Not for the first time, many prominent faces from India's Mumbai film industry, often called Bollywood, have demonstrated an outpouring of grief, sympathy and support for a convict.
Found guilty on all charges by a sessions court, Salman Khan, the convict, is out on interim bail, and will probably appeal to a higher court. The legal process is under way.
In the midst of this media frenzy over an actor being convicted for a crime, once again, the vapidity, lack of mental prowess, and the result of living in a bubble are all showing up through expressions from many faces representing this movie industry. Some of it borders on schizophrenia, plenty is marinated in self absorbed delirium, and much is bubbling in contempt of a nation's judicial system.
Behind all this lies the underbelly of these low lives in show business.
This industry attracts a special variety of nitwits - those that can convince themselves that their lives in make believe are real in some way. No doubt, the bubbles they build around themselves with some success, money and the star system make sure they're insulated from most realities.
The adulation, the stardom, the recognition, the special treatment, all of it permeates well inside some of these fools and they start behaving as if they're suddenly far more intelligent and far more potent, and now capable of wielding some real power and influencing other people's thought and reasoning.
In reality, as soon as their market shine is over, that bubble bursts. Some part of them recognizes this, and that's when the insecurity sets in.
Actors can be extremely insecure in many ways, particularly emotionally. It can be useful to learn the craft, for vulnerability and that emotional softness can open the doors to exploring characters, motivations, feelings, nuanced expressions, etc. But all this good stuff is for actors, the artists, not the stars and wannabe stars.
In the midst of an industry where few bets are secure, Salman Khan has blazed a trail of success, starring in hit after hit. There's no denying he is a marketplace superstar. He is a relatively far safer bet. This has built an air of invincibility around him, and that's great, for the unsolved puzzle of what makes a movie click remains unsolved.
What is not so hard to solve, however, is why this multitude of stars and wannabe stars flock to him in this time of his life when only the law should be dealing with him, and others should, in all sanity, just shut up and wait.
Salman Khan by many accounts has lent a helping hand to many people. Now, that's fantastic, and maybe he really is a caring human being, except when he is drunk and driving without a licence, or takes a fancy to shooting endangered animals for no freaking reason whatsoever.
So, there are two sides to him? Maybe. The Bollywood industry should show its consternation. Nothing wrong with that. But it is absolutely ridiculous for some twits to be mouthing off about how harsh the sentence is, and how unfair the verdict, etc.
The pointed question to ask is - What exactly do they mean by showing their solidarity with and support to Salman Khan? Support from the 'fraternity' is really of no use except emotionally. Salman Khan isn't grieving the death of a loved one for this. None of them are lawyers, so they can't fend off the threat of the charges against him. Useless again. They can bend public opinion in his favour, but this can backfire. In any case, the judiciary takes no cognizance of any of this, so that's pretty useless too. Do they need to take care of Salman Khan's family when he is cooling his heels in prison? Not even that. He can easily afford that. Do they need to pet his dog? What exactly can they offer him that will be of any use? Pretty much nothing.
To me, solidarity is about being with that person, and taking on what s/he is taking on. That means, this lot should be willing to go to prison, or stop working till he comes out, not make any money, just like he cannot when in prison. I can bet my last paisa none of this is going to happen.
Here is where it gets uniquely interesting with the insecure monkeys of this industry. It is a 90% failure delivering industry. This means, only one out of ten films can actually be profitable for the producers. The rest lose money. The actors make out, because they get disproportionately large pay packets, because of the star system. That's commerce, so fair enough. But a great many others are fairly dispensable, because not all can be stars. But there's always a next opportunity!
For women to be cast opposite Salman Khan means an automatic leg up. For directors, it means a good chance at delivering a hit, and going on to make another movie. For a producer it means a good chance to make a profit. Salman Khan is a winning horse! This is probably the only reason the majority these fools are fawning over him, falling all over themselves to be with him. For the record, lesser people, even within this industry haven't got any support in times of trouble. It's a dog eat dog world inside this bubble, and the dogs and bitches are all lining up to potentially mate with and be buddies with the alpha dog at the moment.
Now, what about Salman Khan's charity work? There must be a million rich crooks out there, who avoid taxes, rape the Indian economy through every loophole, get rich through dubious means and outright thievery, and thousands of companies and corporations signing on to every dark means available to rake in the money, that do charity. It's like advertising - an irritating necessary image building expense.
