fawad whose films face opposition in Maharashtra while other Pakistani stars are spared. Its biggest example is the recent re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam, which happened on February 7. This film was not only allowed a release but there was not even a hint of opposition against it despite it starring Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane in the lead.

Fawad Khan and Mawra Hocane

In fact, Sanam Teri Kasam not only became successful but also the biggest hit of all the films that have re-released since last year by earning close to a high amount of Rs. 40 crores. Interestingly, as you read this, it’s still playing in theatres in Mumbai in the second month of its release.

When a film earns this much and runs for two months at the box office, it obviously means that a large number of people went to see it. Hence, it’s difficult to believe that those who are protesting against Abir Gulaal were completely unaware about the re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam.

This isn’t the only example though. In 2016, there was massive opposition against the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil because of Fawad’s presence in it following the Uri attacks. The film, however, was shot much before the attacks happened but that didn’t budge the political protestors. Finally, a settlement was made and the film was able to release. However, a few months later Hindi Medium (2017) didn’t face any opposition, although it starred Pakistani actress Saba Qamar as the lead.

Similarly, in the last few years, Zee’s Zindagi has tied up with Pakistani artistes to produce OTT shows for Indian and Pakistani audience like Churails, Dhoop Ki Deewar, etc. But there hasn’t been a word against these shows.

This makes me wonder why only Fawad Khan faces opposition while other Pakistani actors are spared. Does their nationalistic sentiment get hurt only when a film starring a big Pakistani star releases? Is their nationalistic sentiment limited to the popularity of the actor and is devoid of any equality in their stand?

Also read: Why Vikramaditya Motwane’s documentary on Emergency is more powerful than Kangana Ranaut’s feature film on the same

How to donate for ODISHA train accident victims?

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The train tragedy in Balasore, Odisha earlier this month where three trains collided is one of the worst train tragedies of all time in India. Close to 300 people have reportedly lost their lives while more than 1000 are rendered injured. The horrific incident has left the whole country shocked and sad and understandably so. The visuals have been such that it is difficult to even imagine what the victims must have gone through.

The state government of Odisha has announced compensation to the deceased and injured in the accident. The people of India and outside have also shown solidarity with the victims and are praying for them.

Odisha train accident

While it is good to see compensation being given to the victims and a large number of people praying and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the victims, this, certainly, isn’t enough. The victims urgently and badly need financial aid in order to rebuild and rehabilitate their lives. Going by the enormous nature of the tragedy, this will require not only time but also money.

Hence, it’s extremely vital for us to come out in large numbers and donate whatever amount possible for us.

The question is, how to donate? There are a few online options available.

The NGO named DonateKart has started a campaign for the Odisha train victims though which you can donate any number of amount. Click HERE to go to their donation page to donate for this tragedy.

Actor Sonu Sood has also started a campaign to rebuild the lives of the victims of this tragedy through his Sood Charity Foundation. Click HERE to donate through his campaign.

I will keep updating as and when I get to know about more options to help the victims of the Odisha train tragedy.

Pathaan puts a FULL STOP to the Boycott Gang on Republic Day eve

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Shah Rukh Khan-starrer action entertainer Pathaan opened to a mammoth Rs 57 crore at the box office on its opening day. It broke the record for the highest opening for a Hindi film and that too on a non-holiday. The movie is expected to do the same today. The Siddharth Anand directorial venture, which also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, badly needed this not just to revive Bollywood but also to mark an explosive comeback for SRK.

Pathaan has a usual good vs evil story, where you very well know who would win in the end. But along with the bad guys, Pathaan has also defeated the morale of the Boycott Gang. And what a day to choose to do this by the common citizens. Right on the eve of the Republic Day!

For those not in the know, these are the people from the IT cell of the ruling party who spread toxic campaigns. They are against any film who they think is insulting their religion, in this case through the colour of the bikini in the ‘Besharam Rang’ song, or if the main actor happens to be a Muslim, more so the latter. In the case of Pathaan, the title of the film was also objectionable to them since it’s an identity of someone from the same religion.

They also go up in arms against anyone who gives a statement that they consider is ‘anti-national’ in nature. It’s a different story that these are the same people who don’t react at all when Kangana Rananut says something like, “The independence India got in 1947 was bheekh,” because she is the die-hard supporter of their party. It is the party affiliation that matters for them, not the country.

