SRK vs. The Sena

I have never been a ShahRukh Khan fan. He comes across as too pompous both in his movies as well as when he makes public appearances. This is the why I do not get surprised when he gets involved in controversies every now and then.

Do I think his recent statement regarding inclusion of players from a neighboring country was anything other than an opinion? No. But, should he have made it in a public forum? No. The reason I disagree here is not because I am on team Sena. It is due to the fact that being a celebrity, one needs to be that much more cautious about what he/ she says in public. Thanks to the media, what an actor speaks in any forum is telecast time and again (Aaj Tak and Headlines Today take the cake for most number of repulsive repeats) and the audience is a very impressionable set of people across states. These people place film actors on pedestals for no strong reason and attach the tag “ideal role model” very easily. They do not understand that an actor not being able to voice his/her opinion is not about an unfair freedom of speech but is all about being responsible towards a billion people who emulate characteristics.

And why is the media creating such a furor about SRK not being able to say what he wants? Last year, a very elite news channel bullied a layman into pulling back his blog post. If this is not hypocrisy, what is?

Is this whole episode a publicity stunt? I hope not. If it is, I would say it is sheer insecurity talking because, even without this fracas, MNIK is sure to make more money than what the producers have invested.

What SRK was actually trying to convey (my take on it) – My country is all accepting and forgiving, so go ahead and pave the way for more attacks. The nation is ready to lose more lives other than mine.

Do I want to see my country being all accepting and forgiving? No. Non-violence stopped being a solution 63 years ago :)