It all started with the arrest of a megastar’s son for the alleged consumption of drugs, and now, it’s becoming a toxic cesspool. I think the whole thing revolving around this is very idiotic, to begin with, and very trivial.
Unfortunately, our media don’t see it that way, neither does the general public. They want to push the narrative of Bollywood being the equivalent of Pablo Escobar of Indian cinema, even though they are also guilty of consuming drugs in their hostels, parties, trips in Goa or Kasauli, or even their homes. But when a celebrity does it, they’ll go banshee mode as if a war crime has been committed.
I don’t need to explain the case. It’s the Sushant case all over again. This time, the Rhea Chakraborty of 2021 is Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son. Ever since his arrest up until his bail, the media has completely milked the case. The meme pages on Instagram have gotten content to skyrocket their likes and clout. And Twitter being Twitter, went complete berserk over some trivial case.
It’s not the case that concerns me. The fact that people are malicious enough to attack someone’s character and religion is what gripes me the most. Prejudice runs deep in their veins, and they’ll do everything in their power to make prejudice strong.
Besides, Aryan Khan is the convenient target for the mob where he and his family have gotten tons of hate after journalists in their pseudo courts decided to act like the Supreme Court of India.
The Thing With Religion
On Twitter, religious debates are everyone’s favourite pastime. This is exactly why you should stay away from Twitter because somewhere around the corner, someone will be targeting someone’s religion. I think the same thing is happening here with this idiocy of a case.
Recently M Shami was trolled because India lost a cricket match to Pakistan. The mob is so pathetic that they’re willing to attack his religion over a cricket match. I get it, you’re pissed off with India’s performance, but it doesn’t give you the liberty to insult a man’s religion.
A NASA intern was trolled mercilessly because she posted a picture of her showing her faith on social media. If this isn’t prejudiced, then what is?
If you’re familiar with the anime Naruto, then you should understand the troubles the titular character went through in his childhood. He is ostracised and mistreated by the villagers just because he has the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him. And despite all the prejudices, he slowly but surely wins their respect, and he eventually becomes the Hokage (leader) of the Hidden Leaf Village.
What you’re doing on social media isn’t edgy. This isn’t 2016 anymore. Trolling Shami isn’t patriotic, nor is trolling Aryan Khan righteous. It’s just you being a scumbag and being a part of bhedchaal. You’re just doing what the crowd does—making the internet more toxic than it already is. But then again, that’s how low the bar has been set.
The Other Side Of The Coin
On the other hand, liberals are also guilty of communalising the Aryan Khan case. They believe that the reason for this whole charade was because of SRK’s and Aryan’s religion. Since they belong to a minority religion, they are deemed to be targeted by the majority. They think victimising them for their religion would bring more people into their cult.
By that logic, Salman Khan would’ve received the same treatment Aryan is getting. And Salman Khan’s deeds are even legendary than Aryan’s.
But nothing happened to him. He has a net worth of $260 million and millions of fans. So it’s obvious that he could use that money and fame to do whatever he wants and get out scott-free when crap hits the fan. And I’ve seen people revering people like A P J Abdul Kalam, Amir Khan, Irfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, A R Rahman, etc., despite being Muslim.
So the question arises. Does this case have any communal angle? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But we should also keep in mind that the dude got busted for allegedly consuming drugs. The bails being rejected might be biased, but unless we reach the conclusion, we can’t say for certain.
So I’d suggest the liberals stop bringing the communal angle in this case until it’s concluded. Ananya Pandey was also summoned by the NCB post-arrest and Rhea Chakraborty was “public enemy number 1” of 2020. They too were involved in a drugs case regardless of religion.
The Comparison Crisis
Another gripe that I had with this case was the constant comparison of Aryan Khan with either Neeraj Chopra or R Madhavan’s son. An article on YKA talked about how meme pages milked the case through the comparison memes. The article also states that children’s achievements are often compared in Indian society.
Some people were just pathetic enough to question Aryan’s culture and upbringing over one controversy. Comparison culture represents everything wrong with our society. I too have suffered this Chernobyl-like culture. I’m all too familiar with this culture because I was compared with my cousins who were better than me in academia and sports.
We’re probably familiar with Sharma Ji Ka Ladka and how oftentimes, his achievements are compared with ours. The comparison does nothing but decreases the self-esteem and morale of the student—no wonder this Mirinda ad hits me even to this day.
I don’t think comparing Aryan Khan with Neeraj Chopra or R Madhavan’s son will make things better. Just because their lifestyles are different, does it mean it’s worth judging? And what will you do when you’re the one being compared? You wouldn’t like it when the tables are turned.
This case is not worth the hype it’s getting. The courts will be the ones judging Aryan Khan’s action, not the media or the mob. The case might be a dent in Shah Rukh Khan’s career, but it’s only for the short run. The moment this case loses momentum, nobody will care about it anymore, just like the Sushant case.
Besides, Shah Rukh Khan is worth $600 million. Like Salman Khan, he’s going to have a legion of the best lawyers at his disposal should this case escalate even further. Being one of the most powerful celebrities in the country sure has its perks.
This whole case reminds me of PETA, which talks big about saving animals while euthanising almost 90% of the animals they supposedly save.
There are other issues in this country that need to be taken care of instead of this trivial matter. This case is nothing more than a symptom of the toxic infotainment culture, where information is entertainment.
On the one hand, YouTube videos provide better educational information to the students than school does. On the other hand, infotainment has only led to the constant destruction of lives, like in the case of Princess Diana of Wales.
And we need to stop putting celebrities on a pedestal because this form of idol worship might be a recipe for disaster. This is why we need to stop caring about this joke of a case.