The recent fiasco about Shahrukh Khan, one of the biggest stars of the recent cinema in India, was told to leave India and deport himself to Pakistan by one of BJP’s premier person, speaks volumes about the rising tide of intolerance, that is developing across the nation. It was reported that Shahrukh Khan had made a comment about the intolerance levels in the country going abnormally high in the recent times that had prompted the BJP person to make the remark.
Shahrukh, as we all know, is one of the biggest stars of India in the field of commercial cinema and has a wide following in both India and abroad. He has the public fame, what it takes, to take up this mettle of the rationalists forward against the fascism that is developing in our country since the day this BJP government took power.
It was on his 50th birthday that SRK had made a statement on intolerance, which read,
“Not being secular is the worst kind of crime you can do as a patriot,” he said, adding later that his father fought for the freedom of the country from the British and “no one can question my patriotism”.
Following the death of eminent personalities like MM Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, already the country has been in a stage of uprising with eminent writers and filmmakers and creative personalities openly returning their national awards and many of those who have not openly preaching to do so if they had one. In response to the statement, it was as if the ruling party came out-front with all guns blazing against the statement.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP General Secretary, said,
“Shah Rukh Khan lives in India but his mind is in Pakistan. His films earn crores here but he sees India as an intolerant nation. If this is not sedition, then what is it? India is on the verge of becoming a permanent member of the United Nations (Security Council), but everyone including Pakistan are conspiring to derail it. To make India an intolerant nation is part of this conspiracy. Shah Rukh is now singing in the same tune of intolerance along with Pakistan and other anti-India forces. When hundreds were killed in the 1993 Mumbai serials blasts where was Shah Rukh Khan? When Mumbai was attacked on 26/11 where was Shah Rukh then? Today the whole world is taking note of India’s leadership, at this juncture talking about rising intolerance is like weakening India globally.”
Another influential BJP regional leader, Yogi Adityanath, even went on to the extent of saying that no difference exists between Khan and the founder of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba group, Hafiz Saeed, who India and the US accuse of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks. “I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and (26/11 mastermind) Hafiz Saeed… We welcome that people go there (Pakistan), at least people who defame India will understand their own originality”, he said.
Facing the critics for a day, Vijayvargiya was forced to change his tunes, evident in his tweet the next day, when he said,
“If there was intolerance in India, then Shah Rukh would not be the most popular actor after Amitabh (Bachchan). Some people misunderstood my tweet. My aim was not to hurt anyone. I take back my yesterday’s tweet.”
Comments such as these have created in the dent in the heart of many fans, who have stood by the actor since the years of his struggling.
The row over the comment has invited many to stand in solidarity over Khan regarding the same. And mind you, the list includes stalwarts of the Indian cinema, from Sudhir Mishra to Zoya Akhtar.
Sudhir Mishra said,
“He (Shah Rukh) is a big actor. He is an icon. He talks things softly. It is important to listen to him. He needs to be listened and not abused”
Another noted filmmaker, Zoya Akhtar, the daughter of Javed Akhtar and director of hugely successful and highly appreciated films such as “Luck By Chance” and “Dil Dhadakne Do”, also came out in support of Khan and echoed the words of millions of fans,
“It’s silly that he has to prove his credentials. He is a huge artist. He has billions of people supporting him. He is ok…he is fine”
However, this comment has brought to light the intra-BJP struggle and the dubious nature of the party. While leaders of their national and regional importance like Sadhvi Prachi, are saying,
“Shah Rukh Khan is an agent of neighbouring country Pakistan as he reflects their (Pakistan’s) ideology. Such a man should go to Pakistan,”
The BJP spokesperson, Nalin Kohli, is singing a completely different tune,
“There cannot be any comparison of any law-abiding Indian citizen with a terrorist like Hafiz Saeed, certainly not Khan who is a much loved and respected Indian national and artiste,”
The incident also has brought a crack on the BJP’s most strong ally based on the ideology they follow, the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena had criticised the remark made by the BJP on SRK. Sanjay Raut, the Shiv Sena MP said,
“This country is tolerant and the Muslims are tolerant as well. Shah Rukh Khan should not be targeted only because he is a Muslim.”
But, the intriguing part came out later, when Saeed himself in response to Adinath’s statement tweeted saying that SRK would be welcome to Pakistan. We all know, the picture of India that is painted in the minds of those terrorists and the growing intolerance in the country and the controversy following it are making the country even more vulnerable to attacks and religious polarisation, both of the majority and the minority.
The comment controversy has now become a political one with all the political forces taking an active part in it. It remains to be seen the extent to which this debate remains true to the hearts of the ideologies followed by those parties. SRK could be the target of such pro-Hindutwa forces, and it has created a sharp wave of fear amidst the other smaller creatives, who are neither stars nor celebrities, but decide to open their minds freely over the conditions and policies of the government. More political battle is sure to follow now that the once BJP supporter, Baba Ramdev, too has joined in the battle against the BJP on the issue. Tie rising discontent between the Shiv Sena and the BJP will also be an interesting thing to follow. That the BJP is maintaining a big brotherly nature in all the alliances in the state governments is no longer a secret now, with the SRK issue and the Beef ban in Kashmir controversy.
The BJP though has asked its members to abstain from making controversial statements but that really does not account for the mindset that they have. The SRK controversy has showed a cruel and nefarious picture of the majoritarian forces at work in “The Golden Bird”.
References: BBC, The Indian Express, First Post
