In the light of what all is plaguing the Indian society, it indeed is a pity that the world knows India as not only a secular democracy, but also the largest one.
Considering the uproar over 2014 film PK which questions religious practises, will anyone believe that India is a country where one is free to choose one’s religion and guilty pleasures, among other things?
Here, the Anti-PK lot would stand up and put forward the “democracy-allows-us-to-protest” line. But they must be reminded that being free to protest against something you do not like is not the only hallmark of a democracy. Being part of a democracy also calls for doing your bit to take corrective measures and let others know what according to you is right. Hooliganism, banning a movie, or torching theatres is not what you ought to do in the name of corrective measures.
If you think it is right, then sadly your logic also justifies what Charlie Hebdo editorial team was subjected to.
If you did not like the movie, do not watch it any more. Remember, when content is created for a mass audience and commercial success, it has to be presented in a fashion so that a maximum number of people relate to it. Raju Hirani and Aamir Khan are businessmen in the field of cinema. They have produced PK considering market demand. Their assessment was right and the movie is doing roaring business, surpassing all records of making money.
The movie is making money because people are watching it and it is largely the population of India that is paying to watch this movie. Had the movie been disgusting and against the sentiments of a particular community, which incidentally is the majority community in India, PK would not have made so much money.
Madhu Kumar, a lawyer by qualification and a homemaker by choice, commented that “it is a case of a vocal minority raising its voice, while the silent majority sits back and enjoys the very thought-provoking movie.”
The desire to control art stems from a fear of its ability to free the mind.
Hitler did so by banning all forms of art that did not gel well with his ‘blood and soil’ values of racial supremacy. North Korea also did something similar in the recent past by preventing satirical movie The Interview from being released in the US.
And the latest case in point is the Charlie Hebdo outburst in Paris. Where has tolerance gone?
Coming back to India, will someone tell these custodians of religion that PK is merely a movie that criticises conning godmen who take the gullible believers for a ride? The movie is in no way against a particular religion. The movie in fact highlights the weakness and gullibility of people. It highlights how easily one can take you for a ride in the name of purging you of all your sins.
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