The Common Man Speaks

Indi(r)a’s Emergency review: Show’s the period’s relevance today

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Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s Indi(r)a’s Emergency, as per its name, throws light at the period where India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in 1975, which led to the curtailment of basic rights of the citizens and utter chaos. While doing that, the movie, which is produced by Applause Entertainment, also succeeds in indirectly stating that the dark period is relevant even today.

Narrative:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is a documentary which is not at all narrated like a documentary. The film is, in fact, is as gripping as a dramatic thriller. Instead of showing different individuals merely speaking on the screen on the subject, the film, for more than 95% of its time, uses visuals from plenty of archival footage along with an impactful narration by lyricist-cum-actor Swanand Kirkire. The script is not only crisp and to-the-point but also filled with powerful and witty dialogues.

The film narrates the story like any other fictitious drama. Although Indira Gandhi’s tenure as the PM starts in 1971, the movie begins from 1942 onwards when MK Gandhi’s Quit India Movement is in full flow. After building the back story, the screenplay gradually brings Indira Gandhi in the picture.

The film, basically, shows the rise, fall and the rise of Indira Gandhi as the country’s PM. The character arc of the protagonist is finely created and this is what largely makes Indi(r)a’s Emergency much more than a documentary. Without making any actor play the former PM, the film triumphs in building her character like any other powerful protagonist who gradually becomes obsessed with power. The makers have wonderfully used animation to depict incidents for which no footage is available, especially the courtroom scenes.  

Boldness:

The movie doesn’t hold back when it comes to portraying the horrors of Emergency and how the then establishment made it look like a successful exercise. Madhur Bhandarkar’s feature film on the same subject titled Indu Sarkar (2017) had succeeded in throwing light on the atrocities by the then government, which have been brushed under the carpet over the decades, but Indi(r)a’s Emergency goes beyond that despite being a documentary. The whole episode of the government machinery literally wiping out the entire Turkman Gate locality is the boldest part of the movie. Similarly, the exploration of the character of Indira’s son Sanjay Gandhi forms a major part of the film.

Relevance in today’s times:

A major reason why Indi(r)a’s Emergency appeals to this extent is because of its relevance in the contemporary times, although the makers never spell this out. A number of happenings and incidents one sees in the film reflect the current situation in the country. Labeling failures as masterstroke is something we have been witnessing in today’s times along with the curtailment of the free press and witch hunting of the opposition, although not officially like during the Emergency.

Interestingly, the movie also features video opinions of the common citizens who had become fans of the then regime and started believing that Emergency was a blessing. But what takes the cake is a naïve citizen powerfully proclaiming that as the Emergency has managed to do ‘so much good’ for the nation, it should be imposed even more. If this wasn’t enough, the movie ends with a powerful quote from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar – “Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.”

Overall:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is neither for the fans of the previous or the current regime. It’s basically aimed at the citizens who are concerned for the nation and don’t want dark chapters of the history being repeated.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Indi(r)a’s Emergency was premiered at the MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai on October 28, 2023

After ENDING boycott trend with Pathaan, SRK shows mirror to the establishment in Jawan

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Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan has been creating an uproar at the box office, not just in India but also worldwide. Directed by Atlee Kumar, the film has found a lot of takers because of the non-stop entertainment it provides in terms of action, stunts, dialogue baazi, style, humour and, of course, performances.

However, it would be unfair to say that Jawan is just a massy entertainer. The film goes much beyond that and that is a major reason why it’s more special than the regular masala entertainers. To put it simply – Jawan is not only SRK’s most political film but also one of the most political films from mainstream Hindi cinema featuring one of the biggest superstars.

(SPOILERS begin)

Jawan unabashedly touches upon quite a few national issues in the course of its runtime. The film portrays the sorry plight of farmers in a hard-hitting manner. It shows that a farmer is literally tortured when he is unable to repay a loan of Rs. 40,000. But, at the same time, wealthy businessmen are allowed to take loans of enormous proportions without any issue.

