Indian Idol

While discussing the issue of the then absconding 8216;Noob8217;, with a young man of 30, I was rather surprised when he dismissed off the entire debacle, saying, 8220;Oh come off it8230; get real. He only killed a black buck8230;not a man. What8217;s wrong with all you presswallahs? Stop moralising and over-reacting. There8217;s nothing all that terrible about Pataudi8217;s conduct. In his place, I8217;d have done the same, I would have used all my high-powered influence and every contact in my book, to save my ass.8221; His words made me stop dead in my tracks, 8220;only a black buck8221;, he8217;d said scornfully. I didn8217;t say it then but I want to say it now 8212; it isn8217;t only about a black buck. It is sorry, Manekaji about character.

A person in Pataudi8217;s elevated position is doomed to public scrutiny in good times and bad. Unfortunately, celebrities don8217;t get to pick. When the chips are down, the very fans who showered love and adulation over you, turn around and spit as swiftly. No matter what Pataudi does from this moment on, the black buck incident will leave an even blacker mark on his record. It will be said, to use a cricket cliche, 8216;8216;He didn8217;t play with a straight bat.8217;8217;

Regardless of how the case unfolds. Regardless of whatever facts are finally presented 8220;the fingerprints on the weapon are not his8230;8221; 8220;He wasn8217;t even present at the time8230;8221; 8220;It was someone else who pulled the trigger8230;8221;, all those of us who8217;ve admired the former cricket captain of the country for his dignified demeanour and aristocratic bearing, are going to turn around and say, 8220;This isn8217;t cricket, old chap.8221;

Another smart young person I spoke to came up with pretty much the same argument, 8220;Nothing is going to happen to Tiger. Does anything ever happen to rich and influential people in our country? Public memory is short. There will be a hoo-hah for a month or so, eventually the case will fall apart on some flimsy technical grounds. That8217;s how things work in India8230;8221; What a sad and cynical comment on a nation 8212; a democracy at that. But when one looks around at all the Fat Cats accused of far bigger crimes who nonchalantly party away, even as their respective cases drag on and on and on, for decades, the basic truth of the earlier comment, hits home forcefully.

Pataudi is minor player compared to some of the others. Look at the rich irony of a Sunjay Dutt being considered as a worthy successor to his late father8217;s Parliamentary seat! We all love Dutt and his Munnabhai character is as endearing as they come. But let8217;s face it, Dutt Jr ridiculously referred to as Sunju Baba by an adoring film press still faces extremely serious charges. Unless, of course, treason too is regarded as casually as a black buck shikar these days. As an accused in a bomb blast case, a case that involves the deaths of over 300 innocent citizens, how can any lady recommend or even consider him as a possible MP? Have we completely lost it?

The answer to that, alas, is 8216;yes8217;. Our vision is so blurred, we can no longer tell right from wrong. Which brings me back to Batman and Gotham City. In the eternal battle between good and evil, the good guys are losing. Pataudi may not be evil. And Sunjay Dutt too, has his virtues. It is not about these men. Or any of the people out there who8217;ve bent the rules and gotten away. It is about us. And the yardsticks we use to define and understand ourselves8230;civil society itself. As of now, the scenario looks pretty grim. I guess we will 8220;just have to wait for Batman to begin8221;.

Now that the Begum has also spoken 8212; sensibly and frankly 8212; it looks like the family has arrived at a joint decision. Critics will argue that they didn8217;t have much of a choice to begin with. True enough. Unfortunately, the Pataudis have not exactly endeared themselves to their core fan base 8212; substantial, by any standards. A case of celebrities taking their fame and position entirely for granted, perhaps? Pity, given that every member of the family has received extraordinarily generous treatment from the public so far. The only reason young Soha Ali Khan has bagged modelling and movie assignments is on account of her lineage. It is said that Sharmila8217;s recent appointment as Censor Board chief too, had more to do with her name and closeness to the current power-brokers than any defining qualifications. As for the estranged son, Saif Ali Khan, just as his career seems to be on an upswing with critical acclaim for his role in Parineeta, along comes his father8217;s run-in with the law.

Why is everyone baying for Pataudi8217;s blood? Is it because people like to pull their idols down? Most observers will say, 8220;Oh8230; everybody is jealous of celebrities and their lifestyles. Nobody enjoys another8217;s success.8221; Partially true. But the flip side is that celebrityhood comes with a price tag. Nobody grudges this exclusive club its many privileges. But when members give the impression of being callous and uncaring towards public sentiment, then these privileges are instantly forfeited. The aam janata feels cheated and taken for a ride. Trial by media? Absolutely. Pre-judging someone without enough evidence? Definitely. But that8217;s the difference between being born a Pataudi and an anonymous poacher. At least, in the latter8217;s case one could argue he8217;s doing it for money. Big shots like Mansur Ali Khan do it for the love of the sport. Sure. But mainly because they can! Well, he8217;s just found out he can8217;t. He shouldn8217;t. That must hurt. Poor Pataudi. Maybe he8217;ll finally wake up and smell the coffee. Hope those guys at the cop station knew how to brew a decent cup!

The writer is the author of several best-sellers