‘Why Aamir Khan is more dangerous than Zakir Naik?–was the headline of an article on a pro-Sangh Parivar web portal the other day. Aamir Khan aka Muhammad Aamir Hussain Khan is an actor who has already marked his personality in Hindi cinema with his artistry. His film ‘Lal Singh Chadha’, produced by his own Aamir Khan Productions, in which he acted as the lead actor, is slated to release on August 11. There is now a massive social media campaign against the film. Hashtags containing messages such as Boycott Aamir Khan, Boycott Lal Singh Chadha, Boycott Bollywood are widely shared on social media sites including Twitter. But none of these campaigns are clear as to why the film should be boycotted. Pro-Sangh Parivar handles are at the forefront of the campaign. ‘Lal Singh Chadha’ is being made as a remake of the 1994 Hollywood film ‘Forrest Gump’. It is common in the industry to remake films that have already been released or released in other regions. After acquiring the remake rights from the owners of ‘Forrest Gump’, the work of ‘Lal Singh Chadha’ will begin. Criticism that ‘Lal Singh Badda’ is a copy of ‘Forrest Gump’ was already rising in the film world. There is no big deal in accusing a remake movie of plagiarism. Now, if it is indeed a problem, why not raise that criticism and call for a boycott of the actor and Bollywood as a whole? It is there that some other agenda has to be seen to be implemented.
The Sangh Parivar already has a grudge against Bollywood. One of the reasons for that hatred is that three Muslim actors, whom they describe as Khantrayam, are at the top of the industry. If you look at Bollywood, it remains a secular space. It is not an industry that moves according to the cultural goals of the Sangh Parivaram. Bollywood is unique in being a secular space that represents India’s innate diversity and tolerance. Hence, it is their plan to denigrate Bollywood and destroy its credibility. The recent drug case against Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and its aftermath is the most recent example. Remember the Narcotics Control Bureau led raids targeting a child. The National Investigative Agencies went after the young man with such a ruthless intelligence. Later it was proved that everything was just a hoax.
Aamir Khan’s statement the other day should make anyone think. I am an Indian and a lover of India; Imagine a situation where a world-renowned Indian artist has to come in front of the media and beg, please don’t boycott my film. The campaign against ‘Lalsingh Chadha’ is not because there are any anti-Hindutva messages in its content. Just because it’s an Aamir Khan film. In 2015, Aamir Khan made a statement that intolerance is spreading in India. Aamir’s then wife Kiran Rao had also said that she was thinking of leaving India for the future of her children. Since then, Hindutvadis have been constantly sharing their hatred for Aamir. The campaign against Lal Singh Chadha can only be seen as a continuation of that.
In recent times, there has been a spate of biopic films inciting hysterical nationalism and lampooning the Hindu kings and warriors of yesteryear. Ajay Devgn’s ‘Tanhaji’, which recently won the National Award for Best Actor, belongs to that category. Devgn deserves the award for his acting in the said movie. Akshay Kumar, who settled in Canada, is another favorite filmmaker of Hindutva fans. They are the ones who release films that generate extreme nationalism and hatred for Muslim dynasties in India. The fact that such films fail at the box office despite the support of the Sangh Parivar must be troubling them.
Bollywood is India’s mirror to the world. The reception of Bollywood movies in foreign countries is amazing. In another sense, Bollywood is an important export commodity and soft power of India. But what a bad arrangement when the people of the ruling party come forward to destroy it just because it does not jibe with their views!