The film also makes a daring statement on the complete lack of facilities in government-run hospitals and that it only takes a few hours for the scene to change, if there is a political will. There is also an angle about the lack of security for Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). One of the highest points in the film is Khan’s monologue where he urges the people to make the right choice while casting their vote and ensure that the government in power is held accountable.

Jawan Shah Rukh Khan

But the most daring part about Jawan is the sub-plot about a large number of kids dying in a hospital because of lack of oxygen cylinders. This is right out of the real incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh a few years back. The film doesn’t stop at this though. It also shows how an innocent was made a scapegoat and the whole blame is put upon that person. Not many people (leave alone stars) are even willing to speak about this incident. But here is one of the biggest mainstream films with one of the biggest stars providing a sharp critique to that incident.

(SPOILERS end)

It would be putting it mildly to state that SRK has taken a risk by making a film with aforementioned incidents. One shouldn’t forget how actors, especially stars, are targeted for portraying anything that is against the establishment since 2014 onwards. But here, Khan has not only agreed to act in such a film as the main lead but also produce the movie. Hence, if the film would have faced any sort of protest or controversy, he would have been hit financially too after investing a large chunk of money in the film.

SRK made a major comeback this year with Pathaan, which made him regain his stardom. However, Jawan was bankrolled and made when Pathaan was long way away from release. This is another example of the major risk he took at a time when his stardom was majorly hit and when it wasn’t known that Pathaan would eventually become a big hit and his comeback.

Even with Pathaan, the star had taken a risk. He knew before the release of the film that he was being majorly targeted by the supporters and leaders of the ruling party. Yet he came up with a film where he is not only romancing a Pakistani but also an ISI member.

Pathaan faced the biggest boycott Bollywood campaign by the supporters of the ruling party. However, the film turned out to be the highest grossing Hindi movie. Of course, this happened because the movie-going public paid no heed to the boycotters and went for the film in large numbers.

But one must credit SRK for not showing lack of spine by meeting some prominent politicians in front of the media in a display of fake support, so that his film gets a smooth release. In fact, Shah Rukh called up a politician at 2 am after the latter had asked people to boycott the film. On the very next day, the politician said there is no need to boycott Pathaan. Khan also didn’t go the Aamir Khan way by pleading the audience to not boycott his film.

Hence, one cannot deny that it was Pathaan that not only put an end but also demolished the boycott trend. After a major fiasco with Pathaan, one hardly notices any serious calls for boycott for any film on social media.

All this also reminds us how SRK had held his ground against Shiv Sena during the massive controversy surrounding My Name Is Khan in 2010. Yes, there have been times where he has met and shown support to prominent politicians of the current regime. But one can’t take away the spine he has shown on various occasions when anyone else in his place would have melted.

Coming back to Jawan, hopefully, its daring content will encourage more mainstream actors to not shy away from showing a mirror to the current Indian society.

Also read: Jawan review (WITHOUT spoilers): A rare massy political entertainer

Why Karan Johar’s RISK with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani needs to be appreciated

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The trailer of Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, which released on July 28, gave an idea that the film is a romantic comedy with a lot of impetus given to humour.

It showed how Rocky (Ranveer Singh) and Rani (Alia Bhatt) meet under unusual circumstances and slowly fall in love. But as their respective families are poles apart, their marriage appears difficult. Hence, they come up with a unique idea – Rocky will live with Rani’s family for three months and Rani with Rocky’s. The promo showed glimpses of the hilarious events born out of the unusual idea brought about by the couple. 

However, the real story of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani starts post-interval. It is in this period that we get to know that the film shows the mirror to the society by portraying various evils like patriarchy, toxic masculinity, fat-shaming, ageism when it comes to love among senior citizens (through Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi’s character), subjugation of women in the name of ‘family honour’ and ‘tradition’, etc.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Without giving away much about the plot, what stands out the most in this part is the sub-plot of the character Chandon Chatterjee, played brilliantly by Tota Roy Chowdhury, who is made to feel ashamed for being a kathak dancer despite being a man. The whole ‘Dola Re Dola’ dance sequence is not only the highlight of the film but also musically revolutionary.

