by B. R. GOWANI
SRK is half Pathan or Pashtun, one of the ethnic groups in S Asia
in the film Pathaan, Shah Rukh Khan plays a soldier named Pathaan
Pathan is an ethnic identity, doesn’t reveal a religion — Hindu or Muslim
SRK is Muslim and is intensely hated by PM Modi & his Hindutva brigade
so the writers have cleverly used the name Pathaan for hero and the film
after the release of the trailer, some Hindu leaders showed their nastiness
The Mahant of Ayodhya’s Hanuman Garhi Raju Das incited his people
“I appeal to people to set those theatres on fire where Pathaan will be screened.”
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra objected
“In the song ‘Besharam Rang’ which is made with contaminated mentality, the actor [Muslim SRK] and the actress [Hindu Deepika Padukone] are clad in green [symbolically important to Islam] and saffron [symbolically important to Hinduism] clothes in an objectionable manner.”
Mishra was pointing out SRK’s green shirt & Padukone’s saffron bikini
i.e., a Muslim man was befriending a Hindu woman – a very wrong thing
Hindutva goons have given a name to such relationship — “Love Jihad“
i.e., Muslim males marrying Hindu females and converting them to Islam
Mumbai film industry or Bollywood has been under attack for some time
the boycott Pathaan trend was nipped in the bud by none other than Modi
Modi is a fascist, but a clever one — he knows when to stop hooliganism
it is fine to terrorize people but within a limit
one has to also preserve India’s image as a ” liberal democracy”
besides, Modi’s ultimate goal is to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra or Nation
Modi said, “some people give statements on some film”
he asked them to avoid making “unnecessary statements“
Mishra knows too when to put brake on his incendiary tongue
“… (PM Modi’s) every word, sentence is important for us and that is why all the workers have drawn inspiration from there. Our conduct and behaviour are always filled with his guidance and energy and will continue to be in future.”
SRK’s film Pathaan has become the 2nd highest grossing Hindi film
Pathaan‘s great reception globally is a victory for secular-minded Indians
albeit a temporary one — the Hindutva forces are unstoppable
unless the opposition parties genuinely unite and decide to oust Modi
the film begins with India revoking Kashmir’s special status
a Pakistani general contacts an Indian soldier gone rogue to create mayhem
thus starts an orgy of continuous violence
don’t look for reality — suppress your reasoning power for 146 minutes
photography is excellent; locales are great; stunts are terrific
acting is stylish; dialogues are witty; patriotism is nauseating
female flesh is flaunted flagrantly in the two songs with dances
SRK, who’s fighting evil forces wanting to harm India, says:
“ek soldier ye nahiN sochtA desh ne uske liye kiA kiyA — poochhtA hai, woh desh ke liye kiA kar saktA hai”
“A soldier does not ask, what his country can do for him — he asks, what he can do for his country.”
blind patriotism is what the writer is propagating — which is totally wrong
a soldier should ask: is the war necessary, defensive, limited. etc.?
replace “soldier” with “fellow Americans” & Kennedy comes to mind
US President John F. Kennedy‘s Inaugural Address of January 20, 1961:
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
rulers, mostly, want public to suffer/sacrifice without questioning
only then can they screw the public and the country
Pathaan ends with the patriot hero eliminating the traitor villain
Kashmir issue is not raised at all nor are the Indian Army’s atrocities
the only Muslim majority state in India, Kashmir had some autonomy
in August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked Article 370
the violence committed by Indian armed forces’ is rampant
I’ll leave the last word for Justice Markandey Katju:
“In poor, underdeveloped countries films made only for entertainment, and having no social relevance, are like opium or some other drug, which will take you into a world of make believe for a couple of hours, and are meant to divert people’s attention away from the real issues facing the nation, to non issues and trivialities.
“The Roman Emperors used to say ‘If you cannot give the people bread, give them circuses’.
“Today they would say, ‘If you cannot give the people bread, give them Pathan.'”
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com