Talking Talking

Mr. Gowarikar,

You are a good man. No seriously, you are a genuinely good man. I like the way you tell stories. I liked Lagaan, simply loved Swades, and found Jodhaa Akbar really good. According to Wikipedia, you are seen as an actor’s director, and this is not a false statement either. I like the characters you etch out in your movies, especially that of Mohan Bhargava — the protagonist in Swades. I could not believe that somebody like Shah Rukh Khan, who generally plays himself in his movies, could do such a simple yet powerful role in such a convincing way. For Jodhaa Akbar, I’ll have to quote Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: “We have a classic in our hands”. When it comes to realism, you are the big daddy.

Your films have won you and your team great accolades as well. You have won critical acclaim, and awards in every possible category. And you have in your share a couple of firsts too. Lagaan was the first Indian film in recent times to be nominated for the Academy Awards. Swades happens to be the first film to be shot at NASA. Jodhaa Akbar might be the first big-budget film in India (yes, I haven’t verified the facts). You have tasted Box Office success too, with Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar.

The way you handled the controversy surrounding Jodhaa Akbar is commendable too. You stood by yourself, refusing to apologize to those who were protesting its screening at the behest of its apparent wrong depiction of history.

The above facts reiterate my statement in the opening sentence. You are a good man.

If so, then what happened to you recently? I saw the spat between you and Sajid Khan at the recent Star Screen Awards. Did you forget your goodness?

What made you take Sajid’s statements so seriously? He’s a comedian after all! Its his job to poke fun at people. And he’s not alone, a lot of people do that! And they are comedians too!

An actor works very hard to hone his talent. You cannot insult a star at this PODIUM. These were your words, isn’t it? What do you mean to say exactly? Actors are hardworking, so it is wrong to poke fun at them. I’m lazy, so it becomes right if Sajid’s victim is me instead of Harman Baweja. Is it?

Don’t you say that it is very easy to laugh at other’s expense. Sajid and his sister, Farah, laugh at themselves too. Have you seen Om Shanti Om? Farah directed that one. Have you seen the end credits? Everybody, and with everybody I mean everybody, gets to walk the Red Carpet — including the Accountants and the Spot Boys — except Farah Khan herself. Others arrive in fancy cars, she herself arrives in an autorickshaw — at a time when the red carpet is being rolled off. Disgusted, she then runs after the autorickshaw which had gone away.

See? These people can laugh at themselves. You don’t seem to possess this quality, sadly. You can learn something from them perhaps? Besides, you are in show business (I mean, you don’t really show yourself off, but still you belong to Bollywood, isn’t it?) The bollywood reporters that have mushroomed all over have a habit of writing about the personal lives of stars. Do you plan to sue them because they poke fun at hardworking actors? Also, where were you when Shah Rukh and Saif were hosting the Filmfare Awards last year? They almost said that critics are bastards! (Because it was a family show being broadcast on TV, the prolonged baaaaas… became baskets of knowledge) Remember them? They made fun of Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and the likes. You didn’t say anything to them? Were you scared of Shah Rukh?

Have you seen any standup comedy shows that are currently a favorite on TV? The amount of sarcasm that is dished out to movie stars (esp. Mallika Sherawat)! Just watch an episode. Going by the events you will be in a fit of rage in no time! And you are no Amitabh Bachchan, so you won’t get the prayers of millions of your fans out there.

Why take such things seriously? You have to take some things with a pinch of salt (or in Farah’s words, with a big sack of salt!) C’mon now, smile!! And forget about it, ok? You are a good man. Remember that!

And yes… Congratulations for the Best Director Award you won at the said Award Function.

Yours Truthfully,

A fan of yours.