It pains me to see someone's hard work being used as political mileage by fringe groups. It pains me even more to listen to the silence spawned by the absence of our support to his endeavour. This is not a new phenomenon in India. Rights are frequently violated and Fundamental Rights are the first and sure ones to be denigrated.
But how is this one man's slight so different from the others? Is it different because this one deals with the Freedom of Speech which we, the net savvy generation have been taking for granted? Or is it because it is about a Celebrity?
Going by the history of such protests in the Indian Film Industry, the outcome of these incidents depend mainly on the connections and concessions one has/does. The surest way of getting a positive outcome is for the filmmaker to go on his knees to the perpetrators and apologize for exercising of his rights. The drama of it all gives these fringe parties the power trip it was hoping for.
In a similar episode, an actor's father had to rush to the negotiating table with these miscreants and agreed to make certain cuts in the movie. The poor guy even went to the extent of promising to have is actor-son play a Muslim in his next movie. To quote Justice K. J Shetty in the Landmark case of S. Rangarajan vs. P. Jagjivan Ram for the movie "Ore Oru Gramathile", the turn of events have by turns amused, troubled and anguished me.
The absurdity of it all, where a group of people could derail what our forefathers had fought for by threat of violence, AMUSES me. But, the reality of it happening before us and the heading being taken by our so called democracy TROUBLES me. Pranab da talked about re-aligning our Moral Compass. But isn't a compass needed, when one chooses to follow a particular direction for a reason. But where is the reason of all this? The absence of institutional support as well as individual support ANGUISHES me.
The support of the institution is essential as seen in "My Name is Khan" . But what would you do when the cosmos conspires. Do you buckle under pressure? Kamal Hassan is not new to controversy. He has been the target of those who wanted their 30 seconds of fame. Time and again he has stuck to his beliefs as much as possible. He has suffered a series a losses over the years and he still seems to continue pursuing his dreams.
This never say die spirit and belief in oneself is worth emulating. Though it is a path of pain, the feeling that you do not owe allegiance to anyone for your success is a heady one. This time i dearly hope that he comes out of this mess shining as ever. If initial reports are to be believed, his latest movie is a sure blockbuster. The only thing it needs is our support and pledge. Patience is a virtue and hope we do not jump the guns with pirated versions.
The supreme court should take suo moto notice of the blatant violation of his rights. It would be even better if a case in tort is instituted by him for the loss and pain he has suffered. On my part, i promise to watch it in the big screen and hope others do so too. But when would such practices be stopped? When are we really going to be free?
If they ever get to see the state of affairs of our Nation at present Gandhi, Nehru and Netaji would turn over in their graves. They were lucky that British followed the Rule of Law...
But how is this one man's slight so different from the others? Is it different because this one deals with the Freedom of Speech which we, the net savvy generation have been taking for granted? Or is it because it is about a Celebrity?
Going by the history of such protests in the Indian Film Industry, the outcome of these incidents depend mainly on the connections and concessions one has/does. The surest way of getting a positive outcome is for the filmmaker to go on his knees to the perpetrators and apologize for exercising of his rights. The drama of it all gives these fringe parties the power trip it was hoping for.
In a similar episode, an actor's father had to rush to the negotiating table with these miscreants and agreed to make certain cuts in the movie. The poor guy even went to the extent of promising to have is actor-son play a Muslim in his next movie. To quote Justice K. J Shetty in the Landmark case of S. Rangarajan vs. P. Jagjivan Ram for the movie "Ore Oru Gramathile", the turn of events have by turns amused, troubled and anguished me.
The absurdity of it all, where a group of people could derail what our forefathers had fought for by threat of violence, AMUSES me. But, the reality of it happening before us and the heading being taken by our so called democracy TROUBLES me. Pranab da talked about re-aligning our Moral Compass. But isn't a compass needed, when one chooses to follow a particular direction for a reason. But where is the reason of all this? The absence of institutional support as well as individual support ANGUISHES me.
The support of the institution is essential as seen in "My Name is Khan" . But what would you do when the cosmos conspires. Do you buckle under pressure? Kamal Hassan is not new to controversy. He has been the target of those who wanted their 30 seconds of fame. Time and again he has stuck to his beliefs as much as possible. He has suffered a series a losses over the years and he still seems to continue pursuing his dreams.
This never say die spirit and belief in oneself is worth emulating. Though it is a path of pain, the feeling that you do not owe allegiance to anyone for your success is a heady one. This time i dearly hope that he comes out of this mess shining as ever. If initial reports are to be believed, his latest movie is a sure blockbuster. The only thing it needs is our support and pledge. Patience is a virtue and hope we do not jump the guns with pirated versions.
The supreme court should take suo moto notice of the blatant violation of his rights. It would be even better if a case in tort is instituted by him for the loss and pain he has suffered. On my part, i promise to watch it in the big screen and hope others do so too. But when would such practices be stopped? When are we really going to be free?
If they ever get to see the state of affairs of our Nation at present Gandhi, Nehru and Netaji would turn over in their graves. They were lucky that British followed the Rule of Law...
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