By Kanika Kalra
When the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) decided to ban Pakistani artists and technicians, I was in complete agreement with them.
Sure, I appreciate the sentiment behind, when people argue that art shouldn’t have any boundaries and that politics shouldn’t affect Bollywood. But if Pakistani artists refuse to see terror attacks for what they are and condemn them, why should we offer them employment in our country?
If you can condemn terror in Paris and Istanbul, why is Uri an exception? If you truly feel that your country was justified in allowing the attacks to happen, how dare you come running to our big budget producers for fame?
But, that was then. Back then, the IMPPA had assured us that this decision would not affect films that have nearly finished production. It turns out they did not really have enough authority to offer any such assurances.
Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) on Friday announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artists in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. The IMPPA can do nothing about this decision.
The problem with this ban is that it defies all manner of logic. You want to be patriotic? How is sending Indian producers into major losses patriotic? The actors you are protesting against? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but those actors have already been paid. It is not they who will suffer from this ban, it is our very own producers.
Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Fawad Khan in a supporting role will be the first film to bear the brunt of this ban.
Karan John hired the Pakistani actor and filmed the movie long before Indo-Pak relations went down the drain. How is it fair that he has to suffer monetary losses just because he did not foresee a problem that nobody else did?
On 25 December 2015, PM Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to the Pakistani PM using Indian tax-payers’ money. Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I remember, that visit was greatly appreciated. I was one of the people who felt proud that our country had the diplomacy to extend a hand of friendship, no matter how many times Pakistan had turned it down.
However, after the Uri attacks, PM Modi did not apologize for wasting our money. And nobody asked him to. Do you know why? Because it’s stupid to blame people for something they couldn’t possibly have foreseen.
Anurag Kashyap did a great job of articulating this on Twitter :
The World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 15 October 2016
@narendramodi Sir you haven’t yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 16 October 2016
@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent??
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 16 October 2016
@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 16 October 2016
@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don’t get it. Sorry if you feel offended..
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 16 October 2016
Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) 16 October 2016
I mean, okay, you’ll say nobody’s really asking Karan Johar to apologize for hiring Fawad Khan. But, regardless, he is going to suffer the repercussions, isn’t he?
It is not entirely the COEAI’s fault either. They are afraid they might have to face vandalism in their theatres if they allow the screening of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. They, too, will suffer losses by making this decision, but they would rather risk monetary losses than the threat of physical violence. Talk about a rock and a hard place!
The problem, then, lies in public mentality, which works something like this :
This movie stars Fawad Khan, Fawad Khan is Pakistani, we hate Pakistan, therefore let’s throw stones at the screen.
Yeah, because that’s perfectly sound logic that will yield productive results. It’s like putting logic in a blender, then flying it up to zero gravity and throwing the blended goop in space.
We, as a nation, need to calm the hell down. We need to stop letting our whims and mood swings dictate decisions that have real consequences.
To a large extent, the media is responsible for shaping public sentiment. There is such a thing called agenda-setting. So, maybe the media should take a step back, understand their responsibility, and think about the repercussions of what they report and how they report it. Both our nations are in a tedious situation right now. If we’re not careful, we could go tumbling down the abyss to a point of no return.
It’s time to shake yourself awake. Nothing good ever comes out of mob-justice. Logical, orderly decisions are the only way out of this chaos. As far-fetched as the idea might sound, maybe it’s time we started using our brains for the originally intended purpose – thinking. Trust me, it can do wonders.
You’d also like to read :
http://edtimes.in/2016/05/chabahr-port-pact-between-india-iran/
