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

June 12, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Over the last few years, every time an Aamir Khan film gets ready for release, one particular message or meme related to him starts circulating on social media and What’s App. As you must have guessed, it’s shared by the Right Wing fanatics with an appeal to boycott his upcoming film.

With the release of Laal Singh Chaddha not being far, the same message has started circulating again.

The message claims that Aamir once said in his television show Satyamev Jayate that instead of pouring milk on Shivling, it is better to use that money to feed a poor person. Hence, the message appeals to the audience to boycott his next release and use the money you would have spent on the ticket to help the needy.

How true is the message?

The message is fake. Aamir has never said that in Satyamev Jayate. In fact, a topic related to religion or religious beliefs was never addressed in that TV show. Some messages also claim that the actor made that comment in his blockbuster PK (2014). This claim is also false.

Still, if someone can find a video of him saying such a thing, please pass it on. Not that him saying such a thing would justify the boycott, more so after you read below.

Aamir Khan boycott — Aamir Khan in PK and Paresh Rawal in OMG Oh My God!

Who said it then?

Interestingly, the message against pouring milk on Shivling was given by Paresh Rawal’s character Kanjibhai in his film OMG Oh My God (2012). In fact, the character in the movie shares an in-depth and hard-hitting opinion on why it is futile to pour milk on the Shivling, as can be seen from the scene below.

But it not ends here. During the promotion of the same movie, Akshay Kumar, who plays Lord Krishna in it, gave a bold personal opinion on why one shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling. In fact, he didn’t stop at that. He also criticized the practice of pouring oil on Lord Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays. Watch the video below.

Those spreading communal hatred on the internet and social media have turned a blind eye at Rawal and Akshay’s comments. It is impossible that they are completely unaware about the comments made by these two actors, considering how much research their IT cell carries out.

But don’t expect any such boycott messages for these two actors since their surname isn’t Khan. As we all know, Rawal is also a member of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and an MP (Member of Parliament). Akshay’s fondness for the party is known far and wide.

We are reminded of it every time we eat a mango.

Also read:

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

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

September 5, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

It has been three days since the unfortunate passing away of actor Sidharth Shukla due to sudden heart attack. The last three days have witnessed countless posts on social media bidding emotional goodbyes to him.

But along with that, the internet is also full of conspiracy theories regarding Shukla’s death. Despite the actor’s family members admitting that there is no foul play, thousands of his fans are thinking otherwise.

From someone giving him false medicines at night before he passed away to the actor doing drugs, everything is being attributed to his passing away except heart attack. But the one that takes the cake are claims of the actor being murdered.

In fact, a group has been formed on Facebook with the name ‘Justice for Sidharth Shukla’ where some members are asking for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) intervention in the matter.

These theories aren’t new. Ever since Sushant Singh Rajput passed away due to suicide in June 2020 till today, conspiracy theories regarding his alleged murder are still doing rounds despite the CBI not finding any murder angle in his death ever since they took up the case since a year.

Looking at all this, it might seem that majority of people get too affected emotionally if an actor dies unexpectedly. It becomes like a personal loss for them. However, this is not the case for every actor.

Let’s go back to that fateful evening in November last year, five months after SSR passed away, when news of actor Asif Basra ending his life by hanging was broken. I was shocked and it affected me as much as SSR’s death did.

However, there was no uproar on social media. Basra ended his life in the same way as Sushant did. But nobody found anything suspicious in his death. Nobody cried murder and brought up those unthinkable theories. Like SSR, Basra too was an ‘outsider’ but nobody slammed the so-called nepotism gang of Bollywood.

News channels never felt like making an issue out of it and they never trended #JusticeForAsifBasra.

But come September 2021 and the social media erupts with countless posts on suspicious death and murder when Shukla’s own family has confirmed that it’s a natural death.

This easily gives an idea that people get affected on social media in large numbers only if the actor is young, conventionally good-looking and, most importantly, someone who fits in the image of a ‘hero.’ Supporting actors or character artistes aren’t precious enough to get such reactions.

Basra has appeared in a list of prominent projects including, Black Friday, Parzania, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Kai Po Che, Krrish 3, The Tashkent Files, Paatal Lok, Hostages (both seasons), The Family Man (season 2), etc. They might not have known him by his name but his face is sure to make you feel you have seen him at least few times on screen.

