“Look me in my face,
I ain't got no worries, I ain't got no worries, I ain't got no worries”
If Rahul Gandhi had a soundtrack dedicated to him today, this would be it.
(Never mind the next line, “See the shrooms keep me up, So I ain't got no worries, I ain't got no worries, I ain't got no worries”.)
After all, who would have thought that Rahul Gandhi, the crown prince of Internet memes – most of them uncharitable – would thunder in the Parliament that the prime minister did not have the moral courage to look him in the eye? With this No-Confidence Motion speech, RaGa has reinvented himself – like all good performers –yet again. And that’s a hell of an encore!
Give It All You Have
To be honest, Rahul Gandhi – and the Congress – have nothing to lose at this moment. It is unlikely that anybody from the grand old party has any grand notions that the No-Confidence Motion would bring down the Modi government. Nay, far from it. The aim is to, at best, release a ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ trailer, starring the United Opposition, before the 2019 grand opening. The teasers in Kairana and Gorakhpur have already piqued our curiosity.
Following the popular cinema copybook, RaGa’s team has ensured that his best ‘shots’ are carefully curated.
Confidence – Check
Aggression – Check
Drama – Check
Melodrama – Check
Conflict – Check
Rahul’s Oscar Moment?
RaGa is the Leonardo DiCaprio of politics. Love him, hate him – you can’t be indifferent to him. Both have Italian blood in them, though DiCaprio doesn’t get lampooned for it. Both are good at collaborations.
Remember, after a spate of electoral disappointments post-2014, the Congress now has a coalition government in Karnataka! “What value does Rahul Gandhi bring to the table,” remarked a senior Congress man after the Karnataka assembly polls, as the party president was mostly incommunicado on the counting day.
C’mon, RaGa has given a fresh lease of life to the party. Hope, however faint, is brighter than despair. Don’t you begrudge his chhuttis (vacations).
Both can handle a joke. RaGa’s ‘Pappu’ memes and DiCaprio’s Oscar struggles are in tough ‘virality’ competition, but they both appear nonplussed.
“Do you do this every year? I wouldn’t know,” DiCaprio asked the trophy etcher jokingly, after winning his first ever Oscar. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi flaunts his ‘Pappu’ tag.
They know everyone loves the underdog, especially one with a sense of self-deprecating humour. The underdog loses to win.
Closer home, he’s called Baazigar.
Practised to Perfection
Rahul has perfected the role of the ‘angry young man’ after several failed cameos. Even Akhilesh Yadav does not take pot-shots at him anymore. He is back, and he’s not even hamming like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s vulnerable and that’s part of his charm.
Rahul Gandhi’s acknowledgement of the “Modi ji bar jaate hain” gaffe, establishes him as a hero with human failings. A performer needs to embrace vulnerability. We make mistakes, acknowledge them – and move ahead.
Like a good performer, Rahul owned the script he was given. Sources say that it was a big collaborative project – meant to be a magnus opus. The last mile delivery, however, was his responsibility and his alone. He did not fail. The jumla strikes were measured, the youth connect believable. Don’t miss the ‘Priya Varrier wink’.
No blockbuster can rely only on the script. What if Rahul had fumbled and faltered? Or, worse, sounded unconvincing?
A great performer elevates his co-actors. Nirmala Sitharaman’s strong counter was elicited by Rahul’s ‘Rafale attack’.
A great performer also improvises. Rahul’s spontaneous hug to the prime minister after his speech, stumped many, including the PM himself. He made a lasting visual impact on everyone who witnessed this moment. This is what stardom thrives on – a legacy of indelible impressions.
Rahul has taken years to deliver this ‘no-confidence’ performance. Each failure has taught him an important lesson. The set of politics is a brightly lit one, with nowhere to hide. You goof up a shot, you lose time and credibility. Yes, there are retakes, but each comes with a hefty price-tag.
You may not like your co-actors, your costume may be uncomfortable, the director may be whimsical: you put your best foot forward and deliver.
As the camera rolls, you display dazzling chemistry with your co-actors. Rahul’s ally reach-out has been commendable. Once sworn enemies, “UP ke Ladke” are making waves with their show of camaraderie. Mayawati, too, has warmed up to him, as implied by her removal of Jai Prakash Singh from his national coordinator post just after he bad-mouthed Rahul Gandhi.
But let’s not get carried away. Rahul is still yuva by Indian standards. It is an inexplicable conundrum that India, with the world’s largest youth population, does not really favour yuva players in any field. You have to grey considerably, before being taken seriously. Salmans and Shahrukhs still fare better at the box office than many a youngster combined.
The melange cast of Indian politics has found yet another dependable performer in Rahul Gandhi. Let the camera roll, and the box office speculate.
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