I have been fascinated lately watching the Republic Tv and especially the vernacular news channels lately, all have targeted their guns and their anchors at the Druggie Bollywood as one expose after the other hits are between the eye’s as I am bombarded with images of anchors screaming their guts out spewing one expose after another one breaking news after another. I see the mass parading and humiliation of the Bollywood A list actresses, who have been summoned by the Narcotics department and are being grilled for drug consumption and procurement. Deepika Padukone, Rahul Preet, Sara Ali you name it, it’s the fashion parade of a lifetime only this time its dark, drab, sweaty, and desolate. This time these actresses wear no makeup and no designer wear as each one soberly march up for their interrogation sessions with the authorities.
Its a flip fashion parade of sorts, I got a message on my inbox an image it had the photographs of rather sullen-looking starlets walking out of their cars parading to the CBI office in their rather somber shalwar kameez attire the caption under the picture was Manish Malhotra Collection. I thought that was funny and witty, its a Druggie Parade Of Shame, and Arnab Goswami seems to be loving it. He is the man out to clean up Bollywood of drugs and he will not stop until they are all named and shamed. The next batch is the A list actors and now they are throwing code words like S, R, AND V it is a circus out there of maximum proportions as journalists heckle the stars and blare out their narratives on Camera. Now if that is not a mind fuck then what is News is as, if not more entertaining than some of the web series on OTT. And the theme is the same drugs, murder, gangs, CBI, cops, and robbers, it makes for great drama, and even a well educated urban man I am glued to it, attending one watch party after another. The debate raging 24by 7 as people defend and then attack each other, there are all these angles, political, drug or otherwise each angle is explored as the jamboree moves on.
It is like the Colosseum in older Rome the masses need entertainment and someone has to be eaten up. By the lions and thrown to the Bulls as of now it is Rea Sushant’s girlfriend then we have Deepika, they along with Kangana are the three witches of Macbeth often vilified and also glorified by us all. They have their own flaws through and it pains us when these come to the fore. Deepika has had a string of breakups and her deep depression and mental agony are well documented. Kangana her self has indulged in recreational drugs and has a string of married men behind her. And the witch-hunting of Rea for abutment of suicide not to mention being part of a drug cartel. Fallen hero’s and the fallen idol the lot of them they just like us are flawed and we don’t want to see that as they are a reflection of our own flawed and dark natures that we shut into the recesses of our minds. Alas! They are just as fucked as us but with some more money and material possessions.
As I see it instead of burning Bollywood Biggies at the steak the debate should move towards decriminalization of recreational marijuana that is where the debate should go not try and make a section of the population into criminals. Should we really be stoning people for smoking pot or hash or should we see them just as another taker of a recreational high? I am sure legalization is very far away but decriminalization of this can be debated, there is no need to Harass celebrities and hang them to public gallows like this.
Nonetheless, it makes for a great spectacle and is a welcome relief from the drab and real pressing issues like unemployment, the virus, or the economy. So till them, Bollywood will be grilled live and we will see our stars fall to their shame and ultimate doom. There is something sadistic about watching other people’s misery and gloom, it makes one feel lighter the common man feels he is not the only one who is fucked up been the rich and famous are as fucked as he. We are all having a field day watching this freak show from our bedrooms locked up at homes people need their dose of Adeline and trending topics of discussions, this is it.
