Stars redefine roles, but has media lost the plot?

There8217;s nothing wrong with Aamir8217;s cause but in some ways, he, Salman and the media, which can8217;t have enough of celebrities, could do with some restraint

Big moments it is said occur only in retrospect. When one is going through them, they are mere obstacles one is trying to overcome.

This is true in the case of Aamir Khan. Two years ago the actor was introduced to the Narmada Bachao Andolan by his filmmaker cousin Mansoor Khan. Instinctly drawn but not in the mindframe to commit himself, Aamir waited and watched the growing agitation from a distance. As seasons changed and a new order came into his personal life, Aamir was ready to make a commitment. He had become sensitised and stated that he would support Medha Patkar and the movement irrespective of the consequences.

The issue here is not whether celebrities help or hinder a cause but whether celebrities making a living out of a different profession have the right to jeopardise interests of those associated with them. That the pro-Narmada dam activists have pulled down posters and stalled the screening of Aamir8217;s Rang De Basanti all over Gujarat and called for a boycott of products endorsed by him Coca-Cola, Innova Toyota cars, including freeze of advertisements featuring the actor on the big and the small screen, is an alarming indicator.

Like all budding activists Aamir today stands at a crucial junction in his life. On one side is his commitment to his profession. On the other, a newfound ideology. The actor is at liberty to choose his path but not before he has revised his ground rules and clarified them to his investors advertisement and filmmakers.

Until then, for the actor to throw caution to the wind and gamble with the business prospects of professionals who have trusted his brand image is both unethical and self-indulgent.

The Aftermath

Crusades are usually championed after the victim suffers a trauma. This is true of Salman Khan. I8217;m not going to waste any further newsprint on the whys and what happened with Salman Khan. It is no more about dates8212;1998, 2000 or 2002. Nor about targets8212;Chinkara, black buck or pavement dwellers, all are a blur now. It is about the aftermath and about self-examination. I recommend it to his fans, family, lawyer, the police, hospital security and most important the media.

In the olden days a hero was one who did heroic deeds. His followers revered him for his virtues. Today, a hero is one who is in the news and his distinction is in his charisma.

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Then the common man prided in remaining anonymous. Today he is desperate for that one glimpse in print or on camera. Be it a late legend funeral or a superstar home-coming, the fan is forever overstating his loyalty. On the other hand, the actor8217;s family for some mysterious reason has begun to underplay their role and responsibility. Writer Salim Khan will agree with me that his son could have been more subdued in his home-bound journey.

It8217;s distressing that nobody any longer exercises any restraint. There is no pride or sanctity of profession. How else would you explain a responsible jail superintendent discuss the excitement amongst staff children at Jodhpur jail to have a superstar amidst them? Why should a private conversation shared between two inmates be leaked out for a sensational story? Not just that, don8217;t Salman8217;s lawyers understand that it is premature to make pompous statements like 8216;8216;we got justice8217;8217; when the actor is only out on bail and the case hasn8217;t closed? It8217;s shallow of the hospital security hosting the actor8217;s mother Salma Khan to complain about extra working hours due to celebrity guests. Shouldn8217;t they be resolving these issues in-house?

As for Salman, it8217;s a positive sign that he intends to take constructive action like improving conditions of jail toilets and contributing money to decrease his inmate8217;s term of imprisonment, but does he have to make such dramatic statements? Also granted that he was overwhelmed by cheering fans outside his balcony but does that justify stripping his shirt and flinging it to the crowds like he is not out of jail but at a live concert?

And finally, the media. It8217;s embarrassing the way they get into details about the actor8217;s clothes8212;vest, cap, shopping bag. His escorts8212;brother, sister, girlfriend, bodyguard. And vehicles8212;Land Cruiser and later charter plane. They insensitively identify Barrack No. 210 occupied by the actor as a status symbol. Is this what we have reduced our front page headlines to?

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Twenty-five years ago, when I became a film journalist, film glossies were chided for thriving on star trivialities. The mainstream coined our brand of journalism 8216;8216;yellow8217;8217;. Over the years, while the mainstream, in its greed to conquer greater readership, has transformed to a blazing red, cinema journals have demurely paled in comparison.