Watching the short video of
an abject Karan Johar pleading - like an errant student pulling his own ears -
that he will never again make mistake of using actors from a "neighbouring
country" one cannot but help asking: who wrote that script and who
directed it?
Where
is the flamboyant, confident and colourful Karan Johar we know so well and
admire? Here he appears to be caught in one of those hostage situations, where
the victim is made to admit that he is a spy, probably just before he is
executed.
'Intolerance'
In
a way, he is a hostage, not just to a small political party that openly
threatens to 'teach a lesson' to all those who use Pakistanis in their films,
but also to the growing belligerence in our polity which makes it almost
impossible to tolerate a diversity of opinions.
Yesterday
it was the very word 'intolerance' that was a red rag, today it is 'Pakistani
actors', tomorrow it could be something entirely different.
Once
the mob - some of it on the streets, others in television studios and social
media, still others working smoothly behind the scenes - decide that straying
from an agenda is unacceptable, nothing can save the naysayer.
Johar
is an intelligent man, with a lot of common-sense and a creative mind, which
shows in his public statements and in his cinema.
When
the regional Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party first 'demanded' thatPakistani actors in Bollywood
be sent back in
the aftermath of last month'smilitant attack on Uri -
the actors had all left India by then in any case - Johar, whose film Ae Dil
Hai Muskhil (Difficulties of the heart) had Fawad Khan in its cast, pointed out
that a ban on Pakistani actors was no solution to terrorism.
He
was not just referring to his own film, he was also standing up for a
principle.
Yet,
within days, he capitulated. Not just by issuing a press statement but in a
video mea culpa of sorts, declaring that he would never use a Pakistani actor
again.
What
changed?
'Nation comes first'
One
can only speculate what happened behind the scenes, but a few public
developments could provide some context.
On
Monday, just three days before the opening of the 18th Jio MAMI (Mumbai Academy
of Moving Images) film festival, the organisers pulled out Jago Hua Savera
(Awake, it's Dawn) a 57-year-old Pakistani film from its line up.
A
curt press release said that the film had been dropped due to "the current
situation".
The
same day, at a public event where he was interviewed, industrialist Mukesh
Ambani said that for him, "the nation came first, not arts and
culture".
Mr
Ambani's company Jio is the main sponsor of the film festival. The film, made
in 1959, is a fine example of India-Pakistan entente in the arts, even if it
harks back to another time.
Just
a few days before that, in the aftermath of the MNS warning to drive out
Pakistani actors, The Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association, a body of
filmmakers, also declared that these actors would not be allowed in Hindi
films.
The federal
government had not issued any such instruction, but unbidden, the film industry
was already falling in line.
Actor
Ajay Devgn, a self-proclaimed fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched in by
saying that he personally would not act with Pakistani actors. "We cannot
isolate ourselves from the nation," he said.
Devgn's
own film Shivaay is ready for release on 28 October. And not surprisingly, his
statement is being seen by many as a tactical ploy to prevent Johar's film from
making it to the theatres.
Cinema
owners in Mumbai declared they would not screen the film after expressing fears
that their establishments could be attacked by violent MNS activists.
Polarised industry
Now,
twelve MNS activists who barged into a cinema to threaten the staff have been
arrested and the state's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that violent
protests will not be allowed.
The
state government has not made any statement, one way or the other, on Pakistani
actors in Bollywood.
Nor
has the Central government, though federal Information Minister Venkaiah Naidu
has said that "there is an atmosphere of anger at Pakistan in India and
people from all walks of life have to be mindful about it." (He has also
helpfully said that the media "should understand national interest.")
It
is not difficult to read between the lines.
At
the best of times the Mumbai film industry is divided into several
"camps" and rarely, if ever, takes a united stand on anything.
Now
it is getting polarised and publicly so.
The
'nationalists' are taking a hard line, and most others are staying quiet, fully
aware that remarks can be twisted and frenzied criticism from 'trolls' and
politicians can be swift and ugly.
On television shows,
pro-government film personalities have been hitting out at those who argue
otherwise. Bollywood is now a divided house, with barely a handful - Salman
Khan, Anurag Kashyap and Priyanka Chopra among them - standing up to be
counted.
Amitabh
Bachchan, whose daughter in law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stars in Johar's film,
has remained silent, though recent reports suggested that he had gifted a watch
to Raj Thackeray's son after receiving a cartoon sketch of him drawn by the MNS
chief.
Soft target
In
the circumstances, it is not surprising that Karan Johar must have felt
beleaguered, even scared.
It
is easy to criticise him for not taking a stand for free speech or even for the
sorry tone of his video but with large sums of money at stake and the threat of
violence in the air, he may have taken a call to make a public declaration.
The
matter will not necessarily end there, since the MNS claims it will continue
protesting against the release of the film and cinema owners are still wary of
screening it.
Meanwhile
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's forthcoming film Raees, has Pakistani
actor Mahira Khan in it and is also a likely victim of the proposed ban by
cinema owners. In it he plays a criminal don in Gujarat. He is also said to
have a cameo role in his friend Karan Johar's film.
Johar's video
statement is only going to encourage the forces of bigotry and hatred.
Raj
Thackeray, who is desperate to become politically relevant is undoubtedly happy
that he got this level of attention, but the culpability of creating and
nurturing this intolerance, all in the name of the "nation", goes far
beyond him.
The
film industry is a perennially soft target because of its high profile and its
swift buckling in to any pressure, but don't be surprised if soon, reading
Pakistani authors or being Facebook friends with Pakistanis or even writing
about that country could be declared anti-national.
Any
of us could then be turned into Karan Johar.
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