Vishal Bhardwaj Feels ‘Film Medium Is Given Undue Importance’, Says “ Now Even Aamir Khan Is Silent”(Pic Credit : Facebook/Vishal Bhardwaj, Shah Rukh Khan, Wikipedia)
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We have always seen that whenever anything big happens in the country, Bollywood actors are looked upon for their comments about the particular issue. Most of the big stars choose to keep mum about current affairs. But now, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has commented on why he thinks big stars like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are silent about the major happenings in our country.
Recently, a Cinematograph Bill was proposed, which will allow the Centre to re-examine films that have already been cleared for release by the Central Board of Film Certification. Vishal was discussing this bill when he spoke about Aamir and SRK keeping mum on issues.
In a recent conversation with Barkha Dutt, Vishal Bhardwaj highlighted the fact that Aamir Khan used to speak a lot on such issues earlier, but now even he is silent. “They’re giving the film medium undue importance. Earlier, Aamir used to say things. Now even he is silent,” said the filmmaker.
Vishal Bhardwaj highlighted the star-power of Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan and said, “Star power exists. People actually listen when they speak. Maybe it’s to divert some attention from some other issue?”
Asked about SRK, Vishal said, “From what I understand, if Shah Rukh says something and is trolled for it, there are 300 others who are associated with him whose careers will be impacted by it. It will affect the ₹100-200 crore that a producer has invested in a project. Personally, if you meet Shah Rukh, he has his voice, he has his conviction, and he articulates it so beautifully — both Aamir and Shah Rukh — but the fear is that their words will impact the lives of 300 others. If they were solely to be held accountable for their words, I think they would still speak.”
For the unversed, Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 draft came out last month. One of the provisions in the bill allows power to re-examine films that have been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The proposal has irked several filmmakers, including Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta, Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee, among others. Vishal Bhardwaj further revealed that as the aftermath of the Tandav controversy, his series about the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 was canned by a streaming platform.
Anyway, what do you think about these statements from Vishal? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
