Desperate Measures - Part 7 (Fooling Muslims Part B)

Fooling Muslims (Part B)

If there ever was a ‘text book’ for acting, Robert De Niro would be that text book. Among many of the famous characters he played, his fascinating portrayal of Travis Bickle, a loner who degenerates into a psycho cleaning up the scum off the streets of New York or a ticking time-bomb as is often described; in Taxi Driver is a legend.

So it was joyful to see two actors I admire the most together on the same platform. The question in my mind, though, is why would De Niro agree to be at some silly THINK fest of Tehelka? Not just because the event is corrupt but because RDN has never been known to speak much. He rarely gives interviews, not known to talk much to the media and even when he does he hardly has much to say. He didn’t say much at the Tehelka THINK2013 either. Shoma Chaudhary eulogised Taxi Driver in her chat with RDN. I wonder if Tehelka can say about itself “It’s clean… it’s real clean, like my conscience” like Bickle says in the first scene about his driving record. I wonder what part of Tehelka’s conscience, if there is one, is clean. Well, RDN is a big supporter of Barack Obama and maybe the secret lies in there. Time will tell. But it does cost a lot to host these legends so you can imagine the funds involved. How a rag like Tehelka operates is explained in my post “The fearless extortionists”. They even used extortion with former Goa CM Digambar Kamat it seems. Someday someone should investigate how the owners of Tehelka have acquired funds for THINKing and real estate worth crores.

However, it’s another guest at Tehelka’s THINK that has been catching everyone’s attention. The picture looks funny because it has a Union Minister in it too. If these people weren’t known public figures you could have mistaken it for a reception area where job applicants are waiting to be interviewed.

There’s P. Chidambaram and there’s the Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef. Some might remember, Zaeef used to be the Taliban spokie after the 9/11 attacks when the US threatened to attack Afghanistan if ‘Osamaji’ wasn’t handed over. His comic utterances back then sure made everyone have a good laugh. I hope that’s what Tehelka was looking for this time too. Mullah Zaeef came and told the Goa gathering how Taliban had equal rights for women and all. I suppose what he meant was both men and women are stoned equally or had their heads chopped off equally under the Taliban. This invitation of an extremist is not to gain some intellectual insight. It is simply to fool many Muslims in India who still believe Osamaji was good as is the Taliban. It’s like Barkha Dutt running to Imran Khan or Parvez Musharraf whenever there’s a crisis in NDTV or Muslims in India have rioted or been arrested. These jokers assume Indian Muslims can be permanently fooled. Where do they get their inspiration? The politicians, of course! The Congress, SP, JDU, RJD and lately AAP party have made this a permanent feature of their campaigns. Scumbags like Tehelka gently back the campaign. Sometimes “secret admirers” with money bags also dictate who should be at your party.

Following up that excellent Talibani Ambassador for humanity Zaeef was Syed Ali Geelani. The Kashmiri separatist was released by the J&K govt (probably with the connivance of the Centre) to meet a visiting Pak diplomat in Delhi. Never mind why the guy should be allowed that meeting, we need to impress Muslims in Kashmir. So Geelani returns the favour the very next day by stating stone pelting and guns can solve the Kashmir problem. I'm sure Muslims are thrilled with such macho statements. Err… Okay, we get it! Now who can possibly disagree with that? Not even the GOI or its spokies have disagreed.  

Some days back the Congis screamed ‘you can’t steal Sardar from us, he is our property’. So when Arvind Kejriwal went and sucked up to tainted Mullah Tauqueer Raza the Congis screamed ‘you can tear down Bharat Maa banners and you may not sing Vande Mataram but you have no business to steal our Mullah’. Oops! How dare this AK! So Congi liar-in-chief Digvijaya Singh and Tariq Anwar of NCP rushed to Bareilly and repossessed the Mullah and asserted their property rights.

Diggy also certified that Mullah Raza is not communal and is a very secular person. Who can disagree with that either? From mere appeasement this has fast morphed into comic fooling of Muslims by ‘owning’ Mullahs. At this rate the Mullahs would be smart to put a price on their heads or auction themselves. But are Muslims buying this nonsense?

