April 26, 2017 12:24 AM IST
First published on: Apr 26, 2017 at 12:24 AM IST
It challenges established and dominant notions of identity that divide human beings into religious groups, categorising and circumscribing their thoughts, their feelings, their ways of life, in definitions that become of deadly iron.
It is one of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s shortest, simplest and strongest performances. Appearing in a video just over one minute in length, the actor holds up a series of placards; these read, in succession: “I got a DNA test done. The result showed I was 16.66 per cent Hindu, 16.66 per cent Muslim…”, covering Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and world religions too. With each placard, Siddiqui wears stereotypical “markers” — a Hindu caste daub, a Muslim sherwani-topi, a Sikh turban, Buddhist robes. At the end, a placard concludes: “When I discovered my soul, I found that I am a 100 per cent artist”. Saying no lines, Nawazuddin’s video says a lot, for it speaks against power at several levels.
It challenges established and dominant notions of identity that divide human beings into religious groups, categorising and circumscribing their thoughts, their feelings, their ways of life, in definitions that become of deadly iron. That Siddiqui should speak out is particularly powerful — and poignant — given that last Dussehra, he was reportedly denied the chance to play Maarich in his village Ramleela simply because he is a Muslim. Now, with eyes that speak and a mouth that smiles in irony, Nawazuddin nudges gently at the idea that anyone is denied the right to express himself, in the way he chooses to, simply because of his religion. This is a powerful statement: It challenges all forms of identity politics, and its exclusions. While broad in its anti-establishment sweep, it also challenges a specific current climate, where individuals are being excluded, targeted, even killed, because of their religious identity.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
Nawazuddin also takes a stand against Bollywood’s long stand — of not taking a stand. Most Bollywood personalities remain aware of the investments riding on them. A word out of place — Aamir Khan lost his Snapdeal endorsement simply by musing aloud on intolerance — can provoke a ruinous backlash. In the past, art-house artists spoke up on current events, commercial stars mostly limited to making a song and dance on screen. But Nawazuddin, an actor who straddles both kinds of cinema, challenges that dichotomy too. The little video is also remarkable for it shows Bollywood getting real. By evoking Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur’s recent placard-protest, Nawazuddin deftly doffs his hat to an audience he is watching. It is this ability — of speaking, listening, being excluded, being expressive, turning loneliness to solidarity, meeting fear with eternal hope — that makes Nawazuddin a 100 per cent artist.
