The Common Man Speaks

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:

How to help Assam flood victims?

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The Indian state of Assam is going through severe floods since some time now. The calamity has killed more than 80 people and affected as many as 70 lakh.

Despite such enormous numbers, the majority of the national media isn’t giving it much coverage. This isn’t surprising though as this has been the case with the national media which is ready to flash minor floods in Mumbai as ‘Breaking News.’

“Over 70 lakh people have been affected due to Assam floods. People, as well as animals, are being rescued from the affected areas and being shifted to relief camps and safer locations,” said Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to the news agency ANI (Asian News International).

Assam floods
Photo courtesy: The Hindu

What makes the situation even worse is that, like majority of Indian states, Assam too is going through the COVID-19 pandemic.

But thanks to technology and internet, there are ways through which we can help the Assam flood victims.

Here’s how:

NGO: Actionaid Assocition

Account Name: ACTIONAID ASSOCIATION
Bank Name: Axis Bank Ltd
Branch Name: Bangalore (KT)
Account Number: 009010101455298
Address: No 9, M G Road, Block A, Bengaluru,
Karnataka 560001
RTGS/NEFT/IFSC Code: UTIB0000009
To know more about Actionaid, click HERE

NGO: Rapid Response

Account Name: Rapid Response
Account Number: 50200002115108
IFSC Code: HDFC0001038
Account Type: Current
Bank: HDFC Bank, Branch: Avadi
To know more about Rapid Response, click HERE

Known actor Adil Hussain hails from Assam. Speaking on how Assam has always been ignored, he told the Hindustan Times, “I don’t think anyone has taken it seriously. All the governments since Independence, before we could blame it to the British, I don’t think anyone has actually bothered about it. There were quick-fixes and band-aids, but no research (which I know of) has been done.”

Also read: You might be triggering DEPRESSION in someone without even knowing it

Hussain also wondered at how there hasn’t been any solution despite floods hitting Assam each year. “The flood happens every year, at the same time and the volume of water is almost the same. Even after that if we say we do not have a solution for it, I feel either we are either lying or we are not trying hard.”

How to donate for Maharashtra flood victims?

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The deadly floods Maharashtra, especially in the Sangli and Kolhapur districts, have taken a number of lives and left plenty others homeless and in dire need of necessities to sustain. As per official figures, around 761 villages have been affected.

Hence, there is an urgent need to donate every day necessities to the victims in large numbers.

Maharashtra floods
NDRF officers rescuing people in Kolhapur (Photo: Skymetweather.com)

The items you can donate roughly includes:

Clothes
Food grains, sugar and salt
Packaged water
Biscuit and snacks packets
Soaps
Toothpastes and toothbrushes
Dettol or Savlon
Phenyl
Bleaching powder
Air freshners
New undergarments
Candles and matchboxes
Blankets and bed sheets
Basic medicines

If you are in Mumbai, Thane or Pune, you can donate to the following centres from August 10 to 14 from 10 am to 5 pm. This collection drive is organized by Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natyaparishad and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal.

Mumbai:
1) Yashwantrao Chavhan Natyagruha, Matunga (West)
2) Prabhodhankar Thackeray Natyagruha, Borivali (West)

Thane:
1) Gadkari Rangayatan
2) Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha

Kalyan:
1) Natyaparishad Office
2) Acharya Atre Rangmandir

Pune:
Jawaharlal Nehru Sabhagruha (opposite Balgandharva Rangmandir)

Pimpri Chinchwad:
1) Natyaparishad Office
2) Pradhyapak Ramkrishna More Prekshagruha

Contact numbers for further assistance:

Mumbai: Ratnakant Jagtap 98201 47601
Pune: Vinod Satav 02025670406
Thane: Pushkar Desai 97690 05111

Monetary donation:

To donate money for the flood victims you can transfer the amount to Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natyaparishad.
Details:
Bank: Saraswat Bank
Branch: Dadar, Kelkar Road
Account No: 006200100009417
IFSC Code: SRCB 0000006

(This article will be updated with more details)

6 noteworthy moments from Article 15

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Director Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 is largely about the atrocities faced by people belonging to the backward castes. But the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer also has a lot of layers and the film ends up saying a lot without actually saying much. The end result is disturbing but at the same time positive as well.