Shahid Siddiqui, a journalist and also a former member of the SP, earned contempt from his party and other ‘sickulars’ for interviewing Modi and finding a few of his contentions reasonable. (Nothing new, the Congi head in Mumbai has asked Lata Mangeshkar be stripped of her Padma and Bharat Ratna for endorsing Modi as PM).  You see, a Muslim journo interviewing Modi is blasphemy but a scumbag like Tehelka inviting a Taliban founder is THINK. That also explains the Congi sympathy for terrorists when the GOI gives visas to such Taliban clowns. It’s election season, let’s keep the Muslims happy. This is where we cut back a bit to the past.

In the 2012 UP election campaign there was Salman Khurshid kicking and screaming for reservations of Muslims. He wanted to prove he was the biggest champion of Muslims and even said he would ensure the rights of ‘pasmanda’ (backward) Muslims even if the EC "hangs" him (that’s reservations for Muslims from OBC quotas). Wow! In recent times there has been no greater theatre to fool Muslims because even Khurshid would have known what he proposed was unconstitutional. Then there was the Andhra govt which announced compensation to Muslim youth wrongly detained by police for terror attacks. I don’t mind the compensation at all but why only Muslims? And there is no law that provides for such compensation. The Andhra HC first struck it down and then withdrew its order for reconsideration. 

There was Kamal Farooqui who exhibited exemplary moronery by stating Yasin Bhatkal was arrested because he was a Muslim. Of course, don’t forget the Lalus and Paswans who thought campaigning with ‘Osamaji’ look-alikes will tempt Muslims to vote for them. It has taken time for many Muslims to wake up to the fact that many of these politicians had taken them for idiots. Either that or some Muslims certainly need introspection on why some in their community were so inspired by Osamaji.  

Should a Muslim step out of line and acknowledge progress is equal for all he will be condemned like Ghulam Vastanvi was by the establishment and the media. He also lost his job as the head of Darul Uloom. Any Muslim, particularly from Gujarat, claiming he has progressed will have no credibility but scumbaginis like Teesta Setalvad will be given Padma awards. The moment Modi started talking about Maulana Azad the Congis started realising that there are more heroes in our freedom struggle other than Nehrus and Gandhis. Here’s what Zafar Sareshwala of Gujarat, who frequently appears on TV as a panellist, asks of Muslims on a CNN-IBN blog:

Sareshwala notes “These crumbs thrown at the Muslims proved double-whammy because they did not effect any change in the lives of the Muslims and all the time they were accused of being appeased”. There is just one correction I would make in his statement. It’s not as if Muslims were being “accused of being appeased”, it is the sickular politicians who are being accused of appeasement without the real intention of delivering progress and of treating Muslims merely as a votebank. Alarming truth that never dawns on people is that wherever these politicians hoodwink Muslims there has been no progress for any community. All communities suffer equally as they do in UP. The same sickulars like Kejriwal, Digvijaya and their clan believe that pleasing and appeasing Mullahs takes care of Muslims because they believe the Mullahs are also the “political” leaders of Muslims. So, forget the people, own the Mullahs! Sareshwala is not alone. Post the Patna blasts some newspaper carried a passionate letter by a Muslim student (this is from the net and I don’t know which newspaper) and the strong yearning in Muslim youth to distance themselves from the terrorists can be seen in his words:

The student, Md Shadan Arfi, wants “fatwas” to be issued against the terrorists and their organisations. That’s an excellent question to all the fatwa-issuing Mullahs. It’s also a question the media and politicians don’t ask of the Mullahs. And if all that isn’t enough yesterday there was a student enrolled into the “Diggy School of Terror Management”. Congi Shankarsinh Vaghela concocted a bizarre theory that BJP/RSS were hiring Muslims, training them in bomb-making and terrorism and inducting them into the Indian Mujahideen. Not just that, the BJP is also funding the Indian Mujahideen says Vaghela. Oh yes! I know of one Ayesha Bano who regularly attends BJP meetings in Delhi under the watchful eyes of snoop-dog Vaghela. I guess Vaghela also saw her at RSS shakhas in Nagpur. She operates some 51 bank accounts to launder hawala money and is in the news after being arrested for allegedly funding the Patna bombers. These are desperate measures at their Himalayan best. Shinde’s letter to all CMs to not arrest innocent Muslim youth can’t be explained by even Einstein. How in hell is a CM supposed to preclude anyone being arrested is innocent? It would have been more sensible for Shinde to say “don’t arrest any Muslim”.