One might still argue that people might not know who Basra was since he wasn’t that famous. But after reading or watching news about his death, people did know about him.

And they also came to know the cause of his death.

Also read:

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

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

July 1, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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

April 13, 2021 by Keyur Seta 8 Comments

Rann (2010) was one of the better films created by Ram Gopal Varma. It came at a time when the filmmaker was being written off, especially after the debacle of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007), the remake of Ramesh Sippy’s classic Sholay (1975).

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Sudeep, Mohnish Bahl, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Gul Panaag, Rann gave more than a glimpse of the RGV of his prime.

Unfortunately, the film just didn’t work at the box office and couldn’t reach a large number of the audience.

But since the last few years, Rann has been appearing more relevant than it did more than a decade ago when it had released. In fact, it continues to get more relevant with each passing year and that isn’t a good sign.

Rann was basically about Vijay Harshwardhan Malik (Bachchan), the righteous and honest owner of a news channel called India 24/7. His channel is struggling with TV ratings since he is not willing to carry out any unethical and dishonest means to up the ratings, like other rival channels, including the one headed by the corrupt Amrish Kakkar (Bahl).

Vijay’s son Jai (Sudeep) has the opposite ideology but is unable to do anything since it is his father who controls the channel, much to his frustration. Meanwhile, Purab Shastri (Deshmukh), a die-hard fan of Vijay and a budding journalist, is delighted to have got the opportunity to work for India 24/7.

Apart from being a film on the media, Rann was also a political drama. Mohan Pandey (Rawal) from the opposition is desperate to become the Prime Minister. He forms a deal with Jai to frame the existing PM Digvijay Hooda (KK Raina) in a terror plot. Jai convinces Vijay about Hooda’s involvement in the scandal and the latter airs the ‘news’ on his channel.

This results in an uproar in the nation and Hooda is forced to step down as the PM. The general elections are held mid-term in which Pandey triumphs and is all set to become the next PM. However, Purab gets to know about Jai’s evil plan to frame the innocent Hooda. But is it too late?

Although the term ‘fake news’ isn’t spelt out in Rann, that is the crux of the film’s basic plot. However, fake news as a concept was hardly there in 2010, so, obviously, it wasn’t known by the masses. Hence, the seriousness of the subject wasn’t felt by the audience back then.

But today, we are living in an era where fake news is not just a reality but a regularity. Political parties use it on a daily basis to score brownie points over their rivals. Their leaders are painted as saints while the opposing party leaders are made to look like evil through posts and memes that appear like real news.

Rann had a long and powerful tagline that can be seen above

And our gullible citizens believe them without bothering to do any kind of verification. The controversy of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput received more fuel because of fake news. It went to such an extent that ‘news’ like how some top Hindi film stars saw the live telecast of Rajput’s ‘murder’ were spread and they were believed even by well-educated individuals.

Rann also went way ahead of its time and showed a news channel airing fake news. This might have appeared difficult to believe 10 years back but today this is also a reality. There have been instances where channels have aired ‘news’ that can be sourced only to What’s App forwards.

Rann ends in a powerful way when Vijay addresses the nation and begs forgiveness for airing fake news about Hooda. The dialogues and Bachchan’s performance provides goose bumps as we are told the responsibility of the media from scratch.

Big B’s climax monologue in Rann

A line spoken by Vijay’s character sums up the relevance of the film today – Jab sarkar aur media satta ki duad mein aapsi sauda kar leti hain, toh khabarein banti nahin, banai jaati hain [When the government and the media make a deal in the race to power, news doesn’t happen; it is created]

Superstar’s Silence: Why Halla Bol is more relevant today

March 11, 2021 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

To say that a film was ahead of its times has become a cliché. But there is no better way to describe Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajay Devgn-starrer Halla Bol (2008). The film would have surely made more heads turn had it released in the current era.

Halla Bol traces the journey of Ashfaque Khan (Devgn). Hailing from a small town in India, he was named after the revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan. Ashfaque dreams of becoming a film star. He joins a theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur) as a first step towards fulfilling his dream.

Sidhu specializes in using the medium of theatre to expose social evils and raise issues that are plaguing the society. Ashfaque wholeheartedly takes part in all such plays that aim to make a difference in the society, staying true to his name.