It will be worth revisiting 6 noteworthy aspects from Article 15:

Urban-rural divide
A city bred person might get a jolt when he or she witnesses the way of living and norms of a rural area. The same happens when the protagonist Ayan Ranjan [Khurrana] is posted in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. He is shocked to see such strict practice of caste even in 2019, including the practice of not even letting the shadow of the ‘untouchables’ touch you. Article 15 doesn’t shy away from showcasing such stark reality of ‘modern’ India.

Still proud to be an Indian
Ayan Ranjan’s situation is very much like many of us. He is disturbed and disgusted to see the reality of India and is ready to expose it in front of everyone. However, he is still proud to be an Indian, like he tells her wife on phone.

Article 15 poster

It reminded me of the scene in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades where Shah Rukh Khan’s character says, “Main nahin maanta humara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai.” But deep down, he cares for the nation and agrees to leave US for it.

Ignorance is bliss?  
There is a scene where Khurrana is wondering as to how people around him can behave normal and quite happy despite the gruesome crime that has taken place in the village. This is reflective of how a section of the population is turning a blind eye on various issues under the garb of nationalism these days.

Horning out castesim  
Khurrana asks the caste of a vendor but her answer is overturned by the loud horn of a passing truck. This is an impressively creative way of giving a message that anybody’s caste isn’t important.

Ambedkar’s presence
The teachings of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar has been hardly explored by mainstream Hindi cinema over the decades. We have had biopics on various leaders but none on him. This is a surprise since Ambedkar has had a lion’s share in the making of the Constitution Of India, the very book on which the idea of India is based. Article 15 fills the much needed void.

Heroic entry
The high point of the film for me is the entry of Article 15. The arrival of the document produces the same effect that a mass hero does when he makes a heroic entry. The words under Article 15 and the playing of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the background will always be unforgettable.

Additional reading:

Short Story: Caste Away

By: Keyur Seta

Pulwama row: Why the climax of Border is more relevant today

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The Pulwama terrorist attack on 14 February, which killed at least 40 Indian police personnel, has triggered tensions between India and Pakistan yet again. The tragedy of the incident has increased manifolds after the disgusting behaviour of television news anchors and the countless hate-mongering social media posts.

The news anchors sitting inside the security and comfort of their air-conditioned studios have been literally demanding a war on Pakistan ever since Pulwama incident happened. A large number of the audiences watching such ‘shows’ in equally secure homes have been demanding the same and sharing posts that give an idea as if life is just a movie or a video game for them.

Of all the social media posts and memes that are shared post Pulwama attack, the prominent ones are from the Hindi film Border (1997) by J P Dutta. It is the ultimate war film that keeps lingering in the minds of the masses of India whenever a war-like situation erupts.

Short videos of scenes from the film start getting shared on social media and What’s App. Some of the prominent ones are Sunny Deol’s character’s passion to win the war, his famous Mathuradas moment, Jackie Shroff, as the Indian Air Force officer, blowing up enemies from the sky and the song ‘Hindustan,’ to name a few.

But the most defining moment of the film is its last six minutes, which somehow doesn’t pop up in people’s minds. I am yet to come across a single post or video about that portion of the film. I am sure some of you might still not be able to recall it.

Border movie Pulwama

The film ends with the song ‘Mere Dushman, Mere Bhai,’ which shows the horrors of war. The lyrics and its visuals make it loud and clear that war can only be ugly and devastating. The family members of soldiers are seen devastated by the loss of a son, father or brother. Something we can’t imagine while ‘demanding’ a war without the danger of losing a loved one.