The track about Kshitee Jog’s character and her musical dreams also plays a major role in taking the film over the winning line. Special mention should be given to the small ‘Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai’ sequence. Similarly, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is filled with a number of such progressive moments. Yes, a few dialogues are preachy but when the film falls into the mainstream zone and it smartly weaves a number of social messages seamlessly in a love story, I don’t find any room for complain.

The film also made me think that Karan Johar has taken a big risk with the subject matter of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. He is one of the most prolific filmmakers in Bollywood and runs one of the biggest production houses. Hence, he has all the resources like access to big stars and a huge budget. He could have easily made a more commercially safe film and earned a huge number at the box office.

It is obvious that Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani caters towards the urban crowd because of the social evils it portrays. This is also seen from the fact that it is earning a bigger amount from the urban centres. If Karan had opted for a more commercially viable film aimed at the masses, he could have made more profit. Yet, he decided to go ahead with a gently hard-hitting film aimed more towards the urban crowd, even if it meant not putting the box office on fire.

And let’s face it, there are plenty of Indians who would not only disagree with the progressive stand of the film but would also laugh at them. Apart from taking the financial risk, he didn’t care about this breed of people as well.

Hence, I feel he deserves to be appreciated.

Also read: Kennedy review: Anurag Kashyap’s political cum crime drama is impressive

When BJP & Congress formed alliance & fought an election together. This is not a joke…

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Maharashtra politics has been making headlines since last few years. It all started when the Shiv Sena broke its alliance with their old partner BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in 2019 and went with their arch rivals Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) to form government in Maharashtra.

But all hell broke loose a year ago when Eknath Shinde and a large group of MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly) quit Shiv Sena and joined forces with the BJP to overthrow Uddhav Thackeray’s government. Shinde became the new CM (Chief Minister) of Maharashtra.

The politics of the state took another major turn last week when NCP’s senior leader Ajit Pawar and few other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra and became the new Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

It is obvious that such twists and turns give rise to plenty of hilarious memes on social media. In fact, that’s a no brainer in today’s times. There have been various memes on parties changing their alliances as if changing clothes. One such meme that got my attention says that the only thing remaining now is for the BJP to form an alliance with the Congress. Anyone with even an iota of knowledge about Indian politics would know that the two parties can’t see eye to eye.

BJP Congress logo

But as strange as it may sound, there was once a time when the BJP had formed an alliance with the Congress and this is not a joke. During the 2009 Sikkim legislative elections, the two parties had formed an alliance. And this wasn’t a post-result alliance in order to grab power after the results are declared. The BJP and Congress actually formed a pre-poll coalition and fought the elections together.

The regional Sikkim Democratic Front (SKM) was just unbeatable in the state. The party had won the previous three state elections in 1994, 1999 and 2004 and it looked like they will repeat the performance. Hence, in order to ensure that the SKM doesn’t come into power again, the BJP and Congress joined hands to ensure defeat of SKM by forming a United Democratic Front (UDF). The UDF also contained a few smaller parties but its big players were the BJP and Congress (Read more about this HERE and HERE).

Funnily, the BJP and Congress’ alliance suffered a heavy defeat in the election as the SKM once again triumphed. In fact, the party won all 32 seats in the state and the alliance between the two arch rivals went waste. The SKM is still in power with their latest victory being in the 2019 state elections.

Somehow, this coalition between the BJP and Congress is mostly forgotten. This is largely because Sikkim is a small state in the north east of India, which doesn’t get prominence in the media and in overall discussions. Strangely, online articles about the coalition of the two parties are also reduced now as compared to a few years ago.

Interestingly, the 2009 general or Lok Sabha elections were held simultaneously with the 2009 state elections. While the two warring parties formed an alliance in the former, they, obviously, fought as enemies in the latter.

P.S: Last year in Meghalaya, Congress became a part of the same alliance as BJP. But it wasn’t a pre-poll coalition where they fought the election together. After the results of the elections were declared, all Congress MLAs joined the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, of which BJP is also a part.