Meanwhile, Ashfaque’s efforts to get a break in movies pay off and he soon acquires the status of a star. He changes his name from Ashfaque Khan to Sameer Khan. But along with his name, he also changes as a person. Unlike Ashfaque, Sameer plainly refuses to take part in a play organized by Sidhu once for a social cause because this could hamper his star status, much to the shock and disappointment of the latter.

Not just that, the simple and innocent Ashfaque now becomes a womanizer and cheats his childhood love and wife (Vidya Balan) on numerous occasions.

Sameer’s biggest turning point arrives when he witnesses a murder at a party. He doesn’t testify against the culprits out of fear. But when his conscience doesn’t allow him to be at peace, he decides to carry out his duty as a responsible citizen by naming the killers to the police.

However, he receives serious threats since the perpetrators belong to the camp of the powerful and corrupt politician Ganpatrao Gaekwad (Darshan Jariwala). Raising voice against him would mean an end not only for his career but also his life.

Hence, the man known for raising his voice when he was a nobody becomes silent to all wrongdoings after becoming a superstar.

I was quite impressed with Hall Bol when it had released more than a decade ago. But when I look at it today, it excites me even more. It seems the film was tailor-made for the era we are currently living in.

The idea of a superstar not willing to raise his voice against an offence provided an interesting conflict back then. But today, it seems like straight out of reality. A lot has changed since last 6-7 years. Big stars are now super scared to share their opinion on any serious issue, leave alone raising their voice against a wrongdoing, like they used to before.

In fact, some stars are not even willing to speak up on the enormous rising prices of petrol. Interestingly, the same people were happy to share jokes on the same issue when the previous government was in power and when the price of fuel was much lower than what it is today.

Funnily, one star even deleted his tweets from 2012 when he had shared jokes on rising petrol prices. So that people stop questioning him as to why he is silent now.

Hall Bola shows Sameer go through a change of heart later on. He fights the evil forces all by himself [with timely help from Sidhu] to bring justice to the deceased. Of course, it would be laughable to even think of expecting this in reality. Halla Bol, after all, was a mainstream Hindi movie, so it had to end this way.

The extent of the fear of the authorities in today’s times was seen the most last month when famous celebrities shared scripted tweets in favour of the government after Rihanna spoke up on the issue of farmers’ protest.

Funnily, among the famous names who tweeted included the main lead of Halla Bol.

P.S: Halla Bol is available on Amazon Prime Video, Shemaroo Me and Voot.

Also read:

SRK & Ashok SARAF’s pair in Yes Boss deserves more appreciation

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

Rape threats don’t go against Facebook’s ‘community standards’

December 19, 2020 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

The major negative point of social media, as we all must have seen, is hateful comments. And these hate comments become the worst when they become rape threats to women. Like other social media platforms, such comments are seen regularly on Facebook.

Also like other platforms, Facebook gives you an option to report a comment that appears hateful, violent or derogatory. The social media platform has in place, what they call, ‘community standards.’ As per them, any comment violating these guidelines will be either removed or the person commenting will face termination of his or her account.

However, as horrific as it may sound, rape threats don’t go against the so-called community guidelines of Facebook. I realized this recently when I reported a comment where someone received a rape threat.

Recently, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across a picture of a Marathi film actress shared by a page promoting Marathi films. I could see the comments where people criticized her because they believed she was skimpily dressed.

I didn’t think much about these comments as, unfortunately, I have got used to it. We are surrounded by people with sexist mind-sets; those whose blood boils when they see a woman wearing less clothes. But there was one comment, in Marathi, which shook me.

A man commenter under the picture – “Such people should be raped!” [See the comment below]

Now, this was very serious. I quickly reported the comment and waited for Facebook to get back to me.

I got a response the next day and, as weird as it may sound, they said in their response that the comment doesn’t go against their ‘community standards.’ Let that sink in. [See the image below]

Facebook response to rape threat — Facebook’s response

If a rape threat, which is the worst form of comment, doesn’t go against their so-called standards, what exactly does?

Also read: #JusticeForSSR has no place on news channels now: Who gained, who lost?

My case isn’t the only one, by the way. When I shared this on Facebook, quite a few people said they have experienced the same thing. A cursory Google search will also enlighten you about others having had the same experience, which you can read HERE.

