Rajesh Khanna, Nasiruddin & ‘Popular’ Logic

      You are correct, my title is contradictory! If you understood this, then you are quite a logical person. Logic or Rationalism has nothing to do with popularity. It has to be unbiased, not to be corrupted by emotion.

      Well, recently prominent actor Nasiruddin Shah criticised Rajesh Khanna’s acting skill. This was not taken well by public…. well at least by his legal wife & daughter. Media reported the criticism as ‘rude’, may be because Khanna is not alive. And Khanna’s family reacted with some riddles like ‘Khanna’s successful career speaks for itself, Public knows better, he has contributed a lot to the Industry’ etc.

      This gives rise to many questions. Why we can never be rational? Sure, we are not rational by nature. Rationalism, logic, reasoning, mathematical analysis, and so, science – are added quite recently & suddenly to our civilisation. So these are very new to our brain. Majority of human beings find these things strenuous, leave alone enjoyable. Inherently, our brain is hardwired (permanently programmed) to follow instincts / emotions. So that is our supreme command centre. Next is the centres that gives us talents in different fields. That is kind of 'firmware'. You can enhance it by practice & learning. Beyond this, it is highly dynamic. That is, it is highly programmable : it adopts to experience all along our lifespan and that is the brightest side of our brain! But as said before, we were not made to analyse, and learn by this way. In fact we need to constantly nurture these skills to keep it active. It explains why it is so difficult to be objective for us.

1. In the above issue, emphasize was not given on the correctness or the content of the criticism, but on how it was made. In fact, criticism is expected to be rude, right?
2. Should the same criticism be made by 3rd rated commercial actor or director, one could expect some applause for sure. But why did they expect the from an serious & ace actor like Shah?
3. Would Khanna’s family have reacted the same way if that criticism was made for some other poor actor? Their reaction was an immature move. They reacted the most expected, trivial way. They should have declined any comments since Khanna is their close relation.
4. Are Dimple & Twinkle (who were also below average commercial actresses, though Dimple had finally shown some talent in Rudali etc.) talented enough to judge someone acting…. or in other words, merit in Shah’s criticism? Let us see -.

      See how childishly they reacted! Success? Popularity? Are those any match before acting talent? They in fact unwittingly raised a classical topic: Hero vs Actor. What makes a hero? It is an illusion, a mass hysteria, upon which the life & death of the Industry depends on, and which is actually based on some proven (good or bad) mannerism of the ‘actor’, not his acting skill. In an illusion show may gimmicks and behind-the-stage tricks are involved, similarly for a hero also many dummies, playback singers, a team of beauticians, designer wears & props from boutique etc. are all essential. Did I mention good look & patchworks by world’s top cosmetic  surgeons? So, of course all that is to ‘contribute to the Industry’! What is more, he/she has to maintain that illusion (glamour?) carefully, like a soap bubble! If they expose too much in public, even does drama or serials, the glamour is gone! Just like a stage magician can not expose too much or his tricks will be caught!

      Now, in their wise opinion, being successful in such a scenario indicates talent! Oh lord! This is not only ‘rude’ but outrageous for many dedicated, extremely talented actors/actresses who never found mainstream popularity or glamour.
      And finally, again that magic word ‘Public! Public knows!’ Hmm! So public view (or market?) matters more than top actors or directors criticism! Well Madams, then my humble suggestion is, why not scrap all selection committee, jury systems in all fine arts competitions, and start public voting system everywhere… like all those ‘reality shows’?