Sirf Ek Bandaa reminds us why there should be NO censorship on OTT

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Filmmaker Apoorv Singh Karki’s Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai seems inspired from the real life case of self-proclaimed Godman Asaram, who got convicted for rape and is currently in prison for the same. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee as lawyer PC Solanki, who fights the case on behalf of the victim.

The movie succeeds in exposing a self-proclaimed Godman Babaji (Surya Mohan Kulshrestha). It sends out a strong message on how dangerous it can be to blindly worship demons disguised as Godmen. The film has taken creative liberties as a lot happens conveniently for the protagonist. But you don’t mind this much because of the larger impact it creates. The monologue by Manoj Bajpayee, who gives one of his career best performances, helps the cause tremendously for the overwhelming effect it produces.

But this write-up is not just about how good Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is.

The film reminds us the high importance of the OTT (over the top) medium and why it is the only source to watch the kind of content presented by Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. In other words, this movie is a reminder on why it is absolutely necessary for any kind of censorship to be miles away from the OTT medium.

Manoj Bajpayee in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai

Before the release of Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, the organization founded by Asaram had sent a legal notice to the makers of the film since the character of the villain Babaji appears similar to Asaram. The organization alleged that the movie might tarnish his “character, reputation and standing” in the society (Imagine a convicted rapist worried about his character and reputation being tarnished).

When a film releasing online can create such ripples, one can image the situation if the same movie would have released in theatres. Asaram still has a large number of followers who still believe that he is innocent.

Having said this, it is also doubtful if Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai would have released in theatres as it is. It seems that certain portions of the film could have faced objection, especially the usage of the word ‘Sanatan’ in a couple of places. The same word would have triggered some ‘religious’ organizations of the country as well.

But that’s not all. The film has supporting characters like a real-life celebrity lawyer Ram Chandwani and politicians Venkateshwara Swamy and Bashir, who clearly appear to be inspired from three real-life personalities. The supporters of the two political leaders and their respective parties would have at least filed cases against the film.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai has been able to steer clear of all these difficulties simply because it is an OTT movie. The web is the only medium where the audience can see such a film as it is.

Hence, the film is a reminder why there should be no censorship on OTT.

The debate about censorship on OTT has been making rounds in recent times. While some prominent figures from the film industry are opposed to it, there are others who feel otherwise. The people from the latter category have these views because of the adult content in terms of cuss words, violence and sex scenes in OTT content.

But we should remember that if censorship is allowed on OTT, it won’t be limited to cuss words, violence and sex scenes. Any movie or show with a theme that they feel is controversial will become the victim.

A film like Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai mostly probably would.

The Kerala Story is hardly convincing but that’s not its biggest issue

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Filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story, which is produced and creatively directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, tells the story of three young girls Shalini Unnikrishnan (Adah Sharma), Nimah (Yogita Bihani) and Geetanjali (Siddhi Idnani) from Kerala. They form an instant connection after becoming roommates at a nursing institute they join in the same state.

They also have a fourth roommate Asifa (Sonia Balani), who has evil intentions. She tries brainwashing the other three girls in order to get them converted to Islam. Except Nimah, the other two girls fall in the trap. Shalini and Geetanjali also start dating two Muslim guys Rameez (Pranay Pachauri) and Abdul (Pranav Mishra), who also are a part of the same evil mission as Asifa. Shalini, who becomes Fatima after conversion, also gets pregnant with Rameez’s child. She has no idea that her life is all set to get worse at an ISIS terror camp.

The biggest mission for the creative minds behind The Kerala Story was to establish Shalini and Geetanjali’s brainwashing and the subsequent conversion. However, they don’t succeed in this vital aspect and this becomes the film’s biggest minus point. The two girls quite easily start wearing hijab and following the path of Islam. Later, one important character returns to the original faith, which also appears sudden. One can argue that this is a real story, which nobody is denying. But when you make a feature film even on a real story, making the core story believable is the basic criteria.

