http://tehelka.com/vishwaroopam-reinforcing-global-communal-stereotypes-namaz-bombs-justification-for-the-us-empire/
Those opposed to the movie should have called for a debate. Demanding the cuts has harmed the community's image
January 31, 2013
Vishwaroopam
I was a little benumbed whilst watching this technically advanced,
but socio-politically regressive movie. Kamal Haasan has lied to all of
us when he had stated that this movie is his tribute to Indian Muslims
and will make them proud.
This movie had me even more worried than earlier!
The message propagated all through the course of this slick
production is basically – “One Good Muslim, All the rest – Bad Muslims”.
The hero, Taufik is an Indian Muslim who saves the world, whilst the
rest of the Muslims portrayed in the movie, are all committed to
destruction and mayhem, all in the name of their religion.
This is the state of the world – Vishwaroopam.
Yet, let me categorically state that I do not support any cuts, or
further censorship of the mobs, but will certainly strive to counter
this movie and all like it – intellectually and on the ideological
plane, where the true battle lies.
This movie also justifies the US wars and occupation of Afghanistan
in ways that even Hollywood would have felt ashamed of portraying. All
this for the NRI audience I would tend to venture. My first opposition
to the movie stemmed from the fact that the posters prominently posited
the infamous ‘stars and stripes’ in the background and I knew that
trouble was brewing. Mind you, the Indian Tri-colour is far less
prominent and even missing for the most . . . so much for NRI
nationalism, or for that matter that of the RNI’s, the Resident
Non-Indians, the chatterati where these communal stereotypes hold sway.
And coming back to the movie, I have never ever seen so many scenes of Namaz
in any single film and there is certainly a sickeningly strong overdose
of Islamic imagery and the overwhelming majority of it linked to
negativity and violence. The movie is one big screenplay of Namaz and Bombs, Namaz and Terror, Namaz
and Violence. I wonder as to how Kamal Haasan, who is also the
scriptwriter, thought that this would help the cause of Indian Muslims,
knowing full well what the community has been through for the past two
decades and more. The way the entire
community has been ‘terrorised by the terror’ and this has led to their
further demonization and isolation.
More so, the script is deeply flawed, lacks intelligence and an
honest research. One would have tended to expect a little more from
Bollywood after certain good movies dealing with this genre, such as
‘Dhoka’ (Mahesh Bhatt), ‘New York’ (Kabeer Khan), ‘Qurbaan’ (Saif Ali
Khan), ‘My Name is Khan’ (Karan Johar & Shahrukh Khan), ‘Agent
Vinod’ (Saif Ali Khan) and last but not the least ‘Tere Bin Laden’
(Abhishek Sharma), certainly the best political satire in a generation.
It also had a far more genuine Bin Laden look-alike than the ones that
appear in the CIA produced videos.
All of the above movies were good honest efforts and there is a
common thread as well as a degree of intelligent sensitivity that has
gone into researching these scripts and directing these movies, none of
which faced any public opprobrium or ire, even though they were far more
complex than this ignominious, outrageous ill-conceived prejudiced
charade called Vishwaroopam.
Yet, I want no cuts here . . .
The two lines attributed to Rahul Bose, whom many of us consider to
be our own, are the most dangerous and misleading of all the dialogues
in the movie.
Rahul Bose, who plays Umar (alluding to Mullah Umar, the leader of
the Taliban, I would presume), is facing an assault on his village. The
Taliban have captured a few American soldiers and are on the move. The
US army, attack the village where they have been led by a trace, with
the help of Kamal Haasan, who plays Taufik, a RAW agent. Taufik has
infiltrated the ranks of the Taliban to rise to be the ipso facto No. 2.
Wonder what the RAW itself has to comment here.
With the US helicopter gunships blazing away as they did in Vietnam
and Iraq, as they do in Somalia, Yemen and Libya – and hope to in Syria –
the Taliban are on the run.
Here Rahul Umar Bose makes a statement to assure his fellow
Talibani’s – “Don’t worry, the Americans do not kill women and
children”.
All I could think of in that Shakespearian moment was – “Et Tu Rahul!!”
