An Open Letter to Aamir Khan: Dil, Still Chahta Hai!
Dear Aamir, I completely disagree
with you! We are amongst the most tolerant nation ever!
We are so forgetful and
forgiving. We are willing to accept murderers, riot instigators and rapists as
our leaders. We are willing to accept rash drunken drivers killing people on
the roads as our Superstars. We openly embrace match-fixing cricketers and give
them a second career in dance and reality shows. We still flock to and trust Dhongi
babas despite their heinous crimes. Liquor barons and failed businessmen may siphon
off crores of rupees from our banks, but we’d still party with them in our
social circles. We applaud the audacity and oratory skills of firebrand leaders
who instigate communal disharmony, cause riots and loss of public property and
lives.
Look we’ve even accepted to
offering bribes/donations to babus, traffic cops and schools/colleges as a
normal way of Indian system!
However, it is just that sometimes
we have a lapse of IQ and EQ and innocently believe in forwarded messages on
social media. We get influenced by the constant hammering of TV channels that
are known for creating sensational headlines and debates in their race for TRPs.
We find it difficult to understand your long interviews and lofty statements,
and simply pick up 1 statement and twist it around. We suck up to our
elected/selected public servants (MPs, MLAs, etc.) by wishing them Happy
Birthday with large ugly posters (with our names of course!) But despite having
no hand in your hard-earned superstardom, somewhere we believe you owe it to
us. Be grateful man, we’ve made you who you are!
Sarcasms apart, go ahead Aamir
and continue speaking from your heart. Your heroism has always been more about
your entire righteous off-screen persona, rather than your ‘Dabangg’ on screen avatar.
Your movies touch dizzy heights (both commercially and critically) not because
of our generosity towards you, but because they strike a deep chord with us. Be
it Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiots, PK or even Satyamev Vijayte,
you’ve always managed to give voice to some of our deepest frustrations.
Yes I have my grudges with you –
like you encouraged us to save money by buying cheap generic medicines and not to
add to the coffers of multinational pharma companies who are unethically
over-pricing their branded products. However, why don’t you offer similar
advice to distributors of your movies for over-pricing the ticket rates to
obscene levels during the opening weekend? I also had my grudges when you tried to be our Moral Science teacher by speaking against AIB Roast (despite yourself producing
a high on profanity flick like Delhi Belly with the infamous DK Bose track).
Having said that, I would never
associate you with words like Traitor, Opportunist, Escapist, Timid or
Hypocrite. Speaking your heart out, giving an honest opinion, caring for your
family, expressing your concerns and more importantly for your countrymen’s apprehensions
doesn’t makes you anti-national. It simply indicates the purity of your
thoughts and clarity of your vision. A vision that doesn’t seek any endorsement
from anybody and doesn’t try to appease by making politically correct
statements.
Aamir, take heart in the fact
that you are amongst the rare real heroes who are too good to be true or
believable. You are too much of a perfectionist and we’re always trying to find
ways of breaking this myth. We accuse you of shedding fake tears on TV, we accuse
you of infidelity (why can’t 2 individuals naturally grow apart?), we accuse you
for seeking opportunities to promote your movies (despite the fact that your
next movie Dangal is about 13 months away from a release) and we even feel bad
about you earning crores through a social program like Satyamev Vijayte; So while Satya
Nadella and Sundar Pichai’s million dollar salaries make us proud as Indians.
But an Aamir Khan earning his rightful remuneration causes a debate. Why so?
We conveniently forget all the Philanthropies
you are involved in. We forget all the public interest campaigns you are
involved in. We forget you being a UNICEF ambassador. We forget you being on
the cover of TIMES. We forget your guts to shun all popular awards for
their lack of credibility. We forget
your scant interest in getting yourself waxed at Madame Tussauds. We forget the fact that you’ve never endorsed any
liquor or tobacco product…not even through surrogate advertising.
We forget the fact that you’ve
always been a free, bold soul that has never cared for popular opinions, safe
bets or milking the situation. You started doing just 1 movie a year…way back
since 1996…when all your contemporaries where cashing on multiple offers. You produced
Lagaan when no one would’ve dared touching such a weird, dated subject. You vanished
for 4 long years after the dizzying success of Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai…and
did things what you liked, because you were never insecure about your stardom. You
were the first to start investing in the physicality and entire look of your
roles without bothering to stick to any particular image. You played second
fiddle to a kid in your directorial debut (Taare Zameen Par). You were the
founder member of the 100-crore club with Ghajini. You did TV right after the
humungous success of 3 Idiots. You are the only one in the top bracket of stars
who doesn’t have a franchise series to keep cashing upon (Salman has Dabangg,
SRK has Don, Akki has Housefull and Singh series, Ajay has Golmaal and Singham,
Hrithik has Krrish, etc.). The list can go on and on, but the fact remains that
constantly riding against the tide is
what defines Aamir Khan!
Here is a future that I can
imagine 20 years down the line - I can imagine all the 3 Khans still being
around and kicking. So while Salman would continue to be known for his Charisma
and SRK for his wit and charm, it would be Aamir and his body of work that
would be the most credible of the lot. Knowing Aamir and his free-soul, he may
be the first to bow out playing a leading man. But, most probably it’ll be
Aamir who’ll end up with the proudest library of movies as an actor, director
and producer…and of course for all his contributions to the society and India
at large through philanthropies, campaigns, initiatives, ideas, TV shows, etc.
Aamir, just like you, I too am
hopeful and positive about a better India. An incredible India that is much
more tolerant than ever before. But more tolerant about the positive things
than for the parasites mentioned at the start of this post. More tolerant for
logical debates. More tolerant towards people asking difficult and uncomfortable
questions. More tolerant towards alternative and contrarian point of views. More
tolerant for self-censorship. And more importantly, more tolerant for some good
ol’ self-deprecatory humor that allows us to take it on our chins rather than
get so ruffled by anything that challenges our conventional thoughts and
beliefs.
Aamir, I am hopeful of a more
mature India that will have the IQ and EQ to go back and understand your words
in their true light. An India that will realize the worth of your contributions,
the depth of your solid character and of course, your love for the nation and
empathy towards it people and their issues. An India that will stop questioning
your genuineness once and for all!!
An Incredible India that starts
celebrating Aamir Khan as one of the finest heroes (both reel and real) we’ve ever
produced!
Before we end, allow me to
mention about one of your iconic movies – Dil Chahta Hai. It was your Dil
Chahta Hai and its so-true-to-life portrayal of friendship, bonding and camaraderie
that was the raison d'etre for starting this blog. All I ever wanted to do was
write a tribute for this phenomenal movie, that in more ways than has continued
to represent me, my spirit and my reason for being. A movie that I would love
to watch once again on my last day and die out with a smile…with the strings of
‘Dil Chahta Hai Reprise’ that play with the end-credits still ringing in my
ears. What a way to go would that be!!
But may be more of Dil Chahta Hai
on a separate post. For the moment, carry on Aamir…and continue pursuing what
your Dil, Still Chahta Hai! And I am
sure, an incredible India would feature right up there in your list of wishes!
