I am an Indian, says SRK

GROUND ZERO

HIS NAME UNFORTUNATELY IS KHAN

His name unfortunately is Khan. In this increasingly xenophobic worldthat is the cross he has to bear. What is alarming is that for mostpart civil society has chosen to maintain a deafening silence on thisissue. In an atmosphere where there is pall of fear over the city,perhaps this silence is understandable. So, if Amitabh Bachchan wastargeted by one Thackeray, Shahrukh Khan is being targeted by another.Both practice the politics of hate and divisiveness. But that is notthe subject matter of this treatise. The fact that creative people areat the receiving end of this hate campaign is what is more worrying.
I might be a bad actor, a bad team owner, a bad businessman; but I aman Indian. My integrity is non negotiatble. These are some of thesnatches of SRK's recent interviews and tweets. Here are some more - Inthe depth of winter, I finally learned that within me, there lay aninvincible summer. Albert Camus writes...There is no sun withoutshadow and it is essential to know the night. And then probably themost damaging and devastating, where Khan must be posing existentialistquestions about his own being - Nationality - Indian. Born in - NewDelhi. Owe everything to - Mumbai. Loves - My country India, my familyand freedom. Desire - Entertain all.
Then why is this Khan being targeted? Simply because as an IPL teamowner he decided to make his frustration and anger well known aboutnot purchasing Pakistani cricketers during the IPL auction on January19. Actually, Khan broke the prevailing law of omerta which bound thevarious franchise owners. There was obviously some sort of tacitunderstanding between the eight owners in that no one would bid forPakistani players. After a couple of days, Khan broke the code ofsilence. And this is costing him. Remember that fifty percent of allbox office revenues in India come from Greater Mumbai and NationalCapital Region Delhi. The emergence of multiplexes has ensured thatthe mathematics of box office collections has been altered indeliblyover the last few years. So, Rupert Murdoch's Fox Searchlight, KaranJohar's Dharma Productions and Shahrukh Khan's Red ChilliesEntertainment is getting hit where it hurts.
From all accounts and this is culled from film frat conversations, MyName is Khan was certain to get a gangbuster opening. Many expected itto match the recent 3 Idiots punch for punch. In any case, SRK filmsgenerate immense curiousity and get big bang openings because of thestar and promotional power of SRK himself. But this movie was livingup to its billing because of the senstivity that it had displayed.Which brings me back to my pet peeve. I know that I defended mediarecently on these pages because I felt that Lalit Modi or a Ram GopalVarma could not pick needlessly on media to paper over their owninadequacies; but didn't media, in the main news telly once againoverplay its hand this time too. By going ballistic on My Name is Khanand the Sena's opposition to SRK's comments on Pakistan players, itallowed the problem to magnify into something with gargantuanproportions. The result is that the Sena knew that it was gettingmileage for its tactics and because SRK's film MNIK was to be releasedso close to the IPL player auction, it allowed them political space tobounce back from the fringes. The Sena's eclipse after a drubbing inthe elections didn't leave it too much space to manoeuvre. SRK becamea hot button subject. Hence the Sena's rebound.
By feeding that frenzy, media has given Sena that much more ammo tolaunch a virtual blockade of the film. The threat of intimidation andphysical intimidation at that makes the best of us baulk. On Thursdayevening, the Dharma Productions office became the hub ofconfabulations. Between 6 pm and 10.30 pm, there was no real consensusemerging from the deliberations. The fear factor had paralysed one andall. Multiplex owners feared damage as did malls where these screenswere present. As were the shop owners within the malls who had nothingto do with the movie per se, but due to the proximity to the screens,they feared arson and vandalism. When Fox Searchlight's tersestatement finally appeared as late as 11 pm, it didn't offer anyclarity.
The sad part is that this Khan is being targeted because his name isKhan. If his name was Kapoor, Sharma or Jain, would he have suffered this fateis something that we need to ask ourselves as Indians? SRK is as muchan Indian as all of us. I don't think we ever doubted that. So, whyshould he suffer? In a democracy, free and fair speech is allowed. SRKdid not say anything blasphemous, nor did he say anything antinational. I might not agree with SRK on Pakistani playersparticipating in IPL, but will I stop watching his films? The answeris an emphatic no. Yes, I can argue that why did SRK agree to bend inthe face of the pressure from other team owners while not bidding forPakistani players? As a team owner, he could have broken ranks and bidfor the player of his choice, but he didn't. Instead he went withShane Bond, a New Zealander. He could have bid for Mohd Aamer or UmarGul, equally good fast bowlers.
