Papa jo kehte the sahi kehte the. beta ne bada naam kiya - and how! For a loyalist fan like me, Rajdeep Sardesai’s show on Citizen Khan was such a treat. Like he said, the guy is special - he listens to hiis heart.
I remember watching Aamir for the first time on screen and grinning as the audience let out a collective gasp of admiration at his chocolate-boy good looks. Since then, Aamir has evolved so much - both as an actor and a human being.
That he is a mind-lowing performer is an undeniable fact. What I want to address here is the recent controversy surrounding him.
Watching him answer questions on the two channels yesterday - I found another thing to admire in him. The clarity of his thoughts - his sparkling intelligence. Today’s actors are definitely more endowed with brains than their predecessors ever were. At least, Shahrukh, Hrithik and Aamir are. But among them all, it is Aamir’s desire to speak on social issues AND stand by them is what is more interesting. The guy is a real life hero - a truly brave person. Taking on goonda-politics is no joke and of all people, Aamir would be most aware of it. And yet he goes ahead and does just that! Sigh!
His stance and the angry response to it is an indication of the Banana Republic image that never seems to really leave India. So he thinks that the displaced people should be rehabilitated - enjoy the benefits of a developed india but don’t oppress the already burdened to do so. That’s it. Like he says the Supreme Court ruling says as much. What, in this, is worth getting so upset over? Are celebrities not allowed to be citizens in a democracy? Exactly why can he not make a statement related to a socio/political issue?
The rest of Bollywood has gone into hiding - now that someone among them has done something conscientious; instead of simply killing endangered species and entertaining underworld connections. No support for him on this.
Student activism takes on a different meaning as politically motivated thugs burn his film’s posters. Whether Fanaa succeeds or not is immaterial. What is horrifying is that a citizen can be subjected to such threats simply for doing something well within his rights.
But it was nice to see yesterday that most callers expressed their appreciation of his actions. Even if I did not agree on the socio-political stance of Aamir, I couldn’t, as a logical person, deny him his right to feel and say differently.
What do you think? Hope to see some comments on this.