When Dr Subhash Chandra, chairman of Zee network, tweeted that he is considering canceling Pakistani shows on their channel ‘Zindagi’, a huge sigh of frustration could be heard around the country.
Families across the country shuddered at the prospect of ‘naagins’, now that sensible story-lines were out of reach in the realm of television. And sensible men and women shook their head at the foolishness of a nationalistic rhetoric which reinforces Pakistan as the enemy land which must be detested at all costs.
Sending back Pakistani artistes, cancelling Pakistani shows and refusing to engage with Pakistani people is a foolproof recipe for Indians to isolate peace-loving, liberal and sane voices in Pakistan who don’t hate India nor want war.
The Curse of the ‘Upside Down’ House
In Amitav Ghosh’s Shadow Lines, a house is divided between two brothers. Two girls live in one part of the house. They make up stories about the house on the other side of the divide, calling it an ‘upside down’ house. Decades later, when the girls go over the partition to the other side, they are startled to discover, well, that everything is not upside down.
Pakistan is our ‘upside down’ house.
We mistakenly believe that all Pakistanis support terrorism. We speculate on how Pakistanis live, and confidently assert that we are freer than ‘them.’ Through our stories, we create a mirage called Pakistan – which is evil, anarchic and very different from India, we tell ourselves assuredly. While forgetting that we share a common history; bloody as it may be.
TV shows on Zindagi, Fawad Khan and Pakistani artistes in India are not only important because of some abstract concept of ‘cultural exchange’. They are important because they pierce through the mirage, make the ‘upside down’ house a little more straight and make the enemy more familiar.
Flawed Logic of Patriotism (And Capitalism)
“So, what? You want Pakistan to murder our soldiers and we give our money to Pakistani actors?”
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has given a 48-hour ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. Blustering rhetoric and a sense of deja vu aside, the crux of their argument is this: how can we allow Pakistani nationals to make money in India? What if they are taking the place of Indian artistes?
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Firstly, business knows no nationalism. Take the Hindi film industry for instance –Pakistani actors are hired because presumably, they fit the character for which they are being hired, and are marketable and popular.
The fee they are paid (“India’s money”) is a remuneration for the skills they bring to the table. It’s not the country’s money which is being siphoned off, but a fee paid to an individual.
“But aren’t there enough Indian actors who can be hired? They are taking jobs which could be given to Indian actors.”
Patriotism is defined as the vigorous support of one’s country. But somehow, when MNS, Shiv Sena and my neighbourhood uncle make this argument, they extend it to mean vigorous support of a fellow Indian’s income.
For example, let’s assume the Hindi film industry bans Fawad Khan.
He would be replaced by an Indian actor with similar good looks, marketability and acting skills. This Indian actor would still be paid a fairly large amount of money (compared to professional wages elsewhere, at least).
But, because he is an Indian, it’s fine? Is that how we are supposed to think now?
When Anurag Thakur decides not to play cricket with Pakistan, Raju Srivastava refuses to perform and MNS demands Pakistani artistes leave India, we make ourselves the enemy.
We lose the support and friendship of sane, peace-loving, liberal people in Pakistan – people who might have otherwise stood up to extremists and their uniform-wearing patrons in Rawalpindi to demand accountability and an end to terrorism.
After all, as history has been witness – governments wage wars, not people.
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