The IT Cell went into action months in advance to share hateful posts, memes and articles against Pathaan, like they do for other films. This also includes spreading fake news and statements that the people associated with the film never made. Unfortunately, the IT Cell isn’t the only ones to carry out these activities. A large number of common citizens too have got involved in such antics in recent years; some of them are even close to us.

Hence, the case of Pathaan is not just limited to a film. It’s a much broader issue of mindless hate being spread in the country. This can also be seen from the fact that even senior politicians and ministers have been targeting the movie, indicating how big the campaign was (I know the PM asked them to stop much later).

So, the earth-shattering box office numbers the film has garnered are also moral slap on the hate that has been continuously spread in the country. This also proves wrong the claim of the IT Cell and their supporters that Laal Singh Chaddha became a flop because of their boycott campaign. The film didn’t work because people didn’t like it. If boycott calls were so serious, films like Brahmastra: Part One: Shiva and, more so, Pathaan wouldn’t have attracted such large number of people.

The issue of Pathaan brings back memories of a similar hate campaign against the 2010 SRK movie My Name Is Khan by another party. The actor didn’t bow down to their demands then and he did the same now. Both the films ran smoothly without changing the title or the identity of the protagonist.  

From here onwards, the boycott calls for films lined up for release in the future won’t have the same effect or reaction as it would bring back memories of their fiasco during Pathaan. Instead, these calls would become laughable from now on.

But the boycott campaigners won’t sit quiet. They are paid professionals, after all. Their first reaction to their massive defeat by Pathaan will be that these box office numbers are fake, just to feel good about themselves.

We all need something to keep us going in life…

Also read: What Aamir Khan said about Shivling & why is his film boycotted?

Political ideologies & caste have divided audiences of Hindi & Marathi cinema  

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Cinema, like other art forms, is celebrated in India. In fact, this has been the most popular medium of art since time immemorial in various languages. It is considered to be a medium that is enjoyed by people in groups of large numbers. In other words, it has united people of India over the decades; be it of different languages or regions.

But in the recent past, there has been an increasing division among the film audiences in terms of political ideologies and caste.

This has been seen the most with Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files. No, this article isn’t about whether the film is good or bad. What’s noteworthy here is that people are divided in two sides of the fence when it comes to this film.  

Agreeing to disagree is something that doesn’t happen much on social media. Those who haven’t liked the film or are critical of it, be it film reviewers or general public, are hated and abhorred by those who have loved it. I agree there have been reviews and views that appear biased against the movie.

However, even if someone genuinely doesn’t like that film, he or she is considered to be insensitive towards the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. They just don’t take into account that a person can dislike a film for its craft and other filmmaking aspects like screenplay, dialogues and direction. Not liking The Kashmir Files doesn’t mean one doesn’t care or sympathize with the Kashmiri Pandits.

The Kashmir Files

Similarly, if a person genuinely likes that film, he is considered to be from the Right Wing.

Hence, now Hindi films are looked upon as ‘ours’ and ‘theirs.’ Films that are critical of the rivals of the ruling party or the ones that have references to Ramayana or Mahabharata are considered Right Wing movies. On the other hand, those critical of the ruling party and the ones that feature the Khans or the ‘nepo gang’ (as they are called) are considered belonging to the ‘other’ side.  

Unfortunately, the curse of division has entered among the Marathi cinema audience too. Here it’s not based upon political ideology but caste. Yes, we are seeing caste-based divisions even in 2022. In fact, it is seen the most this year.

For people like us, films like Jhund (it is a Hindi film but it’s aimed mostly at Maharashtra) and Me Vasantrao are great films. However, because of the caste identity of the protagonists in both the films and its makers, they are labeled as films for the ‘lower castes’ and ‘higher castes’ respectively.

Hence, if a person from the ‘higher caste’ doesn’t like Jhund, he is considered to be anti-‘lower caste.’ On the other hand, if a person from the ‘lower caste’ doesn’t like Me Vasantrao, he is accused of being anti-‘higher caste.’ In both scenarios, if that person happens to be a film critic, he or she is trolled and bashed online. We have now reached a stage where the caste of the critic is taken into consideration before taking his or her views seriously.

