Someone told me a new Bachchan movie was out. Like an amputee reaching to scratch his nonexistent limb, I read the reviews. The reviewer gushed over Big B’s performance. I was taken back to a precious time in my childhood when lot of good things were happening. My uncle took me to see Deewar. A slip of a lad, I was floored. I continued to watch his movies whenever I could get permission. I saw Don the day my high school exams were over. Like every kid of my generation, I started to emulate him in every way that I could without upsetting my father. I would pick up fights with people who criticized him. Amitabh Bachchan has the sly, cool charm of Sean Connery, the screen presence of Clint Eastwood and acting ability to more than match any star in the world. Like Haley’s comet, once he is gone, there won’t be another one like him for a long time. He was a demigod.
Yes folks, I was a fan (more like a fanatic).
Why do I use past tense? I was a Bachchan fanatic but also a member of the RSS. I was and am a Hindu nationalist. It is in my nature. I cannot give that up. So when Big B decided to throw in his weight with the Congress, you can well imagine my heartbreak. I was lost. But I managed to get back on the Bachchan wagon by saying that there were some good people in Congress and that Congress is not the same as the Gandhi family (Aaah! To be young and stupid again!!!). I even watched his trashy movies and supported the man. Such was my love for the guy.
But then he did the unthinkable. He joined forces with Amar Singh and Mulayam Yadav and became a star campaigner for them against the BJP. This of course was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Enough is enough, I told myself. How could I support the man who was being seen campaigning for people epitomizing all that is wrong with our nation. I could not go on supporting the guy anymore. I quit watching his movies. Every time I would see his picture with Amar Singh, it would chafe me to no ends. God, how I hated that. He may have had his reasons but I had mine as well. Since then, I have seen a few of his movies due to unavoidable social pressures. Of late, he has redeemed himself to some degree by becoming a spokesperson for Gujarat tourism under Bhai Narendra’s rule. But I cannot go back to being the same fan I was. It was his politics which ruined it all for me.
My suggestion to all public figures (actors, athletes and other artists) is that please stay away from politics as long as you want to maintain your fan base. For major stars like Bachchan, they have a responsibility to be neutral lest they break hearts of saps like me.
You may say that I am taking this thing too seriously. Folks, I am not as forgiving as fans of Sanjay Dutt (AK47 fame) or Salman Khan (vehicular manslaughter / hunting endangered animals / domestic violence). Sometimes we have to take a stand no matter what the cost. Other than casting our votes, that is the only weapon the aam aadmi has.
Yes folks, I was a fan (more like a fanatic).
Why do I use past tense? I was a Bachchan fanatic but also a member of the RSS. I was and am a Hindu nationalist. It is in my nature. I cannot give that up. So when Big B decided to throw in his weight with the Congress, you can well imagine my heartbreak. I was lost. But I managed to get back on the Bachchan wagon by saying that there were some good people in Congress and that Congress is not the same as the Gandhi family (Aaah! To be young and stupid again!!!). I even watched his trashy movies and supported the man. Such was my love for the guy.
But then he did the unthinkable. He joined forces with Amar Singh and Mulayam Yadav and became a star campaigner for them against the BJP. This of course was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Enough is enough, I told myself. How could I support the man who was being seen campaigning for people epitomizing all that is wrong with our nation. I could not go on supporting the guy anymore. I quit watching his movies. Every time I would see his picture with Amar Singh, it would chafe me to no ends. God, how I hated that. He may have had his reasons but I had mine as well. Since then, I have seen a few of his movies due to unavoidable social pressures. Of late, he has redeemed himself to some degree by becoming a spokesperson for Gujarat tourism under Bhai Narendra’s rule. But I cannot go back to being the same fan I was. It was his politics which ruined it all for me.
My suggestion to all public figures (actors, athletes and other artists) is that please stay away from politics as long as you want to maintain your fan base. For major stars like Bachchan, they have a responsibility to be neutral lest they break hearts of saps like me.
You may say that I am taking this thing too seriously. Folks, I am not as forgiving as fans of Sanjay Dutt (AK47 fame) or Salman Khan (vehicular manslaughter / hunting endangered animals / domestic violence). Sometimes we have to take a stand no matter what the cost. Other than casting our votes, that is the only weapon the aam aadmi has.
very nice
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