The drama that has been slowly unfolding over the last 2 weeks over the release of My Name is Khan has all the trappings of a Bollywood potboiler. We have the quintessential villain in Bal Thackrey and his cronies, the wronged hero in SRK and the silent sufferers in KJo, multiplex distributors and the aam junta who have been refused their basic right of freedom. Madhur Bhandarkar, please take note – you won’t have to search far for a ‘realistic’ plot for your next film.
Almost all the people I know, feel outraged at the illogical demand of a party which has been trying to come into prominence for a long time now. As Rajdeep Sardesai mentions candidly, these self appointed guardians of the Marathi and Indian pride just don’t know where to draw a line.
SRK, kudos to you for not buckling down even in the face of a huge release as My Name is Khan. This almost wipes away the ignominy of your volte-face in the testimony against the mafia in the Bharat Shah case. A thumbs up to the administration also who at least made an effort to stop this dangerous trend of letting a political outfit get away with anything, Mr. Pawar notwithstanding. A big round of applause to all those who are choosing to venture out and watch the film in the city of dreams
We have one chance to prove once and for all that such hooliganism will not be tolerated. Here’s a simple thought – reports say that rest of India contributes 50% to the revenues of any film, with Maharashtra alone taking care of the other 50%. It’s a no brainer that the disruption of the screening of the movie would be a big blow to the film makers and hence the drama. If the rest of the country decides to watch the movie one extra time to make up for their counterparts in Maharashtra, wouldn’t that be a big slap on the faces of these vandals? I will do my bit from Calcutta to protest against what threatens to be a dangerous trend. What will you do?
