If you have been living in India in the year 2014 (or an Indian living abroad, but in touch with happenings in India), you would be hard pressed to miss the controversy surrounding the film PK. The film seems to be a darling of controversy (if measured by number of FIRs and legal actions initiated against it) - in the filming stage FIR was filed as allegedly Lord Shiva was filmed pulling a rickshaw being occupied by two woman in burqa (the scene if ever filmed never made it to the final film, was probably cut in the editing process), when the posters came out there was another round of FIRs which alleged that half nude posters were obscene (thinking of it, if no one files FIR against the works of vile sex addled Chandelas which have been corrupting the young for over a thousand year, I am going to do so) and finally when the film was released a raft of FIRs were filed against the film on the alleged grounds that it outraged religious feelings and it promoted enmity between religious groups.
Supreme Court and the censor board has been steadfast in its stance, the SC stated that if one does not like a film one should not watch it and not bring in religious concoctions to everything (this was in response to PIL filed during the poster release); the censor board refused any additional cuts (I am waiting for the director's cut if and when it it is released).
If one looks at the film and the ensuing controversy we would find some A+ predictive power between the film and the subsequent chain of events:
- in the film the main antagonist asks who is PK? is he some Khan? what is his religion? strangely after the controversy over the film erupted Amir Khan has to publicly state that 99% of the crew were Hindus and he meant no disrespect
- in the film the family of the Hindu girl is opposed to the marriage to a Muslim boy - classic love jihad arguments are brushed aside but the pith of the arguments remain the some and voilà some right wingers have commented that PK promotes love jihad.
- in the film babas are mocked (getting flower out of thin air) and as expected the followers of the babas have beaten up the journos, soon after the film is released the film got bashed by supporters of various babas and even the babas (not babalogs) themselves.
Just like in the aftermath of Doniger controversy several right winger blogs have given arguments against the film, one of the 'best' is Sanskriti. Though most of its arguments are fallacious and can be proven wrong with even the gentlest of probings, one argument in somewhat modified form does have some strength. While the writer of the Sanskriti blogpost watched it on pirate videos this writer had watched it in theatres and had a similar gripe. The absurdity of using godmen and rituals to connect with God was primarily emphasised in the context of Hindu culture and only a lip service is paid to other religions (re - the film shows self flagellating rituals of Shia in Muharram; financial incentives offered by some evangelicals for conversions etc.), as per sanskriti blog the ratio is 98:2, but I would take a more charitable view and say it was 95:5. There is a wide plethora of materials available with which to beat other organised religions, hopefully the sequel would use it properly. Another complaint which I had was the film never fully came out as a ful blown critique of organised religion (in the manner of OMG did), it walked a middle path of gently mocking godmen instead of God.
Overall the controversies surrounding the film shows that resurgent Hindu rightwingers have got a free rein to commit wanton destruction of property, vandalism etc. and would be harnessed like the Congress did with the Muslim extremist in the aftermath of Shah Bano case. It is time that extremist ideologies are crushed and the moderate pathways in every religion should be promoted - bhakti marg, sufi thoughts and episcopalian/quaker philosophy (I would prefer a Humanist society without any religion except concerns for fellow beings and everything around us - kinda like a cross between nature worshippers, hippies and Dawkins). Above all being a rabid nationalist I would state that India needs a Uniform Civil Code (I know it sounds out of context and has nothing to do with the post, but could not resist one of my pet agendas).