Over the last 1-2 months, I have come across plenty of comments and long opinions on social media on the division between Marathi films on the basis of ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’. This segregation had started mildly few years ago but it has reached dangerous levels this year.     

This division among Hindi and Marathi audience couldn’t have come at a worse time. This is the era of pan-India films. South is leading the way with movies like Baahubali (1 and 2), KGF Chapter 1, Pushpa, RRR and KGF Chapter 2. These films are dubbed in Hindi and they do tremendously well all over India.

Being an admirer of both Hindi and Marathi cinema, I would want films in these two languages to do well pan-India too by getting them dubbed in various south languages or through any other way.

But looking at such a staunch division among the primary audiences of films of both the industries itself, this appears like a dream right now.

Also read:

Can we stop giving unreal reasons for 83 box office failure?

Kangana Ranaut row: FAKE patriots exposed yet again

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Kangana Ranaut was recently conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award. As per the official website of the Padma Awards, these awards are “one of the highest civilian awards of India.”

Those who have been following Ranaut’s statements both on and off social media would know the kind of problematic things she has said in the last few years.

Among the hundreds of controversial statements given by her, few that stand out are the ones where she called the protesting farmers as “terrorists”, comparing Mumbai with PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) and, worst of all, calling for violence in Bengal following the state polls. The last statement got her banned from Twitter permanently for promoting hatred and violence.

Now, I really wonder how a person with a history of making such inflammatory and violent statements can even be considered for one of the highest civilian awards. What message are we sending to the youngsters of the country? That it is not only normal but also worth being rewarded to make such statements?

Few of the famous personalities from India to have been given the Padma Shri awards include the likes of Satyajit Ray, Milkha Singh, Bismilah Khan, Ashok Kumar, Mother Teresa, Ebrahim Alkazi, Bachendri Pal, AR Rahman, etc.

Kangana Ranaut
Photo course: Kangana Ranaut official Instagram account

How are we making these people look by placing a person regularly spewing hate on par with them?

When Kangana’s name was announced as the winner of the Padma Shri, my first feeling was that she would come up with more arrogant statements. She proved me right in ways that I hadn’t even imagined and that too so soon.

Right after winning the award, the actress appeared on a news channel and had the audacity to say, “India achieved actual freedom in 2014. What we got in 1947 was bheekh.” We have heard celebrities buttering their political masters but this is a new as well as dangerous benchmark to do so.

You don’t need to be even half intelligent to realize that Kangana has downrightly insulted all those freedom fighters and revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country from the British. It is unimaginable to even think of going to the gallows happily for the country. How someone in their right mind even think of discarding such a sacrifice?

In other words, what Kangana has said is nothing but anti-nationalistic.

The supporters of the ruling party have always hailed Ranaut for her strong stand and insults towards those who don’t support the party and its ideologies. They are always quick to label anyone as an anti-national just for criticizing or even questioning the current government.

The party’s mammoth IT cell comes up with huge number of viral posts against anyone who becomes an ‘anti-national’ in their eyes. But they have started no campaign against her. There are also plenty of common supporters of the party who spend a lot time slamming those who they consider ‘anti-national’. But there is not a word from them regarding this comment.

I know a lot of people personally who are from the same ideology and who slam anyone who questions their favorite party or takes any stand against them. The classic case is that of Deepika Padukone when she joined the JNU protests in 2020. She was not only labeled an anti-national but was also personally slammed like anything.

The same people (some of them who would be reading this) have now maintained a stoic silence when someone has downrightly insulted India’s freedom fighters and their great sacrifice.

Their silence is like an indirect support to the comments made by her.

These people were never patriots. They are only strong supporters of their favorite party and its ideologies. It was never nation first. It was always party first. Funnily, they are the self-proclaimed certificate providers of patriotism.

This is not the first time that their fake patriotism has been exposed. It happened the most in 2019 when they were fine with their ‘leader’ Pragya Thakur hailing martyr Hemant Karkare’s death at the hands of terrorist Ajmal Kasab and his group.

Their silence in response to Kangana’s comments is just another reminder of their fake patriotism.

Also read:

Actor Asif Basra’s suicide in 2020 never triggered an uproar

Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

Serious CENSORSHIP rule has got proposed & here’s how you can stop it

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The central government has proposed the draft Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2021 through which they get the power to recertify a film passed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) or Censor Board, as it’s popularly known.

