SRK - A blog that rediff would not publish

Back in August, on the 13th to be exact, I wrote the following blog on rediff.com. A maelstrom ensued and within 12 hours the blog was deleted. Muslims were up in arms because I dared ask one of theirs if India or Islam came first, and liberal Hindus were aghast that I asked a Muslim such a question and because I asked I was branded a RSS/ VHP/ Hindu hardliner. A handful said "Go, man", but they too were shouted down. And many were just shocked that I dared question a super star.

NO ONE, repeat NO ONE, touched upon the interview that prompted the blog to start with. I haven't touched rediff since, as I have trouble handling loud mouth ignorants - one of whom definitely is that Thapar fella on TV.

Sulekha seems a much more refined crowd, so here it is again, with an assurance that I do not hate Muslims, just as I do not love Hindus - I just can't stand terrorists and their implicit and explicit backers.
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August 13, 2007. Vancouver

Yesterday we thought about watching Chak De. Being in the USA/ Canada Bollywod films are one of our main connections with India.

Checking for movie reviews online we came across Shahrukh Khan's interview with Rajeev Masand in which Shahrukh Khan said that " I believe in the educated Islamic sect, I belong to it and educated Muslim people are the nicest people in the world. That is my religion and I would like to propagate that through my film without shoving it down your throat"

That made us curious about his general leanings, and especially since an Indian recently attacked Glasgow Airport in an Islamic terrorist attack India needs to know what does her leading Star think of Indians' involvement in Islamic Jihad.

Then we wondered since the extremist Mullahs are recruiting impressionable Muslims in the Netherlands, and France, UK, Pakistan and India preaching hate and violence under the garb of "Islam under threat" rhetoric, what does Shahrukh Khan have to say about India that has allowed him and other Muslims like Azim Premji, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Zakir Hussein, Dilip Kumar, Mansoor Ali Khan Patuadi, Vice President Ansari immense success? Why does he not tell the world that Islam is not under threat and that Muslims' talent and hard work is rewarded - even in a Hindu majority country.

Shahrukh Khan says he likes to propagate messages then why not propagate the message about leaving the walled cities, and coming out in to the open to seek modern education and be a part of a progressive society? Why not use his immense star appeal to propagate value of reason, objectivity, hard work, peace and emancipation to those vulnerable and in the clutches of criminal terrorist breeders?

As a public figure who owes his fame and wealth to his fans, majority of whom are Hindu - simply because his fan base is Indian and India is a Hindu majority country - he needs to clarify his stand on India and Islam, lest the Islamic hate mongers take his statement as support for their acts of terror and death to the innocent. And Hindus need to know how Shahrukh Khan balances his religion and patriotism so our questions are:

1. What is Shahrukh Khan's (SRK's) stand on and definition of Islamic Jihad
2. Why has SRK not used his image and immense reach to dispel lies about Islam under threat by telling the Muslim world about his own and the successes of other hard working Muslims in India and abroad.
3. What is SRK's position on destruction of Hindu temples by Muslim terrorists - at what point is there a justification to destroy a temple,
4. Why has SRK not taken a public stand against attacks on Indian Parliament and recent Mumbai Train blasts, and since he has not, in the event of an Al Qaeda attack against India or a war with Pakistan will he be a Muslim or an Indian first - simply put will he be for India or with India's Muslim enemies
5. Does Shahrukh Khan support India's demand for extradition of Dawood Ibrahim and does he also support India's stand on Kashmir

We as Indians and we as Hindus demand answers from him not only as a man who owes all he has to the Indian public but also to understand the mind of a member of the educated Islamic sect, as he calls himself.

And if SRK refuses to answer then we say that India and Hindus boycott his Films, Stage and TV shows until he tells us who he is as a man, Indian and Muslim.

We did. We have not gone for Chak De, and shan't spend our money or time till we know who we are spending our time and money on.

On Shanti Om

On a windy Saturday night Nidhi, her Mum and I went to see Om Shanti Om in Kirkland - no it's not the hometown of Captain Kirk.

The dark night hovered over dark lifeforms - including us 3 lest the reader take this as a racial remark. And a line of bobbing dark (haired) heads extended 20 yards - point is it was long - from the ticket window, in which sat Mishu - one of the owners, and a good guy, without whom there'd be no MasalaMovies in the Seattle metro area - accepting payments, printing tickets like a ticket machine (with a smile).

It was a full house. Full of young Indians, each comfortable, confident being who they were - quite evident that most were from India, hence devoid of visible confusion and audible accent that comes with being Indian of US origin.

Why these smart, hip people were watching a film starring a middle aged, janata (जनता), anything but hip or smart guy remains a mystery even right now, but enough of this!!

