Self-censorship is the need of the hour if people want to regulate the news content and want the focus to be on relevant issues
Pic PTI
There was a time when actors of Hindi cinema were roped in by political parties to win votes. There was never any doubt about their indifference to politics. The actors also knew the limited roles that they were required to play. It was simply to pull in the votes and add a dash of glamour to Parliament. The fact that no actor from Mumbai has ever tried to get active in regional politics, shows their total apathy towards the state of nation.
So, who would have thought that one day actors would steer the politics of this country even without being a member of any political party or that of the Indian Parliament. That their glamour would be used by media to catch the eyeballs and that governments at state and Centre would use them to conduct a war by proxy. This is exactly what is happening today.
Remaining relevant
In a country beleaguered by issues of such gravity like unemployment, poverty, threats at the border and a tumbling economy, Bollywood stars are lending that touch of bimbo to the scenario. A section of the industry, it now appears is not just articulate but is willing to hitch on to every issue that is trending. It could have started with the urgency to remain relevant during the period of lockdown, but before they realized they were drawn into a political cesspool and their opinions, whichever way they swung, were being used to drive agendas.
Though it remains unexplained and is also unjustified, but actors of Hindi cinema are not perceived as people of intellect. It could be because of the song and dance sequences, the shoddy scripts and outlandish dialogues that they mouth, or just that they are considered to be nothing more than entertainers. And it is this aspect of being entertainers which is being exploited by the political parties to keep the people engaged and away from other pressing problems.
Political interests
The manner in which the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput has been used to serve political interests speaks of this. That he hailed from Bihar, a state going into elections next month, provided the right opportunity. The entire film industry was drawn into the storm that ensued his suicide. Soon it snowballed into controversies from accusations of nepotism to drug cartels having deep roots within the industry. His girlfriend became a pawn, mercilessly lashed with accusations, in this fight which was now between government of Maharashtra and central government. The constant shrill noises being made by another actor Kangana Ranaut, who had nothing to do with Rajput, were also put to good use. The charges and counter attacks raised the decibel of prime-time news, while fans of the actors lead their own charge on social media platforms.
Subplots were added to the suicide saga and viewers across homes got pulled into the vortex of voyeurism as they debated and discussed the death of the actor, forgetting their own woes. Surveys have shown that more than 70% of airtime was taken up by the controversies surrounding the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput over the last two months. All else was pushed back including the miserable journeys home of migrants, the shocking job losses and the continuous stress unleashed by the prolonged lockdown.
Sane voices
The sane voices on digital platforms are valiantly trying to flag the real issues, even as electronic media like Sudarshan channel continue to air baseless controversial reports to stoke more trouble. That the government too is asking for reining in of digital news instead of electronic channels is a bellwether for things to come.
In the midst of this cacophony and when most of the media needs to do immediate soul searching, the only way out is self-censorship. After all the media has also passed the buck on to the viewers saying, ‘jo bikta hai who dikhta hai’. So, from now on, it’s the people who will have to decide what the focus of news should be. It is they who will have to nudge and propel the anchors to speak of issues that have a direct impact on lives of people and which require immediate action from the government.
And all that needs to be done is that next time when a prime-time show begins to air something as asinine as what dish was served to Rhea Chakraborty in jail, just switch channels.
Bình luận