Bollywood does not stand with the farmers
Vinny Sandhu argues that Bollywood has no reason to stand with the farmers – it is all about optics. The industry flourishes from selective anger and hypocrisy whilst profiting off Punjabi culture.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Last summer, plenty of celebrities in the Bollywood industry stood with the Black Lives Matter protests, but it was met with backlash for several reasons. For one, it was a hollow form of activism. Another problem was that these same celebrities promoted whitening creams, perpetuating anti-Black rhetoric within Indian society. If there is something this industry excels in beyond nepotism, it is selective activism, or rather the furthering of their professional interest. The other repeatedly noted problem with their “advocacy” is that these same celebrities rarely ever comment on the issues within India. While there is the possibility that they are truly concerned with the issues the rest of the world is facing, it is becoming increasingly clear that their “activism” is there for them to capitalise on issues they deem “trendy”, giving them a chance to become, or remain, relevant.
The ongoing farmers’ protests in India constitute the latest issue that Bollywood celebrities have failed to comment on. Previously offering farmers guaranteed prices for specific crops, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, introduced three new bills in September 2020, removing these measures. Enacted under the pretence of providing the farmers with increased autonomy over their crop prices, giving them the ability to sell directly to private businesses, the new laws are being contested by farmers. Perceiving them as enabling large corporations to exploit agricultural labourers, farmers fear it will lead to the reduction of crop prices.
Now, what happens when the majority of the Bollywood industry remains silent and refuses to stand with the farmers? Well, none of us were really surprised when they remained silent, even though they are criticised for their inaction. It is not just Punjabi singers, like Diljit Dosanjh and Gurdas Maan, who should be seen supporting the cause, but rather the nation’s celebrities overall. Angad Bedi, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Taapsee Pannu, Sonam Kapoor, and Sonu Sood were originally among the select few who have spoken up about the protests. It simply is not enough, yet how can we ask this industry for more, when it does not dare to speak about domestic issues? It is not anti-patriotic to defend the rights of other citizens.
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly showed his support for the protests, Canadian citizen and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar chose to remain silent, despite being one of the biggest celebrities in the industry and having essentially acted as a spokesperson for the Indian government during the coronavirus pandemic. But it took international figures and celebrities, like Greta Thunberg and Rihanna, to galvanise Bollywood’s biggest stars into speaking about the protests. Greta Thunberg tweeted: “I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that.” Rihanna simply questioned why no one is talking about the issue of the farmers protest.
Is it not telling that democracy is not stable if you cannot even criticise the government slightly without facing severe repercussions? We are in an ever-changing world and, whether we like it or not, celebrities are political influencers and their silence can be telling of their complicity. They support the nation more than the people of the nation who carry the burden of the inherent lack of democracy.
Why does Bollywood constantly co-opt the Punjabi culture but is not ready to support the majority of the farmers who live that very culture everyday? Just take a look at Akshay Kumar’s roles in “Namastey London” (2007) and “Kasari” (2019), Ajay Devgn’s in “Son of Sardaar” (2012), whilst Salman Khan’s role in the upcoming film, “Antim: The Final Truth”, involves him playing a Sikh cop. It is a double-standard to remain silent about or be in support of the government’s overt violence against the protestors. Kumar and Devgn will likely continue to play these characters in films and people will still continue to watch them, yet they should not. The actors and Bollywood as an industry profit from Punjabi identity, but to show solidarity with them is merely an inconvenience. There is more loyalty to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) than there is to India, democracy and freedom of the press.
Actors, actresses and producers in the Bollywood industry, who either covertly stand with the government’s stance on the farmers protest or take an overtly centrist stance, are urging that the country should now stand “united”, promoting a false sense of togetherness with regards to the farmers’ protests. Akshay Kumar retweeted the MEA’s statement, adding “Let’s support an amicable resolution, rather than paying attention to anyone creating differences”. It is honestly laughable that they have the audacity to use hashtags such as “India Together” and “India Against Propaganda'' when they are part of the problem. Members of the industry cannot be angry at the international response to support democracy, human rights and environmental rights. There is no unity here.
The farmers have been protesting peacefully and yet they are being met with violent and abusive backlash. It has taken months for these celebrities to utter a few words about the protests. For instance, filmmaker Karan Johar finally realised that farmers are the backbone of the country after months of protests. In a single tweet, with the comments disabled, he stated that “We live in turbulent times and the need of the hour is prudence and patience at every turn. Let us together, make every effort we can to find solutions that work for everyone - our farmers are the backbone of India. Let us not let anyone divide us.”
Government legislation will privatise India’s agricultural sector, increasing the exploitation, stress and debts that farmers face. The very same government is committing human rights violations against protestors: journalists are being suppressed and are disappearing, internet blackouts are being used, barricades and physical violence are the government’s main response. Actress and filmmaker Kangana Ranaut directly responded to Rihanna’s aforementioned tweet:
“No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like [the] USA ... Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies.”
Unity does not involve the government murdering Dalits for simply existing. Togetherness does not involve the desire to strip Muslims of their citizenship. If you are “protecting the nation” then why are you calling your own farmers terrorists?
Ranaut further tweeted against Rihanna, aligning her supposed “virtuosity” as stemming from the right-wing, with Rihanna’s decision to perform on stage in shorts with the left-wing - because shaming other women for making their own choices is obviously a virtuous thing to do. In a now-censored tweet, Ranaut took it a step further and seemingly promoted genocide: “I feel so elated, I don’t remember being so happy/excited ever, the cancer in the body of this nation we were looking for has been located, identified and now the process of eradication will start, together we will see through this. Not just survive but also thrive. Jai Hand”.
For her, the “cancer” is those who protest against the farming acts introduced by the government and those who show any form of disagreement with the government. There is no room for dissidence for Ranaut. Perhaps the real “cancer” is the people who incite hatred, censorship and authoritarianism? The focus should not be on Rihanna, Greta Thunberg, or any international celebrity for speaking out on the protests. There should be a focus on the protests themselves and a criticism against celebrities who are promoting the government’s narrative.
While Bollywood is not a monolithic entity and there are celebrities who have spoken up about the protests, Bollywood as a whole does not stand with the farmers. Bollywood is not talking about sovereignty, but it is trying to guilt protestors into silence. This is not patriotism - it is sycophancy. They will be silent, or openly support Modi’s government, or even be complicit in taking centrist stances. They are not openly opposing human rights violations. Can we even call it palatable “activism” or performative “humanitarianism” at that point? There are individuals within the industry that are just the government’s messengers.
The awareness that Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others have brought is brilliant. “Why aren’t we talking about this?” Well, people have been talking about this, it is just being suppressed and ordinary citizens will be attacked for criticising the government. We must discuss how celebrities act as political messengers. Nonetheless, we cannot put celebrities at the forefront because we need to lend our support and resources to the farmers, activists, organisers, and reporters who have been protesting since last summer.
A handful of tweets should not be able to shake an entire country's perceived sense of unity; if it is that easy to destroy, perhaps these are problems that the government should be fixing instead of spewing hate and vitriol against protestors and propaganda. Bollywood uses its voice when it can benefit from the situation. The turmoil is used to their advantage as they will always speak out at the right time for themselves. None of us should be surprised when they make a film about these protests, sprinkle in a few songs and platitudes about the government then dance over the exploitation of the “backbone of India”.
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