The mother of all desperate measures in fooling Muslims came from none other than Dr. Rahul Gandhi, International expert in Terrorism, Communal Riots & ISI. Dr.RG grandly screamed in Indore on October 24 that Muslim youth who were in the relief camps after the Muzaffarnagar riots were being lured by the ISI; obviously for terrorist activities. He also blamed the BJP for the riots. Nothing new from the Congis but the history of communal riots in India has the stamp of Congress all over it. The party also boasts of India's most communal politician. He not only dumbfounded his own party and a hapless crawling media but he even stunned the Muslims. Every Muslim group and organisation had nothing but condemnation for his stupidity. I don’t care if the BJP complained to the EC. I don’t care if the EC takes any action. For once, I’m glad Muslims aren’t falling for these stupid tricks and deceptions. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" Sareshwala, Shahid Sidiqui and that student are saying exactly that.

Fooling Muslims concludes.

Desperate Measures series… to be continued.

Previous parts: 1) Poor Shayari of RahulG 2) Emotional blackmail 3) Disguised dictatorship 4) Lie like hell 5) Removing Modi 6) Fooling Muslims (Part A)

Satyameva Jayate: Shock, Aww & Applause

Considered one of the greatest actors of all-time, Robert DeNiro has this to say about acting: “One of the things about acting is, it allows you to live other people's lives without having to pay the price (for it)”.

Five years ago I was invited to be on a panel of judges for the annual function of a school. You know the ones where they celebrate their foundation day with songs, drama, dances and comedy skits. It’s a good opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills beyond the academic courses. Almost all parents attend too. Why not, especially parents of the participants would like to see their kids win some praise and prizes. I remember the girl who won the prize for best drama. She did a 15-minute solo act. She was from Class-4 so I presume around 9 years of age then. Her script was forceful and so was her acting and dialogue delivery. I must admit I was stunned to see a kid emoting in a manner that turned many faces in the audience grim and some men and women even had tears in their eyes. What was she playing? Well, she was playing the role of a female foetus in the womb. She was pleading from the womb with her father and mother not to kill her. This was in Junagadh in Gujarat. It was creative, impactful and dramatic to say the least.

There has been a campaign going on for long in Gujarat against female foeticide. At the end of her performance the audience spontaneously gave her a standing ovation that lasted nearly 3 minutes. The only question in my mind was whether a child of 9 can really understand female foeticide, its implications for society and all that. Hard to tell but maybe she was explained very well while being coached for her act. What is important is that the message of the social evil of female foeticide had reached even the primary levels of schools. But wait! The country doesn’t know! Umm.. Not unless Aamir Khan says so.

First, a confession: I have not watched a single episode of Satyameva Jayate (SMJ) and I don’t intend to. I have also not watched any of those Saas-Bahu soaps or any of that stuff either. I have watched Oprah Winfrey when there were fewer channels and hardly any private news channels. In principle, this blog does not ever comment on any entertainment shows. And it is not about to either. I’m not a movie or drama critic. And, therefore, I do not intend to pass any comment on SMJ, being that it’s an entertainment show, even if in the ‘Glycerine’ category. I would imagine it’s the modern day TV version of Meena Kumari. The only difference between Oprah and Aamir that I could think of is that Oprah claimed to have gone through many of the problems she discussed on her show during her childhood and part of her adulthood. Aamir, on the other hand, has been an actor since he was 7 years old and has lived a largely luxurious or at least comfortable life. The comparison ends there. What did get my attention was an article in Outlook magazine by S. Anand titled ‘Silence Eva Jayate’ (July 23 edition). So let’s quickly look at a few excerpts (in blue) from Anand’s story:

I had spotted Bezwada Wilson in the audience…. He too was asked to narrate his early life, and he too shed tears. As did Khan with practised ease. The next day I called Wilson and told him I was annoyed that even he did not bother to mention Ambedkar and Reservation. Wilson clarified that he indeed had. It had been edited out, as was his rant against the SC and Parliament—since both institutions had been dragging their feet on the issue of manual scavenging. Then he revealed something that shocked me. He said he had not been in the audience when Kaushal Panwar was being interviewed by Khan. I countered saying I had seen him ‘reacting’ to what Kaushal said on stage. “Even I saw myself in the audience and hence was shocked,” said Wilson. He said Kaushal had been interviewed in total isolation, in an empty studio. And yet on Sunday we saw, every once in a while, close-ups of fretful, anxious, pained and agonised faces of members of the studio audience as Kaushal was narrating her story. They even clapped on cue, like when Khan asked Kaushal her heroic father’s name. Clearly, all this had been manipulated and faked—with clever editing and splicing of shots.

