Rishi Kapoor’s recent tweets have become a talking point. The entertainment frat comments on whether celebs voicing their political views on social media is a wise act or sheer folly
Actor Rishi Kapoor’s recent views on Twitter have added fuel to the already blazing debate over VHP leaders demanding that all roads and monuments named after Mughal emperors be re-christened.
He tweeted: “Change Gandhi family assets named by Congress. Bandra/Worli Sea Link to Lata Mangeshkar or JRD Tata link road. Baap ka maal samajh rakha tha If roads in Delhi can be changed why not Congress assets/property ke naam Was in Chandigarh wahan bhi Rajeev Gandhi assets Socho Why We must name important assets of the country who have contributed to society. Har cheez Gandhi ke naam I don’t agree. Sochna log!”
Some from the film fraternity like Anupam Kher, Ashok Pandit and Raza Murad came forward in support of Rishi’s views, while many refrained from commenting on the issue, raising the question of why most celebs are on guard while voicing their political views on public platforms.
Bollywood is an easy target and most celebrities refrain from sharing their views in public to avoid becoming the target of public ire or criticism, shares director Vikram Bhatt. He says, “We are in a vulnerable business. Any comment that affects or hurts the sentiments of a large segment of people will directly affect the business of our next release. So, most of us avoid commenting on political issues. People are more vocal when they do not have to worry about their business. But, at the same time, I believe as an individual Rishi Kapoor has all the right to share his views and there is no need to view his views as a political agenda.”
Do places really need to be named after famous personalities, questions theatre actor and director Lushin Dubey. “I agree with Rishi’s views on whether we need roads and airports of our country to be named after prominent politicians. A name is required for identifying a place, for that purpose we could use an adjective or a virtue like Satya Marg. If you believe that naming places after famous personalities makes the country understand the role they played in the development of the country, then I believe we need to find other means to spread awareness about them. However, at the same time, I believe these topics are redundant for us to focus on since our country already has more urgent issues like waste management and population that need to be addressed,” she opines.
Lyricist Prasoon Joshi feels celebrities should refrain from airing their views if doing so works for the betterment of the country. He says, “I believe freedom of expression is a work in progress — the definitions keep changing as we progress. If one’s opinion might hurt someone’s sentiments, then one should put a check on it. I think when celebrities restrict their views from social platforms to avoid becoming a political centre-point and it is for the betterment of the country, then I feel they should continue to do so. Often, people tend to use social media platforms with a hidden agenda or for publicity stunts. Also, I believe any opinion, whether of a celebrity or a commoner, is valuable if it is not fuelled by a political or personal agenda.”
Politicians use subjects like changing the names of prominent places as an excuse for not focusing on doing actual developmental work in the country, says ad man Prahlad Kakkar. “Whatever Rishi Kapoor tweeted is invalid for me as it doesn’t bring about any change in our country. It has become a talking point because he is a celebrity. If a common man shared the same views, no one would pay heed to them. Politicians are just cashing in on the subject to buy time instead of focusing on the betterment of the country,” he says.
Stand-up comedian Atul Khatri feels the whole issue of renaming is pointless. “At the end of the day, people don’t care what a place is named after. We still end up calling Mumbai, Bombay and Chennai, Madras. So, the whole business of changing names becomes pointless and the argument baseless,” he concludes.