To what extent can an artist such as Rahul Bose sell himself, his
very moral intellect, is a question that he and many others need to
seriously ponder upon.
This dialogue would be considered ridiculous and even blasphemous by
the Americans themselves, who always refer to the deaths of civilians as
‘collateral damage’, but Kamal Haasan in his willful pandering has gone
even beyond the worst in Hollywood.
Thus the movie further portrays the US soldier manning the gunship,
feeling sorry for killing innocents, whilst the Afghans are all
portrayed as dehumanized killing machines. I do not think our immediate
neighbours are going to appreciate this movie very much. But who cares,
our movies are a reflection of our skewed foreign policy as it does
appear. And the Afghans are not exactly a market yet.
The second statement by Rahul Umar Bose is even more dangerous for
Indian Muslims & for all the secular activists who have stood by the
community as it was demonised, isolated and entrapped into the
false-flag terror attacks that we have witnessed since the post-9/11
world. This was the phase of ‘controlled chaos’ and ‘unending perpetual
state of wars’ – to use Neoconservative terms.
Here whilst talking to Kamal Taufik Haasan, Rahul Umar Bose
smilinglyand nonchalantly mentions that “We were also involved in the
terror attacks of Malegaon, Bombay and other Indian cities”. In the
Tamil & Telegu versions, Coimbatore and Madurai are mentioned.
‘Good God!!’, I exclaimed to myself, even dropping my popcorn – this
movie is basically stating that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are active in
Indiaand thus certain sections of the Indian Muslim population are
certainly enmeshed with the global terror network.
This will prove to be
catastrophic in the subconscious perceptions that tend to get ingrained
deep into our reality.
This, Mr. Kamal Haasan, is going to be disastrous for Indian Muslims and we can all assure you that.
But where is the research may we ask? Have you not heard of ATS Chief
Hemant Karkare, who even served in the RAW? Are you not aware that
since 2007 the role of the Abhinav Bharat & Sanatan Sanstha in
terror attacks across the country is being probed?
Particularly in
Malegaon, Nanded, Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer, Goa &
another 10 more as per the statements of the Home Ministry. Actually
there are more than 16 recorded cases, but we will leave that for later.
All of which are further linked to the right-wing Manuwadi Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)?
Are you really unaware of these facts? Are you planning to leave the
country, or had you already left India and were living in New York and
are thus so ill-informed whilst writing the script, which lacks even an
iota of honesty & responsibility?
And this is thus a question that we as secular activists must ask
ourselves. Many Hollywood movies with a geopolitical strategic agenda
are produced in tandem with the Pentagon, so as to further the Imperial
agenda of global hegemony and the advancement of the
Military-Security-Industrial-Corporate-Media Complex.
The Zionist dominated Hollywood target and portray Palestinians and
Arabs in particular and Muslims in general as terrorists and fanatics
and thus these societies need to be invaded and civilized – and their
resources taken over for good measure.
This movie by Kamal Haasan in my estimation also certainly falls in
that category of disinformation and propaganda to serve the cause of the
Empire and to justify the wars, occupation and the genocide of the
Afghan nation, as well as the people of Pakistan. Thus not even a
fleeting reference to the drone attacks and the killings of innocents,
of women and children – thus and as to how it continues to create and
foster more and more militants and terrorists.
Then comes the part where there is a meeting between the leadership
of the Taliban led by Rahul Umar and Al Qaeda-Osama Bin Laden. Here
again I would request all those who have been taken in by the recent
supposed assassination of OBL at the staged operation at Abbotabad, to
read the excellent & well researched book by David Ray Griffin –
‘Osama Bin Laden Dead or Alive?’ (http://www.globalresearch.ca/osama-bin-laden-dead-or-alive/15601). According to many honest experts, OBL has been dead since December 15, 2001.
It is also time, actually high time, for the Indian peace movement to
address the issues of the 9/11 false-flag terror attack, which has been
central, seminal and defining moment of the 21st century, changing the
very trajectory of international politics and leading to an era of wars,
occupation and genocide. (http://www.ae911truth.org/).
Recently more than 12,500 police stations across America received
petitions by peace activists stating that the attack on WTC 1, 2 & 7
were an inside job and demanding that the investigation be reopened.