The Kerala Story

This ensures that you don’t feel much for the girls even when they are facing severe atrocities. The other issue about the narrative is that by the time the second half arrives, the viewer already knows what has happened with Shalini. The screenplay doesn’t use the flashback style of narration smartly. On top of that, the portrayal of the terrorists, both in India and in the ISIS camp, is far from convincing. They instantly remind you of those one-dimensional terrorist characters from the patriotic action films of the early to mid-2000s.

The creative issues, however, aren’t the biggest problem with The Kerala Story. What is more alarming is the intention of the makers. It’s impossible to not think about this aspect when the makers make it loud and clear whom they are trying to please and who is helping them in their mission.

When the trailer of The Kerala Story was out, the film’s description on YouTube said that this is a story of 32000 girls. But when questions were raised and they were asked to prove their claim, they quietly replaced 32000 with just 3 (see the screenshot below). When AltNews asked director Sudipto Sen about the claim, he couldn’t give a convincing answer (read the article HERE).

The bigger worry with The Kerala Story is that they are largely helped by people of one political party in gaining viewers. One can find various examples of its leaders bulk booking the tickets and distributing them for free to the people. A Facebook post by Darshan Mondkar has quite a few examples (see it HERE).

Hence, The Kerala Story can’t be dismissed as just a movie. It’s a plan to spread a worrying ideology before important elections, which includes vilifying people of one community.

Also read: When SRK did a panchayat 33 years ago

Selective outrage on Richa Chadha‘s tweet reeks hypocrisy

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First things first. I don’t support Richa Chadha’s ‘Galwan’ tweet. I feel if she had to criticize the government for its working, for which we all have a right, she could have done that without using a comment from a senior Indian Army personnel.

But it is blatant hypocrisy on the part of a few Hindi film celebrities to jump in and target Richa for her tweet and portray her as an anti-national or a big criminal of sorts. These are the same people who turn a blind eye when a fellow celeb who is a supporter of the current ruling party makes even worse comments.

The biggest example of this is Kangana Ranaut. Last year, she famously said, “The independence that India got in 1947 was bheek. We attained actual independence in 2014 (thereby indicating the rule of the current government).

Richa Chadha
Richa Chadha and Kangana Ranaut

I don’t need to spell out how problematic this comment is. In a single sentence, she has rubbished off our entire freedom struggle and thousands of freedom fighters who sacrificed their everything, including their lives, for the sunrise of freedom. And here is one public figure openly belittling the whole movement as some joke.

Some Hindi film stars openly lambasted Richa for her ‘Galwan’ tweet. But did they ever speak up against Kangana for the aforementioned comments? How can you be up in arms against one person for a three-word tweet but at the same time have no problems at all when someone else makes a comment of a much larger magnitude that rubbishes off the very movement that got India independence?  On top of that, Richa has deleted the tweet and also apologized for the same. Don’t even imagine Kangana doing the same.

The reason why Kangana’s comments faces no outrage from few of the same celebrities is because they all are the supporters of the same party. This also points out that for them it is always the party first, nation later. If it was otherwise, they would have slammed Kangana’s statements too. And she has made a big bunch of them. The one mentioned here is just one example.

The same goes for the general supporters of this party. They call themselves nationalists but they completely ignored Pragya Thakur’s comments when she hailed the death of Shaheed Vijay Salaskar at the hands of terrorists Ajmal Kasab and associates. Can you imagine what would have happened if someone from the opposition would have made the same statement?

Hence, only the party matters, nation doesn’t.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the writer in this article are independent and are not endorsed by the publication he works for

Raj Thackeray asked me to play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, says Akshay Kumar

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During the announcement of his upcoming Marathi historical film Vedaat Maratha Veer Daudale Saat, filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar revealed the actors who would be playing the emperor’s seven warriors in the film. These include Pravin Tarde, Hardik Joshi, Vishal Nikam, Virat Madke, Satya Manjrekar, Jay Dudhane and Dr Utkarsh Shinde.

But the people gathered at the event were in for a huge surprise when it was announced that Akshay Kumar will be playing the character of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the movie. The actor also made a surprise appearance at the event out of nowhere.

