Why hasn’t Shahrukh followed the path of Kalam and PremJi?

By R.K. Sinha

Shahrukh Khan’s prince Aryan Khan has been granted bail in the drugs case by the Mumbai High Court. Model Munmun Dhamija and Arbaaz Merchant have also been granted bail with him. But, it is important to understand that bail does not imply that Aryan has been absolved of the charges leveled against him. Now the case will go on for a long time. Aryan’s lawyer Mukul Rohatgi himself said that it takes a lot of time to come to a decision on a case in India. If we talk about Fardeen Khan, the actor son of Feroz Khan, then it took 8 years for the judicial system in our country to come to a decision. Fardeen was also implicated in the drug case. So it is abundantly clear that right now Aryan Khan and his family, especially father Shahrukh Khan will have to face hardships for quite some time.

Shahrukh Khan must have gone through a period of severe mental trauma during his son Aryan Khan’s alleged involvement in the drugs case. They must be contemplating that in the pursuit of making himself the Badshah of Bollywood and earning money, he failed to raise his son properly. While shooting, advertising, IPL, traveling, dancing for money in weddings, he had no time to spare to spend some time with Aryan Khan too.

Indeed, success demands a great price. Shahrukh Khan, a young man from a very ordinary family of Delhi, went to the City of Dreams, with a sole desire that he would now earn only money. For him, there will be no place for anything else in life such as his home and family. The result of these actions is in front of everyone. He earned a lot of money but failed to make his son a better citizen. What is the use of his money and fame if he could not keep an eye on his son?

If we look at his film journey, he did not make any social or patriotic films. Almost all of the films he made were in the commercial and entertainment genres. In comparison to him, Aamir Khan made far better films like Lagaan, 3 Idiots, and Dangal. Now that Aryan Khan’s bail is done, Shahrukh Khan must evaluate his life’s work so far. He has to acknowledge the fact that this country has given them immense love and affection. But, what did he give to the country in return?

Despite being such a superstar, he was never associated with any social or national construction work. He never even takes a stand on any important issue. He also studied at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). But, he did not open his mouth even after the ruckus made by the students of JMI over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Students of JMI had created a nuisance, vandalized buses, and damaged public property. But, Shah Rukh Khan remained silent. Shouldn’t he have said a few words at that time so that JMI students stopped their upheaval?

Shahrukh Khan even went into exile when Jamia students created a ruckus just because Israel was involved in the program being held here. The students of Jamia were stating that they would not allow Israel to enter Jamia under any circumstances. Shahrukh Khan could have told Jamia students that they definitely have the freedom to express their views and also fight for their necessary rights. These demands can be related to hostel, library, food, studies, examination, or anything related to a teacher. But, they cannot decide whether there should be representatives of the country for any event in Jamia or not.

This makes it clear that Shahrukh Khan avoids taking a stand on questions of national interest. The whole country knows that he is the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders in the

India Premier League (IPL). He himself claims to like to watch and play cricket. So did he not know that after the end of the match between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, people of a certain community celebrated in their colleges and spoke abusive words against India?

Shouldn’t Shahrukh Khan have spoken up against this blatant anti-national element? If he tightened them, then his image would be reborn in the entire nation and he would have garnered their respect. However, Shahrukh Khan lost all these golden opportunities. He could have raised himself to the ranks of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam and Mr. Azim Premji by appealing for strict punishment to the traitors.

Shahrukh Khan went to Mumbai empty-handed. The city blessed him with innumerable luxuries. Despite that, when Pakistan executed a terrorist attack in his city, he did not dare to utter a single word against the fanatics of Pakistan. Believe it or not, but it seems that the scope of Shahrukh Khan’s thinking is limited to film and cricket. He thinks that earning money is what life is about. Somebody should tell them that death is inevitable. What is the need to go out of one’s way for money? While we earn money we do something for society and the country. He doesn’t want to be like Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Mr. Azim Premji, and Maulana Waheeduddin Khan.

Countless such Muslims are quietly engaged in the national building of their kind. Maulana Waheeduddin Khan never let the fanatics off the hook so easily. Mr. Azim Premji, the founder of the country’s top IT company Wipro, has been actively participating in charitable works since its inception. He is a great hero of the country. In the last financial year 2019-20, he donated Rs. 20 crores every day i.e. a total of ₹7904 crores for social work related to philanthropy. Shahrukh Khan still has time to create an image of himself apart from simply being the King of Bollywood. Along with this, he should give some more time to the members of his family, meet friends from the days of his struggle and share their happiness and sorrows.

(The writer is a senior editor, columnist, and former MP. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author.)