Why Twinkle Khanna's column went viral and earned her new respect
We have known of Twinkle Khanna so far as the daughter of two huge stars of the Hindi screen Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, the wife of a current star Akshay Kumar and herself an actor in a few forgotten films. She dropped out of the acting scene and emerged as a design maven, a not unfamiliar trajectory for socialites and star-wives. Lately, she has been writing a regular column for the Sunday edition of the Times of India, again something that stars do from time to time. So far, so normal.
Except that instead of indulging in safe platitudes and cutesy remarks about her life and co-stars, Twinkle Khanna has been taking positions. And not the generic kinds either, as in, “I think we should not discriminate on grounds of colour of skin” or “we need women’s empowerment”. No, she has been forthright, naming names were required and making her stand completely clear. All this done with a deft touch of lightness, in keeping with her chosen moniker, Mrs Funnybones.
Earlier columns drew a chuckle or two and had the occasional laugh out loud moment. But the one published last Sunday (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/mrsfunnybones/why-some-of-us-choose-to-face-the-cave-wall/) has become a sort of internet sensation, going viral among the twitterati who are now looking at her with new respect. In it, Mrs Funnybones criticises the idea of spending so much money on mammoth statues of national heroes, money, she says that can easily go into education. She then declares loudly and clearly that for her the city she grew up in will always be Bombay. And finally she stands up for the besieged comedians who held the All India Bakchod Roast and are now face possible arrest.
“In the last few months, we have been offended by Obama’s chewing gum, Modi’s suit, Kiran Bedi for various reasons and, of course, by the infamous roast. If I had to be offended by a live show I would rather be offended by Arnab Goswami who invites people on his show and then doesn’t let them speak. I saw an episode where he is asking the education minister a question and then screaming over her answers. Now that’s just bad manners, at least in the AIB Roast they called guests over, let them say their bit, people laughed and went home. But we still have to get outraged even though they had made it clear that the show is for adults only.”
What’s so unusual about these comments, one might well ask. Others have said it too. Are we impressed just because she is a celebrity? Yes, we are, but not because of her fame, but because she is using that fame to stand up for a liberal point of view. According to stereotypes, attractive filmy types are seen as either ditzy or at best, clueless beauties fed lines by their PR companies. That cliché is now passé as many a new age actor - Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra - has shown. But writing is another matter altogether. It is a craft and Twinkle Khanna has demonstrated she has the chops.
More creditable is the fact that she belongs to an industry which makes it a point to play it safe. Barring a handful of outspoken denizens, film industrywalas tend to remain on the right side of everybody, especially with those in power. There is too much at stake and it doesn’t pay to offend prickly politicians who have the power to cause serious damage to a film and its stars. Most big names, whatever their private views, ensure that they are as pro whoever is ruling, or at best come across as neutral. So far, only the likes of Vishal Dadlani, who is a big AAP supporter, has said anything against the building of large statues. Think also about the fact that the industry has either distanced itself – at least publicly – from Karan Johar, Deepika and the like, and Aamir Khan has upbraided them publicly for “obscenity”, conveniently forgetting the double-entendre songs in his own productions.
At a time when even mainstream commentators are couching their criticism in euphemism, when they are not showering fulsome praise on the leader of the day, Mrs Funnybones stands out as a good example of an intelligent critic. Hers is not a blinkered, ideological point of view, but nor does she hide behind bogus pieties. Readers can only hope she continues in this vein, because a celebrity has the power to reach out to readers in a manner not many others can.