Let's not forget, Salman Khan's charity started after this incident of drunken driving that killed a person. It is entirely possible that he is remorseful, and wants to repair the wounds inside his heart that only action of this nature can have some impact on. Any human being is capable of this, but what these industry twits need to understand is that the kudos for one thing can't cancel the punishment for another. This is not some twisted sense of karma as a bank account that the law works on. You break the law, you get punished. End of the story.
Now, nobody with a conscience can simply go on as if everything is normal, after killing someone inadvertently. I haven't heard of Salman Khan showing any real remorse. Maybe the poor guy is feeling remorseful, but his legal team has told him he should put on a face of bravery as their story is that he didn't drive the car!
I have heard of a lot of charity from Salman Khan, but how much of that charity would he have done if he had no money, or success of that magnitude? It simply wasn't possible. So, is money everything? Apparently, this is a point that has escaped argument! But the court is not considering any of the other 'good' the bad guy in the picture may have done. This case is about this incident, and should be so.
The other angle for all these industry beefcakes and butterflies to work with is the people behind a lot of money that is riding on Salman Khan right now. There is every chance that the underworld is involved, and to cover their investments, could very well be influencing some events like people dying and disappearing. They could also be key to deciding who is on their side of this case and who isn't. How can anybody miss out on this great opportunity to show solidarity with the people who can ensure their stardom in the future?
We cannot take their statements seriously, especially when some are not even based on any cognizance of reality, blaming the victims, the system and so on for being run over by a badly driven car while sleeping! But we can certainly search for integrity, intelligence and substance, if we were to expect one of them to come out and say, "Let this be a good lesson for our children that no matter how much good they do, it can be undone by one rash act".
Most of these support and solidarity merchants are opportunists. Heartless ones. That's probably the bare truth of it. They have everything to potentially gain, and nothing at all to lose. They perhaps know in their own limited but scheming minds that every shot is worth taking, because nobody is going to question their incompetence or being not qualified. They're just there! Plus, who knows when they might each need the other's 'support'?
The disgusting display of disregard for the application of the law of the land, will continue because many of them have been brought up on a diet of insulation, imagining that what is true from their point if view is all there is to know about the truth of life, forget the facts of the matter! They have arrived, wherever that may be! And they have derived from that arrival, that whatever they did is what it takes and that they are fully deserving of it, and they pass this onto the wannabes.
We don't have to take any of that seriously. But we can recognize what needs to be questioned, and adulation should be on that list.
- BSK
Found guilty on all charges by a sessions court, Salman Khan, the convict, is out on interim bail, and will probably appeal to a higher court. The legal process is under way.
In the midst of this media frenzy over an actor being convicted for a crime, once again, the vapidity, lack of mental prowess, and the result of living in a bubble are all showing up through expressions from many faces representing this movie industry. Some of it borders on schizophrenia, plenty is marinated in self absorbed delirium, and much is bubbling in contempt of a nation's judicial system.
Behind all this lies the underbelly of these low lives in show business.
This industry attracts a special variety of nitwits - those that can convince themselves that their lives in make believe are real in some way. No doubt, the bubbles they build around themselves with some success, money and the star system make sure they're insulated from most realities.
The adulation, the stardom, the recognition, the special treatment, all of it permeates well inside some of these fools and they start behaving as if they're suddenly far more intelligent and far more potent, and now capable of wielding some real power and influencing other people's thought and reasoning.
In reality, as soon as their market shine is over, that bubble bursts. Some part of them recognizes this, and that's when the insecurity sets in.
Actors can be extremely insecure in many ways, particularly emotionally. It can be useful to learn the craft, for vulnerability and that emotional softness can open the doors to exploring characters, motivations, feelings, nuanced expressions, etc. But all this good stuff is for actors, the artists, not the stars and wannabe stars.
In the midst of an industry where few bets are secure, Salman Khan has blazed a trail of success, starring in hit after hit. There's no denying he is a marketplace superstar. He is a relatively far safer bet. This has built an air of invincibility around him, and that's great, for the unsolved puzzle of what makes a movie click remains unsolved.
What is not so hard to solve, however, is why this multitude of stars and wannabe stars flock to him in this time of his life when only the law should be dealing with him, and others should, in all sanity, just shut up and wait.
Salman Khan by many accounts has lent a helping hand to many people. Now, that's fantastic, and maybe he really is a caring human being, except when he is drunk and driving without a licence, or takes a fancy to shooting endangered animals for no freaking reason whatsoever.
So, there are two sides to him? Maybe. The Bollywood industry should show its consternation. Nothing wrong with that. But it is absolutely ridiculous for some twits to be mouthing off about how harsh the sentence is, and how unfair the verdict, etc.