He was introduced at the event as the actor who will be playing Chhatrapati by the chief of MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) Raj Thackeray, who was the special guest along with the Chief Minister of the state Eknath Shinde.

Akshay Kumar as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Raj Thackeray (File photo)

Akshay said that he got this role, “Because of Mr Raj Thackeray. He told me, ‘Akshay you should do this role’ and I was taken aback. To play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s role is a big deal for me. It’s a huge task. I can assure you that I will put in all my efforts while playing this character.”

Interestingly, Thackeray is also known for criticizing Akshay on more than one occasion not-so-long-ago. He had taken a dig at the actor for being a ‘Canadian citizen’ and later also criticized him for asking questions related to mangoes while interviewing India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is the first time that Akshay will be working with Manjrekar. “I was always very eager to work with Akshay,” said the filmmaker. “I had a lot of films in mind. But I couldn’t see any other actor playing this role. One needs to have a certain personality and look to play this character. Akshay’s image is also correct to play a Hindu raja who brought Hindavi swarajya. So I thought let other films be kept aside, we should do this one first.”

Produced by Wasim Qureshi, Vedaat Marathe Veer Daudale Saat will go on floors next month and will release during Diwali 2023.

Also read: Godavari movie will rekindle our relation with rivers, says Devendra Fadnavis

Adipurush teaser has triggered opposite political reactions

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Filmmaker Om Raut’s Adipurush has been one of the keenly-awaited films ever since it was announced more than a couple of years back. The filmmaker’s Hindi debut Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, his previous effort, had become a runaway hit at the box office, so there was anticipation on what he would offer next.

Apart from the cast of Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan and Kriti Sanon, the major reason why Adipurush made heads turn was because of its adaptation from the great Indian epic Ramayana.

But the reaction to the long-awaited teaser finally released more than a week back would have taken the team of Adipurush by a rude surprise. The initial footage has been panned on social media for more than one reason.

Firstly, the VFX has been criticized as the visuals didn’t impress the viewers. But more than that, the look of Saif Ali Khan’s character of Raavan has been literally lambasted for it doesn’t match with what people imagine the character to be.

Not just that, the looks of Prabhas and Devdatta Nage, who play Lord Ram and Hanuman, along with the depiction of the Vaanar Sena have also come under criticism.

It was gradually realized that the teaser has given rise to opposite political reactions.

Om Raut started off his career with the Marathi movie Lokmanya: Ek Yugpurush in 2015. Apart from narrating the life story of Bal Gangadhar Tilak aka Lokmanya Tilak, the film also gave special footage to the protagonist’s efforts in writing Gita Rahasya, his own interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.

Adipurush starring Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan
Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan in Adipurush (Source: YouTube teaser screenshots)

His next Tanhaji, his debut in Hindi, was about the achievement of the Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare.

In other words, both the films were appreciated by the Indian Right Wing. Of course, the movies weren’t aimed at them specifically but their subjects were such that they naturally found takers in people from that particular political side.

The announcement of Adipurush naturally excited the Right Wingers since the film is based on Lord Ram. Plus, Raut’s social media posts are also appreciated by them, especially the ones about the upcoming Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Another reason for the excitement for Adipurush for them was the casting of Prabhas as Ram. The actor has formed a fan base among the Right Wingers after the mammoth success of both the Baahubali movies. The films are considered pro-Hindu because of their content, although they were appreciated with people across political opinions.

Unfortunately for the makers, it is the Right Wingers who have been offended the most by the teaser of Adipurush. Although Prabhas is facing criticisms for his look as Ram, it is the portrayal of Saif that is receiving the maximum flak for him allegedly looking as a Mughal ruler or Alauddin Khilji. Despite being evil, Raavan was a learned scholar and, as per the reactions, Saif isn’t appearing like one in this get-up.

But that’s not all. Quite a few ‘pro-Hindu’ groups have started protesting and calling for a ban on the movie. The teaser has also triggered one such group to demand ‘Sanatani Censor Board’ to ensure that Hindu gods aren’t portrayed in a ‘derogatory’ manner in movies. A few BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders too have slammed the teaser. Right Wingers on social media have also been trending boycott against the movie.

