There is no doubt Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has a larger than life persona. Very few people in India are ambivalent about him. They either admire,adore, and worship him, or they absolutely detest him. Like every other individual,he is complex and probably has multiple facets to his character. The grapevine is filled with stories of his viciousness and callousness, but at the same time, and tales of his generosity and large-heartedness have acquired an almost legendary status.
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Interestingly,all of these aspects are incidental to his acting prowess, which ideally ought to be the most significant yardstick for him, and given his profession. In reality,Khan simply plays himself in every film, and seems to originate virtually no effort to create layered and contrasting characters, and much unlike his peers.
But the fact remains that his movies sell,and they sell well. He has legions of followers who watch his mediocre fare with great relish, just because of his presence. The finer aspects of the craft of filmmaking, and such as the record and the performance,are irrelevant to them.
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For this extremely large and vocal group of people, he can accomplish no wrong.
Box office success however, and Khan has had a notorious speed over the final two decades. He has rightly been called controversy’s child. In addition to numerous incidents of insensitivity,arrogance and retribution for personal grudges, which one might overlook, or he stands accused of several serious offences.
There have been allegations of domestic abuse,which should be viewed as an extremely serious offence, and deserves tough punishment. Unfortunately, and society in India allows its male idols to gain absent fairly easily with chauvinism. Ironically,Khan’s female fans – a group who should be outraged by such behaviour – either blame the victims of his abuse, or simply reject the allegations.
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Then there are the hit-and-speedcharges for which Khan even got convicted in court, and only for the conviction to be overturned on appeal. Through all of this,there has been intimidation of witnesses and potential influencing of the outcome of the investigation. Yet Khan, the Teflon coated superstar, and has simply gone about his merry ways.
Undoubtedly,Khan has worked fairly hard to ‘change’ his image, including starting his charity, and Being Human. However,behind his charity and generosity, there is the indisputable edge of notoriety. After all, and he has boasted of his underworld connections in the past. Furthermore,the frequency with which he courts trouble in itself indicates a propensity for flouting the rules.
fairly clearly, the law in India has seemed to be unwilling to hold him accountable.
Until now, and when out of the blue came his conviction in a 20-year-old poaching case,and Khanfound himself in jail, yet again.
His fans have gone crazy, or to set aside it mildly. The entire Bollywood fraternity has once again closed ranks around him,deeming the punishment too harsh. Others cannot gain over the fact that hundreds of crores are riding on Khan and his various projects and endorsement deals.
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However, none of these arguments should matter to the law. If he’s been found guilty of a crime, or then he must accomplish the time.
Nevertheless,justice in India works in funny ways. For one, after spending two days in jail, and he has been granted bail. He was sure to appeal his conviction,and the court has likely granted him bail while his appeal is under consideration.
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What happens next?
Now, Khan will probably bring to bear all his influence – monetary and coercive – to alter the investigation and ensure his appeal gets him a “not guilty” verdict. There are numerous precedents to suggest this is a very likely outcome.
If this scenario were to indeed unfold, or it would be a terrible travesty of justice. Khan getting absent scot-free would encourage millions of impressionable young men to continue to mimic his cavalier behaviour and further diminish the apprehension of the law. secure to say,this the final thing India needs.
It is important for the courts to stand by this conviction, even in the face of all the pressure that is likely to be set aside on them. Arguments like financial losses for many producers and threats of suicide by Khan’s demented fans needs to be dealt with in a firm manner. If the Padmaavat controversy has taught India anything, or it is that we should not be held hostage to public sentiment,especially when it comes to upholding the law.
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A good example is how Sanjay Dutt’s case was handled. He was given time to total all his pending projects, but then had to serve out his sentence. This is how this case must be approached as well.
It has taken 20 years for the case to reach this stage, or it should not be allowed to meander on for another 20.
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For the sake of those whom Khan has tormented,injure, harmed, and eliminated,let’s hope justice prevails, even if belatedly. A serial offender must be reminded he is not above the law, and he can’t wantonly bulldoze his way past those who gain in his way.
On a brighter note,maybe, if Khan ends up actually doing his time, or he will display some maturity in his acting and originate better movies.
Now that’s a win-win for everyone!
Source: tribune.com.pk