So Shah Rukh Khan wants to smoke. While I don’t think it’s entirely correct that he does, I think it’s absolutely wrong that anyone can tell him to stop. Anyone, except his wife and kids, that is. That list can be extended to include his immediate family (which means Karan Johar), but that’s it. Just them.
Certainly no health minister, who dilly dallies on putting scary pictures on cigarette packets, but loves to pipe up against King Khan every time his cook burns his toast at breakfast. The minister’s not Shah Rukh’s. What Shah Rukh’s cook does is strictly his business. Shah Rukh’s, not the cooks.
All great cities in the world are melting pots of culture. Walk the streets of London, New York, Hong Kong and you’ll understand in a second, that even though the influences of cultures of the world is present, it’s the local culture that’s all pervasive. It’s because the local governments take the initiative to highlight local architecture, local foods, and the local feel to every touristy street. So you know where you are, and you know that no matter where you come from, you’ll find something that suits your sentimentality and your tastebuds. Now, by that I mean, the country’s culture, the country’s, NOT the city’s.
What I’m trying to get at is: there is really no point in segregating the country on the basis of regions, or on any basis actually. We’re a superpower now. And the only thing that can damage us is what damaged us many centuries ago. Infighting. I live in Bombay, I also live in Delhi. Many weeks ago I wrote about, how I keep getting drawn into this Bombay versus Delhi debate. I always stop further probing with a very simple answer — ‘I like Bombay, I like Delhi. I love India, that’s where I stay.’
Here’s another point. If Mr B and King Khan were to move back to where they came from, the entire film industry would move with them too. And then what happens to the thousands of Mumbai boys who lose livelihood, thousands of families of those unseen unsung lightboys, spotboys who would be left high and dry?
Anyway, back to the smoking. Mister minister is insulting the intelligence of millions of Indian youth if he thinks that they’ll get drawn to smoking because they see Shah Rukh smoking on screen. If that was the case, they’d all be raving lunatics running after married women shouting k-k-k-k-Kiran. If he’s smoking at a cricket match, instruct the media crews not to swivel their cameras toward him. He’s probably the most known movie star in the world. Heck, my German friends make me get them a bag full of DVDs every time I visit. But let’s stop trying to piggyback on him, let’s all try and be as ballsy as him, and make it on our own. To be as hard working, as sincere, as self-assured and as fearless, as him. That’s the only thing that the youth of India will be influenced into copying from him. The bad stuff, that’ll all go up in smoke.
GauravKapur of Mid-Day.com
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