Then the show started. Roadside Romeo looks great, and puts another feather in the cap of Aditya Chopra - the man's vision is phenomenal, his courage amazing, and that starting with DDLJ he has reinvented Yashraj Films, his success matches the success of Shining India (I get carried away with stuff like that, so please let's not get me going about Kishore Biyani). Dus Kahaniyan seems interestingly gritty and Jodha Akbar is a stunning vast moving landscape shimmering with heat and light and people in armor and finery. Beautiful - should be India's entry in a foreign festival.

Om Shanti Om roared to a start with Rishi Kapoor as a singing prop (singing Om Shanti Om) to introduce our hero, and also to associate the name with a phenomenally popular tune. It's a very clever idea. Rishi Kappor rocked on a revolving record wearing a ridiculous white outfit that only he can carry (which I secretly wish to wear when Karz was released)

Then we meet the remaining populace of OSO - spunky, warm and funny mother, supporting, believing friend, and another prop - very pretty prop - Shanti played with required vacuousness by Deepika Padukone. She is very leggy, with a very nice tummy which isn't wash-board flat (Om's is - and artificially at that - meaning everything from surgery and ass breaking work-out), and a sculpted face (Shanti's) with prominent cheekbones, big dark eyes, and a nice full mouth.

So stuff happens, Om is quite boring - when he asks a billboard if it/ she billboard is bored I wanted to say, "fuckin' bored man, and frankly you sound retarded talking in public in broad day light to a billboard".

Point is Om is an aspiring actor, product of aspiring actors (one since deceased), in love with a top Star. Friend and Mother encourage his foolish fantasies with doses of realism like changing his name. Then Om saves Shanti from a burning set, and goes on to sing a song to her in a massive movie set which he can't afford, but reality this is a movie - point is by this time:

sets are ugly
music is passe
AND
choreography is mundane - what the fuck? It's a film directed by India's top choreographer and she isn't doing Chhaiya Chhaiya here?

Then Om cannot save Shanti from another burning movie set, set on fire by a man who when on screen with our Om is a great comparison in acting and over acting - okay no one is saying Arjun Rampal is a Robert De Niro or even Keshto Mukerjee - but he displayes an economy of expression whereas Shahrukh Khan goes into paroxysm of facial twitches, most unattractive of which is the droopy smile which makes his lower lip look massive.

Shanti dies, Om does too, the movie continues. By this time some people including my Sweetest Darling has found much mirth in the scene where Om is playing (man who can't pay his chai bill, rents another studio locale and extras to play an actor to impress Shanti - but it's a movie so let's go along with it) - though "naughty pussy" was funny.

Then Om is reborn. Looks 39 acts 19. Then without rhyme or reason he takes his shirt off and keeps it off while women throw water at him in buckets. So we see his abs, pity did not get to see the glutes.

By this time its evident that this is a vehicle to re brand SRK as a sexy, macho male of Bollywood. Deepika is a prop, sets are a prop, even dancing is, nothing can take viewers' attention away from his body, his face, his dialogue delivery - nothing, His wife didn't produce this for nothing. This is to pit SRK against Salman and Hritik who have monopolized baring bulging chests and biceps giving many an Indian women a naughty thrill down there. So its SRK's turn to turn sexy - he's not a middle class guy with lower middle class looks but a raging sex symbol with an amazing body which we get to see lots of times - wet, shining body too. And what a great present to give oneself - a sexy image. Though he is quite unintelligent when it comes to talking and acting (behaving included).

By this time new Om has found he is old Om so finds old Mum and Buddy and wants to avenge Shanti's death, and luckily the killer is still alive and within reach so drama begins to snare him (killer) in a trap of bad, garish sets, bad costumes and mediocre score. Bad man is smart but is outsmarted by super natural so is not only trapped but also killed. Then, oh yes, the new Shanti now called Sandy is either laid or laid off by Om and family (I don't remember).

Only redeeming feature of the film is the opening and the closing in which the crew got to make an appearance. Most irritating part of the film is Om - overly overacting in 2nd part.

Someone should tell him that baring chests doesn't make stars. Fabio is good for that. DeNiro, Brando, Hoffman and Bachchan are made with talent, and an image that doesn't erode with age because they find scripts that allow them to act their age.

Imagine Nicholson acting 40? Now why does SRK act 20 or early 30 something? And why would anyone want to watch that?

I did because Nidhi wanted to see what the buzz was about, and I'm glad we did because despite bad script, direction, music and sets Om Shanti Om works because it feels different - it feels like a new type of a movie - not Bheja Fry, but still new.

On that note WATCH BHEJA FRY.