The film’s teaser was launched at a grand event in Ayodhya, where the much talked-about Ram Temple is being constructed currently. Ironically, the chief priest of the same temple has demanded a ban on the film.

On the other hand, the liberal crowd or those against the Right Wing have been providing full support to Adipurush since they believe there should be freedom of expression for the makers to portray any character the way they want. Their main argument is that nobody knows how the characters present in the Ramayana looked in real.

Before the teaser came out, not many would have expected a pro-Hindu movie made by pro-Hindu stars to be slammed by the Right Wing and supported by those having an opposite political view. The moral of the story is that trying to please people of any political ideology can backfire.

We can just wait and watch what happens when the full trailer of Adipurush is released.

Also read:

Why actual anti-national comments never face boycott?

Why actual ‘anti-national’ statements never face BOYCOTT?

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India is all set to celebrate 75 years of its freedom from the British, which they got in 1947. However, it is ironical that just when the country is reaching the important milestone related to its freedom, a section of the population is busy promoting curtailment of the same.

The whole #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha ‘movement’ is not just unfair but plainly silly. One of the main reasons why the film is being boycotted is the supposed ‘anti-India’ statements made by the film’s lead actor and producer Aamir Khan way back in 2015.

Messages are being circulated claiming that the star said that he wants to leave India as he is feeling unsafe. This is nothing but a fabricated version of what Khan actually said.

As you can hear from the above video, Khan said that his then wife Kiran Rao asked if they should move out of India. Firstly, it wasn’t suggested by Khan. Secondly, the very next thing the actor said was, “Now that’s a disastrous and a very big statement for Kiran to make to me.” Khan himself said on record that what she said was “disastrous” but not many of us paid heed to that, either knowingly or unknowingly.

Funnily enough, the statement came out in 2015. Following this, Khan released three of his films in the following years, Dangal (2016), Secret Superstar (2017) and Thugs Of Hindostan (2018). Except Dangal to some extent, no other film faced boycott. But today, seven years after that statement, there is a massive campaign against the actor for his film Laal Singh Chaddha.

Source: YouTube screenshot from Koffee With Karan promo

This isn’t the only reason why the film is boycotted. Somehow few months before the release of the film, fake messages and memes are being circulated claiming that Aamir said in his show Satyamev Jayate that we shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling and should instead use that money to help the needy. Some messages are also claiming that he said the same thing in his earlier film PK (2014).

As it is proved in one of my previous articles, Aamir has never made any such statement on the Shivling, either in his show or in the movie. Instead, it was Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal who have made exactly the same statements (read the article and see the videos HERE). The former made it in the movie OMG Oh My God (2012) and the latter while promoting the same film. In fact, Akshay also went onto criticize the practice of pouring oil on Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays.

Hear both of them out in the videos above. Did anyone of you ever come across any boycott calls for Akshay or Rawal?

Even if the boycotters argue that out of these, the statement made by Aamir in 2015 about Rao asking if they should leave India are problematic, it is still hypocritical. This is because they are completely ignoring Kangana Ranaut comment made last year, which is many times more controversial and offensive than what Khan said.

Speaking at a summit organized by a news channel, she described India’s independence from the British in 1947 saying, “Woh azadi nahin thi, woh bheek thi. Aur jo azadi mili hai woh 2014 mein mili hai.” Watch the video of the same below.

Now, I don’t need to spell out how problematic this statement is. In a single sentence, the actress has questioned the sacrifices of all those freedom fighters who fought for India’s freedom. It is also clear that the comments made by Aamir are nowhere near to what she said. Plus, she has had a history of making comments of this nature. Comparing Mumbai with PoK is just one other example.  

So, if you are deeply offended and incensed by Aamir’s comments but have no problems with what Ranaut’s said, you know what that makes you. More so if you are celebrating India’s 75years of freedom without having issues when someone said that that wasn’t actual freedom.