The pointed question to ask is - What exactly do they mean by showing their solidarity with and support to Salman Khan? Support from the 'fraternity' is really of no use except emotionally. Salman Khan isn't grieving the death of a loved one for this. None of them are lawyers, so they can't fend off the threat of the charges against him. Useless again. They can bend public opinion in his favour, but this can backfire. In any case, the judiciary takes no cognizance of any of this, so that's pretty useless too. Do they need to take care of Salman Khan's family when he is cooling his heels in prison? Not even that. He can easily afford that. Do they need to pet his dog? What exactly can they offer him that will be of any use? Pretty much nothing.
To me, solidarity is about being with that person, and taking on what s/he is taking on. That means, this lot should be willing to go to prison, or stop working till he comes out, not make any money, just like he cannot when in prison. I can bet my last paisa none of this is going to happen.
Here is where it gets uniquely interesting with the insecure monkeys of this industry. It is a 90% failure delivering industry. This means, only one out of ten films can actually be profitable for the producers. The rest lose money. The actors make out, because they get disproportionately large pay packets, because of the star system. That's commerce, so fair enough. But a great many others are fairly dispensable, because not all can be stars. But there's always a next opportunity!
For women to be cast opposite Salman Khan means an automatic leg up. For directors, it means a good chance at delivering a hit, and going on to make another movie. For a producer it means a good chance to make a profit. Salman Khan is a winning horse! This is probably the only reason the majority these fools are fawning over him, falling all over themselves to be with him. For the record, lesser people, even within this industry haven't got any support in times of trouble. It's a dog eat dog world inside this bubble, and the dogs and bitches are all lining up to potentially mate with and be buddies with the alpha dog at the moment.
Now, what about Salman Khan's charity work? There must be a million rich crooks out there, who avoid taxes, rape the Indian economy through every loophole, get rich through dubious means and outright thievery, and thousands of companies and corporations signing on to every dark means available to rake in the money, that do charity. It's like advertising - an irritating necessary image building expense.
Let's not forget, Salman Khan's charity started after this incident of drunken driving that killed a person. It is entirely possible that he is remorseful, and wants to repair the wounds inside his heart that only action of this nature can have some impact on. Any human being is capable of this, but what these industry twits need to understand is that the kudos for one thing can't cancel the punishment for another. This is not some twisted sense of karma as a bank account that the law works on. You break the law, you get punished. End of the story.
Now, nobody with a conscience can simply go on as if everything is normal, after killing someone inadvertently. I haven't heard of Salman Khan showing any real remorse. Maybe the poor guy is feeling remorseful, but his legal team has told him he should put on a face of bravery as their story is that he didn't drive the car!
I have heard of a lot of charity from Salman Khan, but how much of that charity would he have done if he had no money, or success of that magnitude? It simply wasn't possible. So, is money everything? Apparently, this is a point that has escaped argument! But the court is not considering any of the other 'good' the bad guy in the picture may have done. This case is about this incident, and should be so.
The other angle for all these industry beefcakes and butterflies to work with is the people behind a lot of money that is riding on Salman Khan right now. There is every chance that the underworld is involved, and to cover their investments, could very well be influencing some events like people dying and disappearing. They could also be key to deciding who is on their side of this case and who isn't. How can anybody miss out on this great opportunity to show solidarity with the people who can ensure their stardom in the future?
We cannot take their statements seriously, especially when some are not even based on any cognizance of reality, blaming the victims, the system and so on for being run over by a badly driven car while sleeping! But we can certainly search for integrity, intelligence and substance, if we were to expect one of them to come out and say, "Let this be a good lesson for our children that no matter how much good they do, it can be undone by one rash act".
Most of these support and solidarity merchants are opportunists. Heartless ones. That's probably the bare truth of it. They have everything to potentially gain, and nothing at all to lose. They perhaps know in their own limited but scheming minds that every shot is worth taking, because nobody is going to question their incompetence or being not qualified. They're just there! Plus, who knows when they might each need the other's 'support'?
The disgusting display of disregard for the application of the law of the land, will continue because many of them have been brought up on a diet of insulation, imagining that what is true from their point if view is all there is to know about the truth of life, forget the facts of the matter! They have arrived, wherever that may be! And they have derived from that arrival, that whatever they did is what it takes and that they are fully deserving of it, and they pass this onto the wannabes.
We don't have to take any of that seriously. But we can recognize what needs to be questioned, and adulation should be on that list.
- BSK
