Fauji vs Sena

Why would anyone want to rock the boat? The relationship that the Mumbai film industry has traditionally had with the various Senas and other goonda-politicos that blot the citys landscape has been cosy,even chummy. Generally,the film types try to stay under the radar. And,everywhere,theres the slightly sickly smell of whats known but unspoken that,if the celebs dont play along,a couple of tough guys will turn up and close down their next movie. It seems to work,right? Why change?

Which is why Shah Rukh Khans refusal to back down is inspiring. The Shiv Sena had taken umbrage to his saying that the IPL in which Khan has an interest in the Kolkata franchisee should have ensured participation by Pakistani players. This incensed the Sena,which is accustomed to having things all its own way: in a familiar pattern,posters for Khans new movie were torn down,and owners of movie theatres intimidated. Equally familiarly,the police did not clamp down on the violence. On previous occasions,this would have led to a spineless climbdown,a public apology,perhaps even a pilgrimage to Matoshree to beg forgiveness. Karan Johar,for example,bent over backwards to placate Raj Thackeray when he objected to Wake Up Sid being set in Bombay: apologising in person and promising changes in the script,as well as in all future scripts. On this occasion,however,the spines seem to have stiffened,not bent. Aamir Khan backed Shah Rukh over the weekend,saying that the point of the IPL was to select players based on ability,not ancestry. And Shah Rukh himself came out with all guns blazing in New York,saying that the Senas attempt at intimidation was unhealthy,undemocratic and insensitive. My Name is Khans first-weekend numbers may hang in the balance,but its clear that Shah Rukh has his eyes on another battle.

We can only hope that this is the start of a filmi insurgency. After all,thats the power of celebrity: a podium from which you can sometimes change the national,or regional,conversation. How many icons can the thugs take on? The Senas derive an inflated sense of power by their rumoured capacity to disrupt a targets legitimate business. But each time a Shah Rukh Khan,or a Mukesh Ambani,or a Sachin Tendulkar stares them down and goes about business as usual,the thugs are rendered that much less fearsome.