Here is one example of the heart-penetrating lines of Javed Akhtar:

Hum Apne Apne Kheton Mein Gehun Ki Jagah Chawal Ki Jagah Yeh Bandooke Kyun Bote Hain
Jab Dono Hi Ki Galiyon Mein Kuchh Bhooke Bachche Rote Hain

No doubt, today Border is considered quite jingoistic, loud and, at times, silly. But we have forgotten that it actually ends by giving a message that war is never the answer and nobody gains from it. I wonder how such a profound message got lost over time. Or maybe we are conditioned to conveniently forget it?

In one of the scenes of the songs, Deol is seen saluting a dead Pakistani soldier. The frame freezes with the flags of both India and Pakistan on the screen.

I get a jolt when I compare this with the posts about ‘wiping out’ the entire Pakistan and that too by people whom I used to consider sane all these years.

By: Keyur Seta

Watch the song:

When I was shocked by 5 Kashmiri kids…

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The recent terrorist attack at Pulwama which killed at least 40 police personnel and the never ending discussions about it have brought back memories of my Kashmir visit, of course not in a good way.

Ever since I can remember, I Kashmir has been referred to as the heaven on earth. Its visuals in numerous movies or any other television shows were enticing enough for me to visit it someday. The day finally arrived for me and my family at the end of November in 2017.

The beauty of the place marked its arrival well before we reached in the form of the breath-taking visuals from the plane from Delhi to Srinagar. Our first destination was Gulmarg. It was freezing at that time of the year. We were welcomed with snow-covered regions at the outskirts of Gulmarg. It was my first ever experience of snow.

Just hanging around the town was a therapy in itself (except when the monkeys decide to trouble you). The Gondola ride was like travelling to space; it just kept going higher and higher. The visuals at (what is called) Phase 1 looked more like the visuals of Switzerland in various Yash Chopra movies.

Similarly, our stay in the next destination, Srinagar was also pleasant, especially in the boathouse at Dal Lake. We had a short visit to Pahalgam as well, which was equally scenic.

But it was by the time we reached Pahalgam that I started having an unpleasant feeling over there. It was the day-to-day situation in Kashmir that I found inversely proportional to its natural beauty. The tension between the Indian Army-CRPF and the locals was evident.

Our driver-cum-guide provided us with plenty of information on the clashes between both sides, including the numerous stone-pelting incidents and its details. Along with soaking in the beauty of the place, this harsh reality also kept playing behind my mind.

The person sitting next to me in the plane while returning was a soldier. He narrated how they are on guard 24/7 throughout the year in extreme conditions. It showed that there are unhappy faces on both the sides.

My unpleasant feeling for the situation in Kashmir turned into shock during our last day in Pahalgam. After eating breakfast, I was taking a stroll on the streets of the town. I saw a group of small kids who must be around 7-8 years old. They were looking cute, so I decided to click their picture. They thought I am taking a video and excitedly started shouting, ‘Azaadi azaadi.’ I was speechless and somehow managed to click the picture after they were almost done.

Pahalgam in Kashmir
Faces are coloured to protect identity

I know there are separatists demanding an independent Kashmir and they have been teaching the same to the kids since their birth. But to see its result live in front of me was too much to bear.

By: Keyur Seta

Also read: The Kashmiri girl who waited for her father to return

5 reasons why the villain of 2.0 is the hero we need (Spoilers Alert!)

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During the digital poster launch of S Shankar’s 2.0, Rajinikanth had said that Akshay Kumar’s character in the film is way interesting than his. “I am telling you the truth. The hero of 2.0 is not Rajinikanth. Akshay Kumar is the hero. If I would have been given a choice, I would have selected that (Akshay’s) character,” he had said.

“It’s a brilliant character; brilliant role. I am telling you, the whole country will applaud Akshay after the release of this picture,” added Rajinikanth.

Spoilers ahead

At that time I felt that Rajini is just being large-hearted and generous. But after watching the film, I completely agree with him. Rajini has a double role in the film and he lives up to the expectations of his fans. But I can’t stop being in awe of the character Pakshi Rajan that Akshay played.

There have been reports that the character of Pakshi Rajan is inspired from the real birdman of India Salim Ali. Read more about him here.

