Pop Stars, the new philosophers?

Fan (Hindi; 2016)

Vaali, the Tamil lyricist, in one MGR starred movie, wrote, He sent Buddha, then He sent Jesus, then Gandhi, but the people never changed. What he was saying was that, in spite of the many reformers and philosophers that the world inherited, people are still content with continuing their way of hormonal derived instant gratification and satisfying their inner primitive needs through irrational acts.

Recently, somebody mentioned that what the philosophers and theologians could not do in two millennia, can be done by pop stars and those involved in the pop culture business. Yes, it is a business alright. They have such a persona that the general public is quickly captivated and are easily ordered around like an automaton. It is no wonder that they are now brand ambassadors and are roped in by non-Government organisations for their course. They have the tremendous clout to bring in finances and sympathy. After all, the pop stars cannot be wrong, can they? Their image consultant sculptured portrayal of what the public wants them to be was accepted to be real. Herein, lies the problem. This is where this SRK movie got its inspiration.

It is a story of many a poor boy in every town or village in the movie-crazed nation of India. It tells the story of a star-obsessed fan whose one-lifetime ambition is to meet his movie idol, Aryan Khanna. This fan, Gaurav, goes to great lengths to watch all his films and mimic his mannerisms. When the day finally arrives for him to meet his idol, he is disappointed. The high and mighty movie star does not even acknowledge him. Gaurav, soon becomes a deranged scorned fan, as he is brutalised by the police when he goes all out to salvage his idol's reputation. He terrorises his once held in high esteem hero and wrecks his image, career, and even family.

Even though the story is highly predictable, it nevertheless, paves a new direction of Indian movies. With a big budget spent on overseas locations, special make-up effects and high tension stunt scenes, the obsession with dual roles in the Indian cinema persists.

Instantly gratifying acts?

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