Over the years, I have experienced Facebook doing nothing about toxic communal and sexist posts I reported. But this takes their lack of seriousness for women safety on their platform to another level.

Walking out of abusive marriage was the best decision: Social activist Urmila Chanam

October 29, 2020 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

There was a time when Urmila Chanam’s life was full of uncertainty. She was going through an abusive marriage in her hometown Manipur while looking after her little daughter. At that time, not many would have expected her to be known as one of the most renowned journalists, social workers and social activists a decade later.

But that is exactly what happened with Urmila Chanam. After she walked out of her marriage, she built her life from scratch and has now reached the pinnacle of success. She has been working tirelessly for spreading awareness about women’s empowerment, women’s health, waste management, digital literacy of girls and women and family planning. Earlier she worked in HIV/AIDS-related causes and rural development.

In an exclusive chat with us for our Young Achievers’ section, Urmila Chanam looks back at her life and shares in detail about her work as a social worker and social entrepreneur.

Best decision of life

Leaving the abusive marriage was the best decision I made because life is beautiful and it has to be experienced the way it’s meant to be. I am a single mother now. There are problems which are inherent when you are a single parent as there is just one person managing the house, child, career and profession. Then you have your family to look after. So you have double work to manage.

Urmila Chanam (All photos source: Facebook)

More blessings than problems

But the problems are limited to this and the blessings are many. You are free to make your decisions and somebody is not there to make your life miserable. You don’t have sadness and you are not pushed to your worst constantly. So when all those negatives go from your life, your life then gets room for good things to step in. So that’s why I say this is the best decision I made. When I got free, my social work and journalism picked up and I flourished as a person.

Looking back

It’s almost funny when I look back to the time when I was married and was just a graduate. My former father-in-law used to tell my former husband that if you both relocate to Bangalore or any metropolitan city then you will get a good doctor’s job in a good hospital. ‘Your wife, as she is young, will get a job as a receptionist in some place,’ he said. So in their eyes my calibre was very low, also for the man I was married to.

Now I am a social worker, social activist, columnist and journalist. When I go to the field in new districts and when I introduce myself to doctors with my name and organization and I discuss with them the situation of women’s health. Many times at the end of the meeting, the doctors and nurses tell me that they already know me because they have read my articles since long.

All this was possible because I gave attention to my own growth and I walked out of an abusive marriage to build myself.

Urmila Chanam pads — With a carton of sanitary pads donated by someone

No compromise with self-esteem and dignity

I am not telling every married woman should walk out of the marriage at the mere mention of a problem. That’s not what I advocate. Each person is free to decide what is her threshold. But when you try to establish your threshold to the point till where you can take, I think personal dignity and self-esteem are non-negotiables. Once you compromise there, I don’t think any woman or a man can live a happy life.

Getting started

I started my career in rural development and community mobilizing officer and NREGA in-charge where my role was to form self-help groups among women, train them and keep them strong as they grew. To link them to funding from banks, to export and market their products and help them generate income through CII platforms. That was my first job.

Working in HIV/ AIDS prevention

I have worked in HIV/ AIDS prevention care and treatment at program as well as policy level for several years and also worked with United Nations (UN) in that capacity. I was also attached to Manipur Legislative Assembly and working with ministers and Chief Minister.

Urmila Chanam-Men take the lead — During her initiative ‘Men Take The Lead’ where men help in spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene

Worked with various sections of society

I have worked with transgender community, with drug users, female sex workers, orphan and vulnerable children, famers, self-help group women and youth. So I have worked with large segment of people in my career. Finally, I have quit my job so that I can build my organization and fulfil the vision that I have for women empowerment, family planning and digital literacy.

Also read – Young achiever: India has power, ability to overcome worse than this, says 21-year-old MD Sahil Lalwani

Maintaining a decent lifestyle despite being a social worker

I think it is not easy to maintain a decent lifestyle while being a social worker. Now that I have become a social entrepreneur, I have realized it requires business skills to make it succeed. They say every artist is not a businessperson. There may be a great painter making beautiful, life-changing paintings. But do they necessarily have the business skill to sell that paintings. The answer is no.

