Yet another controversial episode of Salman Khan takes over the country. From the hit and run trials that gripped us for days and eventually saw him being cleared off, to Rajasthan’s black bucks now. Bollywood’s most notorious poster boy does it yet again!
The hysteria that has been created, with fans and other fellow celebrities coming out in his favour, to Save Animal Groups and activists standing strongly against him – there is a galore of action being witnessed. We have forgotten the country’s issues, the impending summer and are glued to our television screens to figure out if he gets the bail or not.
On the other hand, paradoxically, during the entire winter session, both the houses of the Parliament have not even functioned for one full day in totality.
India progressing? Developing and moving forward? Really.
So, what is going wrong. Are we still awed with celebrity status to such an extent that the gravity of a crime depends upon a name. We turn sympathisers because the person in question is an on-screen ‘good man’. Why?
The point remains that a crime is a crime. The law of this country rises above everybody. Even if the verdict has come after 20 years, it cannot be denied. Yes, it is a big blot on our legal system. 20 years is huge time. People evolve, learn and change to ‘being human’ as they grow older, but, that cannot be the pretext for a legal outcome.
Do celebrities become easy prey? May be. But the onus of how they conduct themselves because of their iconic status is also imperative. Millions of people emulate them. Any public figure, whether a politician or an actor needs to be mindful of their conducts. Maybe more than the man on the street. It comes as a tag. And they need to know this.
So, what’s different about Salman Khan and his trial. The fact that, most Indians, in their heart know that he could eventually get bail. That he will return in a few months to dole out another blockbuster and that people will still throng to his house to catch a minuscule glimpse of their ‘tiger’. All of this will remain. Legal loopholes, elongated legal processes will get him all the time he needs to work around the process.
Ironically, at present, this is what our country in reality is witnessing. I wish, our politicians would stop the dharnas, the fight for seats and the walkouts from the House of decisions and focus on thinking, creating and joining hands to bring in changes. Changes in our systems, our mindsets and the direction of the country’s progress.
Till then, the black buck would nervously be scanning the forests for its safety, the common man would still wonder what could hit them on the road and the tribulations of our systems will still linger on for generations to come in.
(The Author is Editor, Special Projects with NewsMobile)