Sushant Singh – victim of mockery

Ridiculing a few targeted film celebs by the established film makers reflects two major complexes in them.  First is their upbringing and second is the lack of displaying emotional well-being for others. A derisive or a mocking remark made by a peer or a senior has often created distress and turbulence in the young minds leading them to professional and personal despair. The hold of K’s in the Hindi film industry is strong enough for the new comers as they are considered the ‘filtering-gatekeepers’ and one word from them is enough to take in or remove a person from the film.  

Sushant Singh’s suicide was a pointer to this rotten digs and the school of abuses that is being run by the established stars. A Bihar advocate, Sudhir Kumar Ojha, has filed a case against Salman Khan and others in which he has alleged that Sushant Singh was removed from seven films that he had signed which led him to take the drastic step.  

Cases are aplenty of big stars bullying the junior ones and ridiculing them too in parties and mega events. Even actress Kangana Ranaut had expressed in no uncertain terms many times of how stars conversant in English used to harass her and called her a small town non-English speaking lady.  She fought all those and came out unscathed.

A few months ago, at a big event of a ‘filmi’ night at Mumbai, Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan, both established and popular big screen stars, took a dig at Neil NItin Mukesh by asking why did he have three first names and no surname. “Where is your surname”, Sharukh Khan questioned. There was a laughter among the the so-called ‘sophisticated’ audience who acted like pedestrians who would laugh at any slapstsick comedy.

Neil was upset but showing a dignified control told them to shut up. They both were so thick-skinned that even after getting a befitting reply, Saif, thinking it to be funny, again asked him what was Neil’s surname.  There was smugness on many faces and of the veterans sitting there.  They  kept quiet.  None wanted to offend the two ‘domineering’ stars. 

Neil is the grandson of Mukesh, the singer who ruled over million of hearts.  His full name was Mukesh Chand Mathur and naturally his son, Nitin Mukesh and his grandson Neil were aware of their surname but it was their prerogative to write it or not.  Even for that matter Moti Lal, Amitabh Bachchan, song writer Neeraj (Gopal Das) did not use their surnames.  Not even a journalist would go and ask him for his surname.  Veteran actor Dilip Kumar lived with his screen name.  Guru Dutt and comedian Johnny Walker were popular with these names though their actual names were Vasanth Kumar Shivashanar Padukone and Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi  respectively, Dr Rajendra Prasad (India’s first President), poet Firaq Gorakhpuri, singer Kishore Kumar.  The list is long.  Making mockery of someone like Neil who is the third generation in the film industry was not desirable.

Kapil Sharma’s show is full with mockeries and ridicules and he does not spare the audiences also.  He does not mind getting personal and feels that making fun of a guest is comedy. It is high time that he should look into the meaning of comedy.