Need to become social entrepreneur

Just because somebody is very good at social work, it is not necessary that the person has the business or entrepreneurship skills to establish a strong organization, find funding and be able to run that organization for years. These are two different skill sets. Right now I am at the juncture where having been a social worker for little over a decade, I have ventured into entrepreneurship. I have to acquire new skills, explore new places and make my organization a pillar of strength in terms of programs, vision and reaching a vast number of girls.

Message for women

Women may grow up thinking that there are things only men can do. They might feel scared that they might not be able to look after themselves and live a happy life without a man. Even I used to sometimes worry about that when I left my abusive marriage and got divorced. But in these 10 years I have found that there is nothing that a woman cannot do. You can do anything. Be it banking, investment, travel, etc. Everything is manageable. You only underestimated your talent.

Reaction to Tanishq ad reveals THREAT to the very idea of India

October 14, 2020 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

The recent advertisement by Tanishq Jewelers gives a heartwarming message of unity in a country that is divided by various segments. In other words, it speaks about peace and harmony among two different communities.

So when the makers of the advertisement are forced to pull it down for this very reason, for showing the India penned in the Constitution, it speaks volumes about how ideas about secularism and religious harmony have come under serious threat in the last few years.

Just imagine – an ad is pulled down for giving the same message its constitution promotes… Let that sink in!

In this period, I have come across countless comments on social media where people mock secularism. Those who believe in it are looked down upon as criminals. To quote a couple of real examples, one Right Wing troll once asked me in a What’s App group whether I have improved or am I still secular.

Not so long ago, a friend faced ouster from his housing society’s What’s App group after being ‘accused’ of being secular. Let this sink in too!

These are the same people who always claim to be most patriotic. Either they don’t know or are pretending not to know that the very idea of India is based on secularism, which is promised by the Constitution of the country.

And since they are clearly not following the basic idea of India mentioned in the Constitution, how on earth can they proclaim to be deshbhakts?

It won’t be right to say that these are just paid or professional trolls who spend most of their time writing toxic posts and targeting people who don’t agree with their dangerous views. Unfortunately, such people are now found in our close friends, relatives or even in our homes.

I am sure all of you must have witnessed people from your close circles not only sharing communal posts in What’s App groups but also justifying them. There are a set of people who are paid to promote such stuff but there are many others, like our near and dear ones, who are doing it for free!

The ones who fall in the latter are more dangerous because they are not doing it for any monetary reward. They are doing it simply because they believe in such toxic ideas. It’s becoming more and more clear that education only makes you worthy of being employed. It doesn’t guarantee you not walking into the communal trap laid by the political class.

Also read: How Kangana’s comments exposed FAKE patriotism of these people… again

Therefore, the response to the Tanishq ad with such a pure message can’t be a co-incidence. It is a result of what all is transpiring in a lot of minds in recent years, including the educated class.

It just proves yet again how hatred and bigotry are slowly becoming the new normal.

But all such incidents have also made it clear that these toxic trolls get panic attacks at the very mention of secularism or harmony between two faiths. Hence, this should encourage us to do things that irk them the most.

Let’s keep sharing not only the Tanishq ad (see below) but also other videos and posts that promote what they fear the most – unity!

Jai Hind!

Tanishq has officially withdrawn their ad after being trolled viciously. Here's why this is a very sad state of affairs, and context from other such ads that were trolled (and some, withdrawn) https://t.co/Nb0cSiTPHX pic.twitter.com/sn3IMBqdmC
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) October 13, 2020

Additional reading:

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

You might be triggering DEPRESSION in someone without even knowing it

How Kangana’s comments exposed FAKE patriotism of these people… again

September 14, 2020 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

One Bhakt was ill since last few days, so he hadn’t kept track of any news. Mr X decided to have some fun with him.

Mr X: You know, Aamir Khan compared Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan

Bhakt: WTF! Such a ba***rd! How dare he say such a thing for the city that gave him name and fame! I always felt these anti-nationals and traitors should be thrown out of India and be united with their ilk in Pakistan!

Mr X: Lol. Thoda masti kiya tere saath. Actually Kangana Ranaut gave this statement. See here (shows his mobile)

Bhakt (shocked): What!!!

Mr X: I will be sharing this conversation on Facebook. I will attribute your reaction to Kangana. Chalega na? (Starts typing on FB)

Bhakt (tensed): Arre wait!