If we take away the technical jargons, if the new bill comes into action, it would mean that even if a film is cleared by the CBFC for release, the Central Government will have the power to recertify it. In other words, it will also have the power to take away the certificate, which would mean that a particular film would be stopped from releasing.

In more simple terms, as filmmaker Pratik Kothari said in an interview with the publication Cinestaan.com, we know how students have a right to re-evaluate their paper if they are not happy with the marks. But the new bill would mean that the examiner himself would re-evaluate a student’s paper just because he thinks the student deserves these many marks.

The reason why such an amendment would be more dangerous is because it has come in the wake of different ‘religious’ or social groups demanding bans on certain films they feel hurt their sentiments.

Censor Board

So, in case a film is certified by the CBFC for release but some group believes it should be banned or refused certification, the central government would get the power to re-examine the film to determine if it should release. Hence, it would make the CBFC or Censor Board appear irrelevant because the government would have power to revoke their decision.

Proposing such an act brings to our mind the menace created by the Rajput Karni Sena during the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). The group had demanded the forming of a ‘pre-censor board,’ that would examine a film before it reaches the censor board [or CBFC]. As per their demand, if the ‘pre-censor board’ believes the film has no right to release, it won’t even be sent for certification to the censor board.

This new proposed bill is similar to this, except that the ‘pre-censor board’ is asked to look at a film before it goes to the Censor Board.

The new amendment bill has actually come as a double blow that has hardly been noticed by the general population. Earlier this year, the government dissolved the FCAT [Film Certification Appellate Tribunal].

To put it simply, FCAT was the committee to which a filmmaker went if he is not happy with the decision of the CBFC or the Censor Board. But now, the very option of FCAT for aggrieved filmmaker has been chopped off.

Of course, there is an option for filmmakers to approach the High Court if they are unhappy with the CBFC’s certification. But how can one expect independent filmmakers to file a case and pay for the lawyer when they have somehow managed to generate funds to make the film in the first place?

By dissolving the FCAT, the government took away the right of a filmmaker to get his film re-examined if he is unhappy with the verdict of the Censor Board. And now they are proposing an act through which the government itself has the right to withdraw certification of a film already certified for release.

What can we do?

The government has called for comments and opinions on the matter. One can share his or her views by writing an e-mail on – dhanpreet.kaur@ips.gov.in

Read the whole act HERE.

#JusticeForSSR now has NO place on news channels. Who gained, who lost?

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Roughly few months ago, some Indian news channels had promised to give justice to the deceased Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR). As per the official version, the actor died of suicide on 14 June at his residence in Mumbai.

But these channels, like plenty of What’s App forwards, started spreading the theory that he was murdered and if there’s anyone who can give justice to Rajput, it is them. Hence, there was non-stop coverage on his death with channels ready to interview just about anyone who can speak on SSR – from Karni Sena members to anybody claiming to be the late actor’s friend.

One channel claimed to have all the proofs to support their claim of murder even as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who was handed over the case, still hasn’t come up with any such murder theory.  

This resulted in crores of viewers getting carried away by the hyper coverage. They kept sharing posts related to SSR almost every minute while appealing to the authorities to punish SSR’s supposed murderers in the strictest way.

All this while, the fake news circulation on What’s App and social media reached another low. Among the many fake messages, the one that takes the cake was that SSR’s ‘murder’ was seen live by some Hindi film stars in their homes. I recently met one highly educated person who considers this ‘news’ about SSR to be absolutely true. And there are many more like him.

Sushant Singh Rajput

The sub-plot of the murder theory was the drugs angle in which SSR’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and few others were arrested. These arrests were celebrated as if India got another freedom.

However, over the last few weeks, the campaign for SSR’s death has just died down. The timing for this is most interesting. It strangely coincided with the Bihar elections, which were recently over. As the people of the state finished casting their vote, SSR’s case faded away from the TV screens.

It was also during the campaign for the Bihar elections that BJP came out with a pamphlet with SSR’s face on it. [See below and read more about it HERE]. A clear indication that his death was just a political tool for them.

SSR BJP

In this entire circus, it was the common public that was taken for a ride. Crores of people invested their time, energy and data while getting agitated online, considering themselves to be some sort of warriors. Only for it to boil down to nothing.

