A couple of days back I wrote this post. When I read it now, I feel it was necessary, but I will not be taking it down, because I stand by what I said, and those are my views. That they did not need to be aired, or are barely relevant in my life, is a different point altogether. That day, I was angry, and upset, because there was an accusation against my country, and to me that I personal, because I love my India, and I am an Indian, I am not regional or communal, I love it, all of it. I said then, and I say now, India is not bereft of problems and issues, just like any other country in the world. What I write ahead, is not about India, because that is not my topic for this post. It is about the statements made by Aamir Khan, who will be referred to as AK, for the rest of the post and why it was simply pathetic. I can ignore the whole tamasha, and say who cares? I have done that in the past, on many an issue, but at some point I feel, I need to put my foot down, and because I also believe, putting my views out there, might give another person some food for thought at some point. So here goes.
AK is an actor, a really good one, from what I have seen of him on screen. His tactics to sell or make his movies, propaganda etc, are of no consequence, because that is his livelihood and he does what he needs to, to earn his money. That he might have not a penny to offer to charity from the millions he rakes in, even those from being on a program like Satyamev Jayate, based on social issues faced by India, is his personal choice. But that does portray a certain aspect of his personality, which is very different from what he likes to portray on the screen. The point being, when he is not in an imaginary scenario, like in the movies, but in a program like Satyamev Jayate, the portrayal of himself as AK, and not any imaginary character, and his reality being very different from what he portrays, brings in, a sense of duality, a hypocrisy. Unfortunately people end up believing the onscreen persona more than that which is real.
Coming to the issue on hand however, the fact is, we are all normal human beings. We have thoughts that are wrong, ill or even sinful. The fact though is, most of us realise, that those thoughts are infact wrong, and keep them buried within or with ones closest to us, with a feeling of shame, only wanting lighten that burden. AK obviously has a different code, because he likes to think of himself as a thinking actor, and somehow has fallen into a category, where he believes, that all his, or his wife's thoughts(as is the case here) are worth loud mouthing. And that is where he was wrong. Why, they had these thoughts is not my concern, what is upsetting is, that they don't realise, that it is simply wrong. The biggest mistake ofcourse was to air it out in public. The backlash my dear AK, should have been well anticipated by you. These people are his fans, they follow every piece of news about him, and he enjoys the attention and adulation just as much. A simple example below, is from his Facebook page, where he talks about some injury.
Nobody would care if I fell down and broke my back for good, but that is not the case with a celebrity like him. The problem is, they want applause, not censure. Thankfully there are many Indians still, to whom the country is dearer than an actor, and that is why all hell has broken loose. That you and your wife discussed it, within the closed doors of your home, is upto you. But the mistake was, not realising what a horrible line of thought it is, and to have said it out aloud in public.
The very line of thought is ill, and even factually faulty. AK, is a Muslim, who has been married to two different Hindu women at various points in his life. He has the adulation of millions of fans, many of whom are non-Muslims, and have never ever differentiated him, or his movies based on his religion. That, he has been witness to some of the worst terrorist attacks, and communal riots in the city of Mumbai in the past and has found India intolerant in the recent few months, is just baffling. That is just falsehood, and deception. Bad thoughts, based on false facts, insulting the very people who are your fans, how did AK, ever expect anything but a huge backlash to that?
This has been a bad bad choice of words and ideas from the word go. And for a man who has earned his millions and lives on the adulation of a million fans the very first thing that he needs to do, is apologise. For having such pathetic thoughts in the first place, and then to air them in public. But this is what he said, instead -
And then he says, people are proving his point? If you call a man walking about, minding his own business on the street a bloody murderer who scares you to live in your house, you have to expect that man to be nothing less than Gautam Buddha to not say even a word in retaliation. And even if one of them was indeed Buddha, you have spoken to a million here.
He is not a social activist, or a man who works for the well being of the country or its people in anyway at all, and thus, his thoughts are nothing but that of an idle man on an armchair, who has nothing constructive to offer, but criticisms galore. And that is a dangerous man, with idle thoughts, thoughts that are very negative and degrading to the very country to which he belongs. He is neither a social worker or a philosopher, whose ideas count on this matter. So he would have done a lot better to keep his mouth shut, unless he had something good to say. Its a publicity stunt gone really really wrong, or it was just a simple act of pure stupidity. Personally I am inclined to believe that it is a well planned move, maybe with the aim of joining politics in the near future(making India more tolerant might be the slogan!) and it has been a very very bad move.