In all this drama, the role of the Congress-NCP government inMaharashtra needs to be examined. ET in a very strong editorial lineon the issue put things into perspective and noted - Maharashtra chiefminister Ashok Chavan may well have decreed that Shiv Sena workerswould not be allowed to run riot at cinema halls showing ShahrukhKhan’s movie, My name is Khan. He must, however, be resolute and putdown such strong arm tactics with force. It is not enough to deployhome guards at some cinemas. What is under attack is not cinema butthe idea of India as a composite democracy. To allow the attackers anyleeway is to fail to defend Indian democracy . After seemingly endlessbuckling down to one form of chauvinism or another, at least one majorpolitical leader has dared to call the Shiv Sena’s bluff. And thatleader, Rahul Gandhi, happens to be Mr Chavan’s leader as well. Thechief minister has a choice before him: to follow up on what Mr Gandhisaid, with administrative action on the ground, or to fall in linebehind Mr Sharad Pawar, who appeased the Shiv Sena chief by beseechinghim to spare Australian players who take part in the Indian PremierLeague. The chief minister must deploy the entire might of the stateto defend democracy against chauvinism operating as organisedthuggery. If necessary, he must raise the ante and take the battledirectly to the Sena leadership, rather than merely act against itsfootsoldiers, who behave as if they have a birthright to run Mumbai asthey like.
Some might quibble that taking on the Sena about its hostility tonorth Indians is not the same thing as defending Shahrukh Khan’spenchant for Pakistani players in IPL. As a team owner, Mr Khan hadthe opportunity to bid for Pak players and chose not to; so when hecries foul later, it rings hollow. The point is not Khan, on or offthe screen. It is that the Sena cannot be allowed to take the law intoits own hands and impose its will on the rest of the populace. Homeminister RR Patil’s actions will speak for where his mentor Mr Pawarstands on defending the idea of India. Mr Chavan’s actions will tellthe nation whether he has it in him to be a chief minister. The peopleand government must collectively show that democracy will prevail overorganised violence."
The role of Sharad Pawar also needs to be investigated. Rahul Gandhi'swhirlwind trip to Mumbai cocked a snook at the Sena. The groundbeneath their feet had slipped, but by visiting Matoshree ostensiblyto broker peace over IPL security for Aussie players, Pawar allowedthe Sena to recoil. By asking SRK to apologise for his IPL remarks,Sena has managed to make a comeback. The politics of hate is onceagain centrestage. It is the battle over price rise at the centrebetween the Congress and the NCP boss Pawar that has spilled over toMumbai. And it is this nuance of the Pawar versus Congress joust thathas been captured by Mail Today's editorial which makes forinteresting reading. It said, "It is sad that the Shiv Sena and actorSRK may have become mere pawns in the greater conflict that is beingfought at Battleground Mumbai. The campaign that the Sena beganagainst the movie MNIK following Mr Khan's statement that he wantedPakistani players in his IPL cricket team seems to have spilled overinto something bigger - that is, a battle between NCP leader Pawar andthe Congress party. Hence, the Congress party which runs the stategovernment in Maharashtra with the NCP needs to put its foot down ontwo issues. One, that the Shiv Sena with its mindless chauvanismcannot hold a city to ransom. And, two as law and order is a statesubject in our federal structure, it will have to protect the city'sresidents at all costs from the violence that could be precipitated.Both Pawar and Bal Thackeray are past masters at the politics ofopportunism, and if ever an issue was needed to deflect public opinionfrom other pressing issues such as price rise and internal security,this is it. After all, it involves India's best known film star and itinvolves cricket, India's unofficial national sport."
By living and working for 16 years in Mumbai, a city known for itskinetic energy, I always considered myself a Mumbaikar. So besottedwas I with the city's culture and energy that I wrote what manyconsider a seminal work on Mumbai cricket - Guts & Glory:The BombayCricket Story in 2001. It was an anecdotal journey about Mumbaicricket, carved out from conversations with everyone from Madhavmantri to Ajit Wadekar to Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar. Ittraced the genesis of the cricketing powerhouse as all the cricketersturned raconteurs poured their memories and hearts out to me. The bookpublished by Rupa & Co was my ode to the city that I loved immensely.To further my professional career, I came back the same year to thecity that I grew up in - Delhi, joining Hindustan Times. Strangely thebook was released soon after I returned to Delhi; by one of Mumbai'smost famous sons - Sunil Gavaskar - in the capital. Now when I readabout the practioners of this politics of hate and their handiwork, Iwonder whether this is the same Mumbai that I left behind.