You indirectly helped these TV channels earn money, ratings and market their brand value. Today, the same channels have dropped the #JusticeForSSR issue like a hot potato. Just before publishing the report, a cursory check to these news channels showed that SSR’s death found no place on any of them.

Some news channels and political parties aren’t the only ones to gain from it. A YouTuber reportedly earned Rs 15 lakh from making fake videos related to SSR’s death. And his isn’t the only YouTube channel to gain from it. Again, it was the common public who made him earn a bomb.

Also, we didn’t realize when #JusticeForSSR slowly transformed into justice for a ‘news’ anchor, who was recently arrested. As soon as he was released on bail, his jubilant celebrations made it look like the last scene of a movie while the end credits are rolling – a contemporary way to say ‘The End!’  

Also read: ‘Anti-nepotism’ brigade has created a TOXIC atmosphere online

SSR’s death definitely won’t be the last issue out of which a tamasha was created. There will be many more in the future.

The question to be asked is whether we will take this as a lesson learnt or get carried away again in the future. Going by how heavily people got influenced this time, I personally don’t have much hopes.

Sorry babu…

Additional reading:

Expecting MIRACLES from CBI in Sushant case isn’t smart

5 questions on the ongoing DRUGS probe in Sushant’s case

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The Sushant Singh Rajput death case was handed over to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) after continuous demand for the same was raised by his family and a large section of the population.

But soon after that, the chaos in media and on social media have left many of us confused as to where is the whole thing headed. It makes me wonder whether all that is happening is actually related to Sushant’s death.

These 5 questions are lurking on my mind these days:

How SSR’s death probe got transformed into Bollywood drugs scandal?

It all started with the aim of giving justice to the late Sushant by handing over his death case to the CBI. So far so good. But as soon as the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) got involved, the focus completely changed from #JusticeToSSR or #SSRMurder to exposing the drug racket in Bollywood.  

Those noisy news channels that were shouting murder just a fortnight ago are now only aiming at exposing the drug nexus in the film industry. In a latest update, Sushant’s family itself is unhappy with how the focus has changed ever since the drug angle cropped up.

Why only female actors being named?

It is strange to see only female actors’ names cropping up in the drug investigation. Are drugs taken only by leading ladies of the industry? What do the male stars use? Glucon D? None of the noisy news anchors are finding anything fishy in this.

Drugs probe in Sushant case

What is the final aim?

With the speed at which one actress after another is being called up for allegedly consuming drugs, it leaves us wondering as to what is the final aim of all this. If they continue reading private chats of actors, more names are expected to crop up, which will be a never-ending process. So where is it supposed to end?

How do these screenshots reach news channels?

A former director of the NCB said on a news channel that the anti-narcotics agency is expected to try and catch the main peddler from the names of film stars that come up in the investigation. But what they are actually doing is leaking chat screenshots to the news channels, so that they can carry out tamasha every night.

People don’t seem to be questioning how every screenshot, which is an evidence, is being handed over to the news channels. We can understand if they get leaked once or twice, but daily?

Also read: ‘Anti-nepotism’ brigade has created a TOXIC atmosphere online

Who exactly is on drugs?

In the last few days, we have regularly seen visuals of reporters banging the shut windows of various actresses’ cars and repeatedly asking if they consume drugs. They clearly know that their voice would be hardly audible and they won’t be able to hear anything in case they get an answer.

What took the cake though was one reporter screaming and forcing her driver to overtake Deepika Padukone’s car, whose windows are shut, and asking the actress in the highest pitch possible, “Kya drugs leti hain aap?”

Well, who appears to be on drugs here?

Additional reading:

SSR case: Why is KARNI Sena forgiven & shown respect?

SSR case: Why is KARNI Sena forgiven & shown respect?

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The coverage of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has been taking place in the media 24/7 over the last many days. In this period, numerous people who claimed to have been close to the late actor are interviewed, in some cases without any verification.

Among hundreds of such interviews, one which has grabbed a lot of eye-balls is that of Surjeet Singh Rathore. He spoke about his experience on Republic channel of him being one of the few ones to have gained access to Sushant’s dead body soon after his death.

He was the one who claimed that the actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty said, “Sorry babu,” as soon as she saw his dead body. The founder of the channel and anchor Arnab Goswami believed him at face value.