This movement is being spearheaded by more than 1700 architects &
engineers and they have the support of many prominent intellectuals,
scholars, and human-rights activists, whistle-blowers from within the
CIA-FBI, as well as vast sections of American society and the numbers
are growing. (http://www.ae911truth.org/downloads/documents/AE911Truth_Police_Letter.pdf)
The reason as to why we will have to grapple with these issues is
that, I personally know of Muslim youth who have been quizzed about
their positions on 9/11, Bin Laden & Al Qaeda. The youth have been
perplexed and horrified and left wondering as to what a job application
in the engineering, IT and telecom sectors have to do with their
knowledge or lack off, on these issues. With Muslim children who have
tried to step out of their ghettoes and seek admission in a
multi-cultural milieu, being denied and told to go back where they came
from. Of Muslims being denied housing in secular neighbourhoods. All
these discriminative practices have also increased in the last decade –
thanks to the dominant paradigm of terror.
Now, let us get back to the movie.
Soon after the carnage at Rahul Umar’s village, we are transported
into America. Here Kamal Taufik Haasan is working incognito singing and
dancing to songs written by Javed Akhtar (Lyricist), as any good Muslim
should be. Then a terror network begins to unravel andhere we have Rahul
Umar now planning to explode a Dirty-Bomb made of waste radioactive
material, which the good Muslim does foil, but after saying his Namaz!
Whilst in the room inside wherein lies the Dirty-Bomb, is a bad Muslim,
an African-American of Nigerian descent, busy offering Namaz before he
is to blow the city to kingdom come.
Herein lies another serious problem with this film and that is the
tarnishing of African-American Muslims as part of the global terror
network. In most Hollywood movies, they are sensitive enough to portray
the African American as the FBI boss, under whom the White officers
serve. But here the RAW agent is working with only Whites, presumably
Anglo-Saxon agents, whilst the African-American Muslim, is in tandem
with the Taliban. Another case of out-sourcing I guess.
Yet again, Kamal Haasan fails in his research. The terror attacks
portrayed in the film have never occurred. Also the FBI has been
entrapping Muslim youth from various ethnic backgrounds and this too is a
documented fact. Since there are no serious terror threats to America,
the FBI actually manufactures them, as there is no other way to justify
Homeland Security and it’s vast gargantuan powers and budget. FBI
agents, informers, or ex-convicts working in tandem with the FBI are
sent into Muslim communities with an attempt to create terrorists.
During the course of the year, a couple of youth, mainly with a criminal
background do get entrapped due to intensive indoctrination about the
crimes of the American Empire against their people. These youth are then
further induced & provided training to carry out a terror attack.
Targets are indentified, funds, bombs & ammunition provided and the
day that they do carry out the attack, they are apprehended red-handed.
The bombs turn out to be fake and so do the guns and that is how stupid
this supposed terrorists are.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/terrorist-plots-helped-along-by-the-fbi.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
This information is now available in the mainstream corporate media
and should have been studied by Kamal Taufik Haasan, before trying to
give the FBI a positive image in India.
This movie thus is basically a propaganda tool for the FBI, as well
as the US Empire. And now apart from Hollywood, they even have some of
the best known names from Bollywood to do their bidding. I wonder as to
how much of the financial backing of this movie came from sources such
as these and this question must be asked in all seriousness.
The plot foiled, America saved, sorry, the world saved – Rahul Umar
and his Taliban cohorts decide to flee to – India for God’s sake!! Thus
we end with the inevitability of Vishwaroopam II-India!
Actually Kamal Taufik Haasan, might even consider shifting the next
locale to Qatar, where the ‘Good Taliban’ now have a functioning office.
Here they will all have ample security as the US has a vast network of
naval and airforce bases.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-03/20/content_789607.htm).
So Rahul Umar Bose, the FBI-CIA and Kamal Taufik Haasan can actually
sort out all their problems there itself, without dragging India into
the picture.
