Anupam Kher And Nasseruddin Shah: A Tale Of Two Narratives

What started as a simple interview by Nasseruddin Shah has now turned into a “viral” controversy with shots fired from both ends.

Bollywood bigwigs are no longer mere men flexing their machoism on the big-screen, or women tempting with their luscious looks or a bold, magnetic personality. Their roles have
encompassed to the world beyond shootings and award-shows. Today, the very best of the actors are cultural icons. They are philanthropists— they champion for social change, stand
with the underprivileged. Most do it for their image among the fans, but a few genuinely use their influence and popularity for the greater good.

However, in this new age of internet activism, the ilk does not shy away from voicing their opinions on Twitter. Swara Bhasker, known for her unconventional performances, is also known
for vociferating her apprehension against the political landscape. In fact, in the current climate where the entire nation is going through a turbulent time, Swara had majorly been a
lone wolf in expressing her views, while the stalwarts decided to stay mum. This silence was broken controversially, when Deepika Padukone, ahead of the release of Chapaak, went to
JNU to stand in solidarity with the protestors.

In this coterie of opinionated actors, there also exists Anupam Kher. A graduate of the prestigious National School of Drama, the 64-year-old actor, is also a champion of political
tweets, circling the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits, or about the growing intolerance in India. Therefore, it would not be a surprise to many, if Kher lashes out in a battle of words
with someone who begs to differ. In his case, it is another veteran from the film fraternity, Nasseruddin Shah.

Shah has often found himself locking horns with Kher. While the former is a sharp critic of the Government, the latter has majorly been supportive of its policies. Consequently, the two had again entered in a spat recently when Shah was is an interview for The Wire. It was primarily focused on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register rhetoric and its impact on India.

When asked about those in the industry who have been supportive of the controversial policies, Shah cited the example of Kher with a remark that most certainly irked him. “Anupam Kher has been very vocal. I don’t think he needs to be taken seriously. He is a clown. Any number of his contemporaries from NSD and FTII can attest to his sycophantic nature. It’s in his blood, he can’t help it,” told the 70-year-old.

Kher took no time to respond to the comments made by Shah and shared a minute-and-a-half long video on his Twitter handle, where he called his A Wednesday co-star living a frustrated life despite having a long, illustrious career. However, what sparked controversy was when he claimed that the “clown” remark was made under the influence of intoxicants. “We all know that the intoxicating substances you have been consuming all this while have clouded your capacity to tell what’s right and what’s wrong,” said Kher in the video. He signed off the video on a nationalistic note by saying, “You know what’s in my blood? Hindustan.”

Both of them represents two contrasting narratives. Kher is a strong advocate of the ousted Kashmiri Pandits and through his tweets, is running an online ‘campaign’ of sorts to continue to remind people of the bloodshed and injustice done to them in the 90s. He has never been shy to express his political allegiance publicly and continues to stand by it.

Shah, on the other hand, has been critical of Kher championing for the Kashmiri Pandits despite not being one of them. He, along with Swara Bhasker, represents a small number of artists who openly express dissent. In the aforementioned interview, lauded the younger faction of the industry to speak on the status quo. He even supported Deepika’s decision to go to JNU. “You have to laud the courage of a girl like Deepika who is in the top firmament and yet takes a step like this. Even if she has a lot to lose. Let us see how she takes it. She’ll lose a few endorsements, sure. Will that impoverish her? Will that lessen her popularity? Will that make her less beautiful than she is? They’re going to come around sooner or later. The only god that film industry worships is money,” he said.

It is indeed unprofessional for actors of their stature to take personal jibes at each other on a public forum. Irrespective of one’s political opinion, their comments were uncalled for and took the spat too far. It doesn’t matter who was right. The Kher-Shah incident is not an anomaly. In a similar event, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan indulged in a squabble over the latter’s remark over the idea of India.

Our democratic framework gives every citizen of this country to be entitled to their opinions. It is imperative for us to understand and respect that, especially for these celebrities, who have the power to influence a broad audience. Indulging in such petty arguments with personal comments jabbed at each other is unworthy of Nasseruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. If nothing else at all, it goes out to show how two different, if not conflicting opinions, are dealt with in this country.

Even if we bare this issue down to both the actors’ image from a PR perspective, then it can be undoubtedly said that it has done more harm to them than good. It did not take long for these videos to go “viral,” and now this issue has been politicised with the inclusion of Swaraj Kaushal, husband of the late Sushma Swaraj. In a series of tweets posted by him, he embellished Kher and his wife Kirron, and asked Shah to be ‘grateful.’ He even went on to remark about Shah’s marriage to Ratna Pathak, a Hindu woman.

Perhaps these are the perils of being an opinionated, vocal figure in Bollywood. Your words will be politicised and aligned with a particular ideology, even if you don’t want them to.