In the early ’90s, before online fake news had taken the world by storm and print magazines had a wide readership, a group of heavyweights got together to give entertainment journalists a lesson.
Bharati S. Pradhan
Published on September 6, 2015 at 10:10 AM
Recent events have once again proven that whenever a man, be he a political leader or a superstar, begins to believe that divinity has entered within him, a force from above descends upon him and reminds him that he too is merely human.
In the early ’90s, before online fake news had taken the world by storm and print magazines had a widespread readership, a group of leading actors came together to teach entertainment journalists a lesson. Everyone has the right to decide whether or not to give interviews, but a small group of actors has no power to make the entire industry follow their lead. Led by Anupam Kher (who must now be ashamed of the roles he played), Sanjay Dutt, and Salman Khan (two perpetually angry, entitled celebrities), the actors rallied under the Screen Actors Guild, chaired by the eloquent and formidable Amjad Khan.
It might have worked if the disgruntled actors had stuck to peace talks that laid out ground rules to curb yellow journalism. But they vowed to down the shutters of all film magazines and throw all journalists out of work and onto the streets. This role of playing God is what destroyed them.
Sadly, Amjad Khan died of a heart attack. A fatal car accident in 1976 left him permanently disabled. The slender thug in military uniform with an iron bar in his leg and immobile was described as “Yes, that’s right, that’s not right Gabar “Yeah, I guess so.” He gained weight and by 1992 he was frequently out of breath.
The movement lost momentum. Mithun Chakraborty tried to replace him, but then came the Babri Masjid, the sectarian riots, the Bombay bombings and Dutt’s arrest. No one could have foreseen any of this. But it was a reminder that neither Khan, nor Kale, nor Dutt had the power to put a community out of work.
More recently, a less severe sentence was given to Shah Rukh Khan for his 2023 reboot, but after doing away with traditional promotion and manipulating box office numbers to give it cult status. pattern and JawanBut he wasn’t satisfied. A press conference organised to celebrate his success turned into such a rowdy fan club event that SRK blocked the media. No one could even ask him an inoffensive question. SRK could have simply done away with the ‘press conference’ call, but he succumbed to the desire to humiliate and corner him further.
No doubt, SRK’s superstardom can survive without the need to entertain traditional media. But when he does appear in Rajkumar Hirani’s Dankihe failed to achieve the same box office success. pattern and Jawan.
Attempting a godly hat-trick can be humbling. As the saying goes, “Just wait without saying anythingLast week, X revealed the poster of Junaid’s debut film. Maharaj It has been released. Instead of appreciating the film after its release, the lead actor’s surname seems to be bothering some quarters. One post read, “Aamir Khan passes the baton of a film based on the 1862 Missionary assassination case ‘Maharaja Defamation Case’ to his son that attacks Hindus, praises the British/Colonial justice system as great reformers and denigrates the Pushtimarga Sampradaya. (sic).”
The New York-based writer said, “…look at the evil-faced Brahmin wearing a tilak on the poster. Vaishnavism, who prioritises service, is bound to be demonised. Yet no Khan will make a film on the unspeakable atrocities being perpetrated on madrasa boys…Can we come together and sink this awful piece of shit at the box office? (sic).”
No. Get used to that idea. No one can play God, not on the campaign trail, not at the box office.
Bharati S Pradhan is a senior journalist and author.