I give all credit to Anand for so meticulously narrating what he researched. But this is television – and SMJ is not ‘Live’. It’s not even like Sagarika’s LookLive. Studio audiences are coached for responses, unlike the audience responding to that little girl acting in her school function. In the old days a man would shuffle signs written on cardboard to prompt audience response in the studio. (Doordarshan used such placards for program and credit-titles, you can see those in their archives). With audiences, the man with a placard will prompt the audience to ‘Clap’ or go ‘Awwwwww’ to respond to a transaction. (See pic).This is done even when the main performers and actors aren't present and recorded only with the audience present. This can also be done with 'doubles' as in regular movies.

Since then studios have evolved to use digital prompters as can be seen for ‘Applause’. So when it says applause, people clap. When it says “Shock” people turn their faces to a grim expression which the camera will honestly capture. When the prompter says “Aww” the audience will let out a loud “Awwwwwww” either in sympathy or empathy or in happiness at a couple kissing. The prompter in SMJ might even say “Cry” and some might force a few tears. Now, that is not so hard to fathom really, is it?

In fact, when Chandra Bhan Prasad, mentor to DICCI and an exponent of ‘dalit capitalism’, watched the show with Kamble in Pune, they could not believe their eyes. Kamble’s interview with Khan had been shot with Dharmadhikari and Kamble seated next to each other on the studio couch; but Kamble had been weeded out. Prasad wondered if some ‘dirty trick editing’ made this possible. More likely, Dharmadhikari took a leaf out of Khan’s book and did not mind giving a ‘fresh take’ minus the unsuitable presence of Kamble. I also discovered that every participant on the show is forced to sign a ‘confidentiality agreement’ saying they will not speak about their participation—recorded many months ahead—in any social media.

Okay, there is no trickery involved here. This is normal editing out of what is inconvenient to a show that is supposed to deal with ‘facts and truth’. The confidentiality agreement is also a normal practice in such shows. The question Anand didn’t ask is: Did the people who appeared for interviews get paid an appearance fee? In all probability they did. People are also chosen for views that “suit” a program’s agenda and not randomly or purely on their expertise. You see, confidentiality agreements aren’t signed unless there is a ‘consideration’ of some nature. Now, if the interviewees were paid in cash or kind then they have no option but to abide by the confidentiality clause because it probably includes a clause that says the footage may or may not be used. So while Anand genuinely talks about it from a moral point of view, given the show is treated as ‘social conscience’ program, the mistake he makes is that he doesn't see it’s just another ‘entertainment’ show. It is just another Bollywood movie. The viewers expecting something larger is their own fault. But this is how TV fools people which Anand explains clinically.

Khan and his team not only deviously censored any discussion of Ambedkar and Reservation, they seemed content to use the 1920s language of high-caste reformers. A friend chided me saying I shouldn’t expect Khan to be an activist. But surely my friend did not know how Khan manipulates and fools his audience—in the studio and outside—to nod and cry at moments he chooses. Wilson said, “In fact, during the shoot it was not I who actually began crying. Aamir Khan started to cry, so I was forced to cry along.” Khan obviously thinks we can flush away middle class shit with tears.

Lately, in the incident relating to the Guwahati molestation there has been discussion on whether it is ‘politicized or not’ or whether it should be ‘politicized’. Shows such as SMJ cannot afford to be politically incorrect. Thus, any references to Ambedkar, facts, truths or accuracies are false expectations that viewers should not nurture.  Anand’s friend is right. Like Anand many viewers too expect or believe Aamir Khan is some kind of activist. He is not. He is an actor, first and last. Period! Still, one must applaud S. Anand for his effort to reveal certain truths about SMJ.

Like Robert DeNiro said, actors can live other people’s lives without having to pay the price for it. Aamir can wax eloquent about any problem and any social evil but he doesn’t have to pay a price for it or for the lives of those who suffer. His job in SMJ is to act out a part scripted for the show. Does he act well? Does he act badly? That should be the assessment viewers should be making. As with movies, so too in a program that isn’t live, Aamir can get 17 shots, 17 retakes, 17 camera angles, thousand expressions and a few tears. To help his acting there is also glycerine and prompters that will tell the audience to Shock, Aww and Applaud. Enjoy the show! 

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