But therein lies the threat, the clear and present danger to all of
us. You can imagine the next movie where Mullah Umar is in Mumbai, or
Delhi, maybe in Chennai (threatening Jayalalithaa for the way she dealt
with Kamal Haasan), or in Malegaon, or in Srinagar, or Hyderabad, or in
the Samjhauta Express, or in Ajmer. Thus taking the blame for all the
terror attacks, that now are alleged to be the handiwork of the
right-wing Abhinav Bharat and Sanatan Sanstha, as per the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) and certain Anti-Terror Squads (ATS).
And then, is Osama Bin Laden and his dreaded Al-Qaeda far behind in reaching India?
The fear that it will instill amongst the ordinary masses of India
and the further fear and isolation towards which will be driven the
Muslim community is apparent to many.
The terror of the politics of terror . . .
Also a little sincere and not-so-secret advice to film producers,
directors, financiers and aspiring writers. In case you are sure that
your film (or a book) is going to bomb at the box-office, be sure to
include a few scenes that you may think may be offensive to the emotions
of the Muslim community. Then arrange a screening prior to the release,
even though your film has been cleared by the censor board – & rest
assured that a few Muslims will fall prey to your trap and voila – you
have your much needed controversy.
My sincere advice to the Muslim community is the following.
Islam is
too great a religion for one book or a movie to harm our faith. Let us
overcome our insecurities and notice that the tide is turning in our
favour. The protests against the film have harmed the image of the
Muslim community, even more than Vishawaroopam was planned to. We need
to learn to ignore certain barbs hurled at us and do not need to fall
for the traps laid for us every time.
We have every right to protest and this is our constitutional and
democratic right. Our strategy should have been to evoke support and
call for a debate on the movie, whilst pointing out its flaws and
distortions. Demanding the cuts after the censor board had cleared the
movie, has harmed our image and further portrayed the community as
extremist and undemocratic.
The problem with Vishwaroopam, is that it has projected only a
miniscule part of the reality of the Afghan quagmire over a period of
more than three decades. But one cannot deny that today the Taliban and
their ilk do represent a form of a vitiated, extremist and a violent
form of Islam. From the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha’s, to the
attacks on schools and clinics, to the enforced imposition of a
regressive barbaric code on women, to the public flogging and stoning,
to the sectarian hatred and killings, to the destruction of Sufi Mazar’s
and the genocide of the Shia’s – all this is being waged in the name of
Islam. This cannot be denied by any honest God-loving/fearing Muslim.
This form of extremism is indeed alien and against the very letter,
grain & spirit of Islam. Let us all stand up in unison and condemn
this debasement & defilement of Islam. This we really do not venture
into often enough – do we honestly?
In the course of the last 2-3 years, the truth about the terror
attacks is being revealed and this is due to the sustained struggle of
Muslim organizations, in tandem with our secular allies, despite all the
odds, with the entire media and dominant sections of the
Government-intelligence-security apparatus ranged against us – but yet
we have overcome all these odds. Now is the time to reach out to all the
communities that make up this great and dynamic nation and expose the
true facts of the terror networks that are now being revealed.
(http://www.indianexpress.com/news/joining-the-dots/1068448/)
If India is not to go the way of Pakistan, with its assorted
Lashkar-Frankensteins, then we have to put a stop to those religious
extremist forces that threaten to destroy the unity and social fabric of
our nation. Now after the statement by the Union Home Minister, the
tide has clearly changed in our favour and thus let’s not undermine our
struggle by isolating ourselves any further by taking to the streets in
the manner that we have and I was personally both angry and ashamed at
the public spectacle. There is a certain degree of double-standards,
intolerance & hypocrisy within the Muslim community as well.
Also I would want to appeal here to all those who rightly advised the
Muslim community on the values of freedom of expression, democracy and
modernity. Kindly stand up, script and produce a movie based on the
charge-sheet filed by Hemant Karkare, in a movie that can be titled
‘Bharatroopam’. I would love to see as to how many takers there would be
from Bollywood, especially all the ones shouting ‘cultural terrorism’.
In terms of soft-targets, the Muslim community is far more of a soft-target, than many film makers & writers.
Yet, I will not ask for a cut, even though both my mind and my heart have suffered a few deep searing cuts.
This is because I have immense faith in the great legacy of this
country. I have great faith in the teachings of Krativeer Jotiba Phule,
Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat
Singh. I have great faith in the people of India, in our secular
democracy.
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