The tragedy of our times is that today we seem to think of Dhurandhar as a documentary, and Ikkis as fiction.
No, let me correct that.
We seem to be convinced that Dhurandhar can only be real, and Ikkis can only be made up.
No, let me correct even that.
We want Dhurandhar to be true, and Ikkis to be an impossible fantasy dreamed up by silly people.
And now, having said that, I realised from my recent post on this movie and the comments on it that the Indian right wing has crossed a very interesting red line by discarding the one institution that has historically been the holy cow for all right-wing movements, across time and geography: the Army.
Imagine this. You make a film on an actual incident that happened to the father (himself an army man) of, wait for it, the youngest recipient of the highest gallantry award in the country, a 21-year-old who gave up his life on the battlefield defending your freedom: Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra (posthumous). You stick to facts and only facts. You even add a disclaimer stating that Pakistan cannot be trusted, and that this one-off incident does not excuse what they did, and continue to do, to our country. You cast the grandson of one of India’s biggest superstars as Arun, and the husband and father of ruling-party MPs, another much-loved superstar, as his father. You do the work. Rigorous research. So rigorous that people who have been in the Army, in battle (some even in that very battle), in the NDA, in Foxtrot Squadron, people who knew Arun Khetarpal, heard of him, or looked up to him in awe, whether then or more than fifty years after his ultimate sacrifice, watch the film and find nothing, not one thing, to fault.
Now imagine someone tells you that the right wing will have a problem with this film.
You would laugh, wouldn’t you? You would dismiss the thought outright. You would say the film would probably be screened in Parliament and at Rashtrapati Bhavan (there is plenty of precedent for that), that the nation would be grateful, and that even critics would tread carefully around any criticism of the craft, even if the film were flawed.
Right?
Right?
Wrong.
The Indian right wing (the same people who never forget to remind you that whatever tragedies and inconveniences are visited upon on the Indian citizenry by Modi and his regime, one must take it on the chin and move on because the soldiers guarding our borders in harsh conditions, specifically Siachen, are not complaining) has taken to abusing the film made on 2/Lt Khetarpal’s ultimate sacrifice, his veteran father, the actors, the filmmakers, the audience, and even those who dare to review it. For one reason, and one reason alone: the Pakistanis shown in the film are shown as human.
That militates against their most closely held belief, reality be damned.
And if any filmmaker dares to tell a story where a Pakistani is shown as a human being, not only is the film and everyone associated with it deemed worthy of abuse, but so are the real people involved. Even if they are soldiers. Even if they have made sacrifices so profound they should overwhelm your imagination.
Nothing matters. Nothing stands in the way of this hatred.
I do not need to tell you what “Pakistan” is a proxy for.
That is how low we have come.
P.S.: If you are a veteran (because serving military men and women are not allowed social media, and a good thing that is), even if you are a BJP voter, especially if you are a BJP voter, consider it your duty to protect the honour of your hero, of your alma mater, of your uniform, of your service, and of your nation. Strike down those that talk such dangerous nonsense. These are the real anti-nationals. The fifth column. I am sure you will do it. For Foxtrot Sqn, for NDA, for Poona Horse, for the Indian Army, for all of those whose names honour the Hut of Remembrance at the NDA and the War Memorial at India Gate. For your children. And theirs.
Photo of the Khetarpal family taken from Gen G.D. Bakshi’s fan page wall. Yes, the same Gen Bakshi. I hope he and his fans find it in themselves to see clearly once at the very least who the real ‘dushman‘ is. This is one of those times I agree with the movie Dhurandhar: हिन्दुस्तानियों का सबसे बड़ा दुश्मन हिंदुस्तानी है।
