Too bad if you have a problem with X-Men villain's 'Krishna' reference
If I say I have a problem with Hindutva leaders and their propaganda, I am sure to be labelled as anything between a fake elite intellect to a loony-liberal. Or more.
As a journalist, or more as an online content hogger, I come across all sorts of content - newsy, witty, quirky, sexual and offensive - some that fit to my school of thought and many that don't.
What do I do when I come across certain content that questions something I believe in?
Say, for example, a forensic anthropologist recently made what he claims to be the most accurate drawing of Jesus, and in the portrait, Jesus is black. Now this is something I've heard before, but is against what I believe. Like millions of Christians across the globe, I believed Jesus to be the blonde-haired, golden-bearded, blue-eyed handsome dude. I read about it, and let it go.
Right after you read the above, the first question to pop in your mind would be: "is he even Christian to get offended", and when I say that I know many Christians who did just the same, but I didn't come across any call for banning this portrait or any proposition to crucify the artist.
The X-Men: Apocalypse trailer that released on December 11, has been talked about much, for the scale and the cast, but today, it's being spoken about for altogether a different reason - because it has hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus, or so says Rajan Zed here.
He says: "Hindus are upset over comparison of blue-coloured villain Apocalypse with their diety Lord Krishna", but since when did he become the spokesperson of Hindus?
I am one, and I am not upset. In fact, I am intrigued to see how the director of the movie Bryan Singer, along with his writers, has spun off a relation of his villain to Krishna and Jesus, and how accurately they would be able to lace in mythology to support it.
I liked the part when Apocalypse says, "you're all my children, but you lost because you all followed blind leaders" and I look forward to see what he means. I liked how Apocalypse is blue, and not black like our Krishna or Ram or Vishnu.
Here's a look at the trailer:
The reference of the character having four aides like Apocalypse from the Bible had four horsemen and the dialogue stating the villain would have given the idea to those who wrote the Bible, is thrilling for me. And I know many Christian friends who'd be as thrilled as me.
Just like my few friends do not represent all of Christains, dear Zed doesn't represent all Hindus. We see a glimpse of Apocalypse growing to an enormous size, and this is something we Hindus are very familiar with from our mythological texts, right from Krishna showing Vishnu's "vishwaroop" to Arjun before the Kurukshetra war or Hanuman growing to a giant and jumping off to Lanka.
I feel Mr Zed should quit getting offended by everything and stop talking for all Hindus. I, however, do not underestimate the power of Hindutvavaadis but I plead to them not to make me watch an uncut version of this grand movie!
I'm sure people would react by saying "does this person have the guts to challenge Muslim groups calling for a ban of a movie based on Mohammed and even issuing a fatwa against AR Rahman for composing music for it?", and my answer is yes.
Just like AR Rahman, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, I have the guts to condemn all forces, be it Hindu, Muslim, Christain, Jain, Buddisht, Sikh and all those I left out, who want to polarize anything and everything. Just like Zed doesn't have the right to speak for all Hindus, religious groups or leaders of those, don't have the right to be a spokesperson of everyone following that religion.
Sit back, and enjoy the movie!