2.0 Akshay Kumar

Pakshi Rajan is the villain of 2.0. However, he is no lesser than a hero. In fact, he is the hero we need today. Here are five reasons why:

(Note: These are his qualities while he was alive.)

Peace loving: You will hardly see a character as peace loving as Pakshi Rajan. The sight of a bird in pain would melt his heart like a mother. Healing it becomes his biggest motto. This, obviously, means that he is strictly against any form of violence.

Selfless: Pakshi Rajan spent his life for the welfare of birds. He became an ornithologist and professor to spread their knowledge and importance. He also went onto take the pain of writing books about different kind of birds.

Nature before everything: How many of us even think of the problems caused by mobile towers and mobile phone radiations on birds? Pakshi Rajan not only thought of that but refused to use mobile phone just because it harms the nature, including birds.

Pakshi Rajan

Fearless fighter: The character played by Akshay showed the guts of protesting against mobile companies and the government, even if it meant protesting alone. People would consider him mad but he would never give up. In fact, Pakshi Rajan even went to the extent of admonishing the Telecom Minister literally on his face inside his office.

Age-defying: Pakshi Rajan carried out the aforementioned tasks even after being in his 70s or so. Age was just a number for him.

Now, why would I consider him a villain here? Of course, he became evil after his death and went onto kill innocents, including officers from the Indian Army. However, neither these acts nor his menacing post-death VFX avatar are enough to wipe out the memories of his noble character while he was alive.

By: Keyur Seta

Manto released in the week when freedom of expression succumbed to a new low

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Nandita Das’ Manto, which is a biopic on the literary genius Saadat Hasan Manto, is based in the late 1940s and early 1950s. But after watching the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rasika Dugal starrer, it doesn’t come across as a period film.

No, this is not a criticism towards the production design or any creative side about the film. The situation of the protagonist wherein he is made to look like a criminal for merely showing the mirror to the society reminds us of the current times. This is unfortunate as it reflects how little has changed in these 70 years after Independence.

This is not the only aspect about the film that portrays today’s era in the imaginary parallel screen inside your mind. There is a moment when the editor of a newspaper advises Manto on writing something halka-phulka (light-hearted) this time around because truth hurts.

In one scene, Manto tries making an audience understand how past invaders are blamed every time we question the authorities about the current pressing issues. This appears right out of the silly comments made by quite a few ‘leaders’ who blame the Mughals, British or Pandit Nehru for the current mess they have created.

Manto elaborates his point by passionately telling the people, “Sab peechhe dekh rahe hain, lekin aaj ke kaatil lahu aur lohe se tareekh likhte ja rahe hain.”

But the audience doesn’t take him seriously. They symbolize those who have become puppets in the hands of loud-mouthed ‘news’ anchors who can create enemies of the nation at their will in order to hide the dark acts of some people.

Manto poster

Apart from the content, the time of the release of Manto turned out to be the most ironical one could imagine. The film arrived just in the week when suppression of freedom of expression succumbed to a new low.

Earlier this week, Salman Khan changed the name of his upcoming production from Loveratri to Loveyatri after a lawyer and fringe organizations objected to it for allegedly hurting ‘religious’ sentiments.

Soon after, the producers of Manmarziyaan made three cuts in the film because some Sikh organizations objected to it. As per the director of the film Anurag Kashyap, he was not even informed about it.

Abhishek Bachchan, who plays one of the leads in Manmarziyaan, justified the cuts yesterday at an event and went onto say that he has no problems with it (read more about it HERE).

What has come as a rude surprise is that the producers of both films readily agreed to the demands without trying to defend their rights as artists, leave alone showing any fight. More importantly, there were hardly any serious protests; nowhere near to what happened with Udta Punjab (2016) and Padmaavat (2018).

If the big names of the industry are ready to succumb even in front of minor protests, spare a thought for a low budget independent filmmaker who can be victimized even for an actor’s hairstyle. To say that they have set a dangerous precedent is a mild way of putting it.

They have ensured that Manto shall,  unfortunately, remain relevant even 70 years from now.

By: Keyur Seta