Celebrities and politics
Political parties are known to woo film stars, offering them seats in parliament either through an election or a Rajya Sabha nomination
Kumkum Chadha
As events unfold, one is more than convinced that film stars need to confine themselves to what they are good at: entertainment.
There are exceptions to the rule though. A handful have come out to support causes or step out to raise their voice on matters in public domain. Yet by and large they put their foot in the mouth and make a mockery of issues agitating minds. In the process they expose themselves and give an insight of how little they know and even care. A case in point is their role in politics.
Political parties are known to woo film stars, offering them seats in Parliament either through an election or a Rajya Sabha nomination. Being natural crowd pullers, they are effective vote catchers but once elected their track record is dismal. Again there are exceptions to the rule like Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar who did their bit as MPs. Pitched against them are those who are rarely seen in Parliament and even if they make a chance appearance their contribution is a big zero.
Others have disappointed their constituents after making tall promises of fulfilling their demands. In one such case, the local population in the Indian state of Rajasthan registered Missing Persons Report with the Police on grounds that their MP had gone missing after winning the elections. In another constituency, Missing Person posters were put up to drive home the point that the MP concerned had failed to show up even after two years of his electoral victory.
Of late film stars have started articulating their views on national issues. They speak on anything and everything irrespective of the context. This trend has got a fillip because TV channels are doing talk shows and using them as guests to put forth their point of view. Irrespective of the content, their visual appeal makes for good TRPs. That they often go off the tangent is another matter.
In some cases they betray their ignorance to such an extent that it would put even a child to shame.
In one talk show a film star fumbled on the name of the countrys President. She gave it out as the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Indias President. As it appeared she had not ever heard of Pranab Mukherjee because even when the talk show host gave her the correct answer she looked blank: clearly the name did not ring a bell.
Another trend that has started is of film stars expressing their opinion on national issues. Aamir Khan for instance spoke about living in fear under the BJP government and his wife suggesting that they leave the country; Anupam Kher had raked up a controversy on why children cannot chant slogans in praise of a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi.
Here is a man (Modi) who is constantly working day and night, who has enhanced our countrys image throughout the world Kher had said in a television programme claiming that he is happy being called Modis stooge.
Kher is married to film star turned BJP MP Kirron Kher. His overtures praising Modi sky high were seen as a bid to get a foothold in the BJP. That it did not happen and unlikely to in the near future is another matter.
Prime Minister apart, film stars are also queuing up to say what is music to BJPs ears.
Earlier this week, Singer Sonu Nigam has fired a salvo against azaan, the call for Islamic prayers.
In a series of tweets he expressed annoyance at being woken up by azaan and decried the use of loudspeakers as forced religiousness What is worse he called the move gundagardi.
God bless everyone. I am not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India.
He followed this by yet another:
And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam.. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?
And the worst:
Gundagardi hai bus...
His defence, after hell broke loose that he was decrying the use of loudspeakers and not azaan did not cut much ice.
Were that so the tone tenor and the language he had used would be qualitatively different. But to use a word like gundgardi betrayed the real intent behind what Nigam had said. It clearly was a bid to please the pro Hindu powers and in keeping with their mindset slam everything that is Musims including azaan.
Ofcourse, words fall short of the condemnation Nigams tweets particularly the word gundagardi deserve but the fact that he did not stop there and made a mockery of the issue and continue to muddy the waters is deplorable.
In response to a Kolkatta based cleric announcing a reward of Rs 10 lakh to whoever tonsured Nigam and garlanded him with shoes, Nigam took the absurd step of shaving his head: Today at 2 pm Aalim will come to my place, and shave my head. Keep your 10 lakhs ready Maulavi And Press is welcome to participate at 2pm.
And once he did he demanded the reward that the maulvi ofcourse refused to pay up.
The entire controversy has shown up the singer in very poor light. To begin with to use the word gundagardi was uncalled for and then to get his head tonsured to claim the cash reward. How low can a celebrity stoop or to what extent can he make mockery of a sensitive issue like the azaan?
In what was seen as a damage control Nigam even while reiterating his stance, chose to justify his tweets by saying that his criticism was not about the azaan but one against use of loudspeakers that give the call. He said he was talking about a social issue and not a religious one.
If this is a defence it is rather a weak one given that Nigam singled out the azaan. He conveniently forgot the navratris, the nine day long Hindu festival or Ganpati festival when all roads in the state he lives in are blocked and work comes to a stand still. Those are occasions when he among all other Hindus are active participants in the festivity that these religious festivals bring.
Huge idols of Ganpati and even Durga are immersed in the rivers contaminating the waters. What about Hindu weddings when the bridegrooms family block roads dancing for hours enroute the brides home? The sound of the band that accompanies the baraat are defeaning and louder than many loudspeakers put together. What about the pandals that come up along roadsides during Durga puja? What about the jagrataas, night long singing, in reverence of the goddess that also are a regular feature in India? In fact singer Narendra Chanchal and many others have made a killing with those. How come Nigam didnt wake up and protest then?
The fact of the matter is that with the BJP in power it is a norm to do Muslim bashing. It has become a trend to speak a language that articulates the BJP governments thought process. It is kowtowing at its worst and in the process if a particular community gets hurt, so be it.
This is the tragedy of our times. When those who can stand up chose to bend and crawl and hit where it hurts the most then there is no hope. The likes of Sonu Nigam have to and must understand that their celebrity status brings with it a responsibility and they must be careful with what they say and do particularly if it is pointing fingers at a particular community and their religious practices. To use words like gundagardi are inciting passions and stoking fires that may in the long run engulf the fragile fabric of India that is home to a sizeable Muslim population.
The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])
