And Sonam Kapoor is patriotic much: Why must our Bollywood stars exhibit ignorance on the most vital issues?
Did you know Sonam Kapoor's name has this particularly striking 'Kashmir connection'?
It’s no coincidence that most Bollywood star kids have studied abroad. Similarly, it’s no coincidence that pretty much all of them turn out to be astonishingly ill-informed.
Ask them about their upcoming projects, talk about their airport looks and all that — everything will be fine.
Delve deeper — and the chinks in the armour will show.
Case in point: Sonam Kapoor.
The actor was interviewed by a foreign media house in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, following the abrogation of Article 370. She was asked to comment on the J&K crisis. We are not sure of the intent of the media house and whether they wanted Sonam to say things which would suit their portrayal of the present situation.
But it’s absolutely sure that we could make no sense of what Sonam did say.
“It’s heartbreaking to see where the situation has landed right now, but I am very patriotic.”
We already know that Bollywood loves to wear its patriotism badge on its designer sleeve. But unfortunately, it raises its hand on the wrong occasion.
The Kashmir situation on the Indian-administered side continues to divide people, including in Bollywood.Actress Sonam Kapoor has been speaking to us about it and says it's upsetting because of her family's links to the region. pic.twitter.com/Uz5Leujiaz
— BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) August 15, 2019
No one, including Sonam, knows quite what she meant as she said, “...But I am very patriotic.” (Perhaps she wanted to show her support to the Centre, despite the heart-ache this tense situation is causing her? Because she is very patriotic?)
Then she was asked about Pakistan’s ban on Indian films.
She recounted how heartbroken she was (again) when Neerja was not released in Pakistan because the film didn’t portray Pakistan in a positive light. She also mentioned she has a huge fan following in Pakistan and her two best friends are Muslims and half-Pakistani. (So, this makes her 'a secular', right?)
She emphasised her Pakistani connection too — she is half-Sindhi, half-Peshawari. Her name apparently has a Kashmir connection as well. In her own words:
“My name is Sonam. I was named when my parents went to Kashmir and my parents were there for a while. They were shooting for Ram Lakhan. My dad was shooting for that. And they decided to name me from there. I haven’t been since then because of the unrest.”
This is exactly what Sonam Kapoor said.
So, from the day she was named Sonam till the date this interview was conducted, she has never been to Jammu and Kashmir because of the unrest. But she wants the world to believe that she has a strong connection with the Valley and she just hopes that “this, too, shall pass”.
Well, this is the problem. You are actually not concerned about anything apart from your name and fame. But you have to pretend that you care.
There's no end to how Bollywood manages to make a gaffe day in and day out. But we found another case that simply can't be missed out.
Ananya Pandey says The Godfather is an overrated film.God Bless, Nepowood! pic.twitter.com/MNzR3A4Onk
— stanCHER (@ExMachina1196) August 13, 2019
Actor Ananya Pandey was taking a rapid-fire quiz and the video is burning up social media where she was asked to name an overrated movie — she says: Godfather.
Why?
Because she hasn't watched it.
Well, we wish we too didn't have to watch our stars display such wisdom.