Everyone has the right to express their opinions, we all do, but when it is done irresponsibly, when your words are hurtful to the sentiments of millions of people, many of whom are their fans, by a public figure, there will be consequences. And AK, would be wiser to apologise for his ill spoken words. But he has chosen a different path, one that is most likely going to be his downfall.
AK is an actor, a really good one, from what I have seen of him on screen. His tactics to sell or make his movies, propaganda etc, are of no consequence, because that is his livelihood and he does what he needs to, to earn his money. That he might have not a penny to offer to charity from the millions he rakes in, even those from being on a program like Satyamev Jayate, based on social issues faced by India, is his personal choice. But that does portray a certain aspect of his personality, which is very different from what he likes to portray on the screen. The point being, when he is not in an imaginary scenario, like in the movies, but in a program like Satyamev Jayate, the portrayal of himself as AK, and not any imaginary character, and his reality being very different from what he portrays, brings in, a sense of duality, a hypocrisy. Unfortunately people end up believing the onscreen persona more than that which is real.
Coming to the issue on hand however, the fact is, we are all normal human beings. We have thoughts that are wrong, ill or even sinful. The fact though is, most of us realise, that those thoughts are infact wrong, and keep them buried within or with ones closest to us, with a feeling of shame, only wanting lighten that burden. AK obviously has a different code, because he likes to think of himself as a thinking actor, and somehow has fallen into a category, where he believes, that all his, or his wife's thoughts(as is the case here) are worth loud mouthing. And that is where he was wrong. Why, they had these thoughts is not my concern, what is upsetting is, that they don't realise, that it is simply wrong. The biggest mistake ofcourse was to air it out in public. The backlash my dear AK, should have been well anticipated by you. These people are his fans, they follow every piece of news about him, and he enjoys the attention and adulation just as much. A simple example below, is from his Facebook page, where he talks about some injury.
The very line of thought is ill, and even factually faulty. AK, is a Muslim, who has been married to two different Hindu women at various points in his life. He has the adulation of millions of fans, many of whom are non-Muslims, and have never ever differentiated him, or his movies based on his religion. That, he has been witness to some of the worst terrorist attacks, and communal riots in the city of Mumbai in the past and has found India intolerant in the recent few months, is just baffling. That is just falsehood, and deception. Bad thoughts, based on false facts, insulting the very people who are your fans, how did AK, ever expect anything but a huge backlash to that?
This has been a bad bad choice of words and ideas from the word go. And for a man who has earned his millions and lives on the adulation of a million fans the very first thing that he needs to do, is apologise. For having such pathetic thoughts in the first place, and then to air them in public. But this is what he said, instead -
And then he says, people are proving his point? If you call a man walking about, minding his own business on the street a bloody murderer who scares you to live in your house, you have to expect that man to be nothing less than Gautam Buddha to not say even a word in retaliation. And even if one of them was indeed Buddha, you have spoken to a million here.
He is not a social activist, or a man who works for the well being of the country or its people in anyway at all, and thus, his thoughts are nothing but that of an idle man on an armchair, who has nothing constructive to offer, but criticisms galore. And that is a dangerous man, with idle thoughts, thoughts that are very negative and degrading to the very country to which he belongs. He is neither a social worker or a philosopher, whose ideas count on this matter. So he would have done a lot better to keep his mouth shut, unless he had something good to say. Its a publicity stunt gone really really wrong, or it was just a simple act of pure stupidity. Personally I am inclined to believe that it is a well planned move, maybe with the aim of joining politics in the near future(making India more tolerant might be the slogan!) and it has been a very very bad move.
Everyone has the right to express their opinions, we all do, but when it is done irresponsibly, when your words are hurtful to the sentiments of millions of people, many of whom are their fans, by a public figure, there will be consequences. And AK, would be wiser to apologise for his ill spoken words. But he has chosen a different path, one that is most likely going to be his downfall.
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