***********************************

The above conversation is imaginary but it is based on the real ideologies of Bhakts, whose fake patriotism has once again got exposed. Last week, Kangana Ranaut compared Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and, later, with Pakistan. This triggered anger among the people from India and outside.

However, there was no outrage visible from Bhakts on social media. These are the same people who consider themselves more patriotic than anyone else. They slam any film star raising a voice on an issue India is facing left, right and centre and ask him or her to leave the country and migrate to Pakistan [their biggest fantasy].

Compare Kangana’s comments with that of Aamir Khan where he quoted his wife Kiran Rao merely suggesting that India has become unsafe. All hell broke loose and the actor was lynched on social media for months to come. There was a demand from Bhakts to boycott every Aamir movie in the future.

But somehow they didn’t troll Kangana, whose comment was much more alarming than that of Aamir. The answer to this is simple – she is a die-hard fan of BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]. Plus, the place she criticized is in the state which is not ruled by BJP.

Time and again we have seen Bhakts criticizing and being okay with criticizing a state which is not ruled by their favourite party. The biggest example is how they indulge in all types of name calling to Kerala, a state where their party has been struggling to find any landing.

But this isn’t the biggest hypocrisy of Bhakts. Their fake love for the country was exposed last year when BJP leader Pragya Thakur hailed the death of the late ATS (Anti-Terror Squad) Chief Hemant Karkare at the hands of terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the 26/11 attacks.

Also read: Kangana’s war against Shiv Sena v/s SRK’s: Similarities and dissimilarities

Here was a politician openly applauding a terrorist for killing an officer who laid down his life while fighting for the country. But she wasn’t trolled by Bhakts or their IT Cell or the loud-mouthed anchor who shoves the party’s ideology down your throat each night. The same anchor who is allergic to the very mention of Pakistan.

Somehow, the patriotism of Bhakts goes on a sick leave if a supporter of their favourite party gives a derogatory comment against India.

Remember this the next time they slam any famous personality for allegedly hurting their patriotic sentiments.

Additional reading:

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

Expecting MIRACLES from CBI in Sushant case isn’t smart

Expecting MIRACLES from CBI in Sushant case isn’t smart

August 23, 2020 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Few days back I saw a video of the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) team arriving in Mumbai after they were handed over the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case once the Supreme Court (SC) gave its nod. They were hounded by tens of journalists screaming out the same question repeatedly – “Will Rhea Chakraborty be arrested in the Sushant case?”

The CBI team had just taken over the case at that time. So, how can these journalists expect them to take a decision as major as arresting Rhea just less than a day after they started working on it? This isn’t a case of a driver jumping a signal in which an instant challan is issued.

When the media behaves this way, you can well imagine the state of the mind of the keyboard warriors; the ‘die hard’ fans of Sushant who feel they are fighting for the truth by typing out orders on social media for the CBI to arrest Rhea Chakraborty or anyone else in the case.

I have seen countless posts where people have just assumed that the CBI will perform instant miracles now that they have taken over the case. I can understand primary school kids having such expectations. But these are educated grown-ups working at senior levels who are impatiently expecting results in the case.

Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea Chakraborty

All such expectations aren’t surprising though when a large contingent of social media users can start believing that disliking trailers of films starring ‘insiders’ can give justice to Sushant [about which I have written HERE]. These people were literally dancing in joy when the CBI was given the nod to take over the case.

And they were given massive encouragement to go wild by a ‘news anchor’ who considers himself to be the only judge in the nation who matters. He and his panel on the debate literally clapped with wide smiles when the SC allowed the CBI to be involved in the case. Have we forgotten that the very foundation of the case is a tragic death of a talented artiste?

It is also funny to see this anchor put pressure to get the CBI involved and then applaud the same when he has already solved the case on his channel and concluded the suicide to be a murder, much before the CBI got involved. In fact, he refers to the case as ‘Sushant Singh Rajput murder’ after a series of sting operations his team carried out.

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

Right now nobody would like to be in the shoes of the CBI team which is assigned the case. I hope the super excited media and the social media let them work in peace without pressure. I don’t have much hope though going by the crazy expectations from them.

In case, the results of the CBI investigation don’t bring the same results that the media and social media are expecting, it won’t be long before the CBI too is targeted from the studios and the keyboards.

What will they demand then? A CBI inquiry on the CBI itself?

(Additional reading)

An open letter to Arvind Kejriwal

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