During the show, the anchor and Rathore came out with the theory that since Rhea said, “Sorry” to Sushant, it meant that she definitely did something wrong to him.

Now whether or not they are right in their interpretation is not something that I wish to discuss here. An important aspect about the interview is the two identities that Surjeet Singh Rathore possesses. One, he is a film producer.

More importantly, he is also the Vice President of the fringe group Rathriya Rajput Karni Sena.

Sushant Singh Rajput-Karni Sena

It was one of the few Karni Sena groups that had been up in arms against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat in late 2017 and early 2018, alleging that the film distorts the history of Rajputs and thereby hurts their sentiments.

So the big question that emerges here is why a member of such a group was given access to Sushant’s dead body. Mind you, only a selected few were given entry there. The anchor Arnab Goswami, who is always eager to ask tough questions, didn’t ask this to Rathore.  

But Rathore himself revealed on the show that he is a member of [one of the] Karni Senas and he was allowed because a member of the ‘Rajput community’ was dead.

This makes it more interesting. As we all would remember, Goswami had slammed Karni Sena members numerous times on his channel back then because of their stand against Padmaavat which lead to violence in various places in the country.

And here he not only believed everything that this Karni Sena member said at face value, but also thanked him profusely more than once for being on his show.

Interestingly, what wasn’t pointed out on the show was that Sushant had subtly made his stand against Karni Sena clear during the Padmaavat controversy by dropping the words ‘Singh Rajput’ from his name on social media. During that time, the same Karni Sena members and followers had trolled Sushant for his act. (Read about it HERE and HERE)

Also read: Expecting MIRACLES from CBI in Sushant case isn’t smart

After doing this, Sushant had also tweeted saying, “We would suffer till the time we’re obsessed with our surnames. If you’re that courageous, give us your first name to acknowledge. #Padmavati.” This clearly indicates that he was against the division of humans into different communities, castes, samaajs and what not.

If you feel this is hypocritical, here’s more. Rathore is the co-producer of a film inspired from Rajput’s death titled ‘Shashank.’ The poster of the film, which you can see below, has words like ‘Nepotism,’ ‘Depression,’ ‘Suicide,’ ‘Murder,’ etc, scattered over the image of a man who is about to hang himself to death.

Let that sink in…

Also read: ‘Anti-nepotism’ brigade has created a TOXIC atmosphere online

Click to enlarge

Fact check: Was Deepika Padukone paid Rs 5 crore to attend JNU protests?

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Deepika Padukone visited the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) in January to show support to the students’ protest for atrocities committed against them in the campus. Now, ex RAW (Research and Intelligence Wing) officer NK Sood has alleged in a video shared few days ago that she was paid Rs 5 crore from a Pakistani businessman to attend the protests.

As soon as the video was out, a large contingent of Indians on social media started hateful messages against Padukone, labelling her as traitor or anti-Indian. They believed the claim made in the video to be 100 percent truth. Why? Simply because it goes with their ideology. We all know on which political side they are and which party and its leaders they worship.

Because of their ideology, they didn’t pay heed to the fact that the person in the video has NOT shown even an iota of evidence against Padukone. If there is some allegation against someone they hate, which in this case is Padukone, it is considered to be the truest thing in the universe.

Well, if they can believe any random What’s App forwarded message sent by unknown people, it is not surprising for them to believe a video shared by an ex-RAW officer.

Deepika Padukone at JNU protests
Deepika Padukone at JNU protests in January

I have nothing against Sood. He has served the country by being an important part of RAW and he should be respected for his work. But that certainly doesn’t mean he is above proof. Nobody is, irrespective of whether or not you have served the country in any way.

This might sound childish but it needs to be spelt out to a lot of people out there that an allegation made in front of a camera without presenting any proof or document whatsoever isn’t enough to be called true. Law or legal procedure is equal for all.

Also read: An open letter to Arvind Kejriwal

This doesn’t mean I am giving any clean-chit to Padukone. If it can be proved that she indeed took money from someone to attend the protest, there should be action initiated against her.

Funnily, those who are blindly believing the allegations made in the video are the same ones who defend their favourite political leaders when they are accused of committing any crime by stating that there is no evidence.

For them, law is as per their convenience.

Watch the video: