Real life ‘Phunsuk Wangdu’ celebrates Ladakh’s victory but Aamir Khan does not share the joy

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was passed yesterday in Rajya Sabha with a 2/3rd majority. Once it follows the legislative procedure, the State of Jammu of Kashmir will be bifurcated into Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, the most pleased group of people are the Ladakhis, who are widely lauding the move of the government.

Amongst the joyous individuals, is the world famous innovator and education reformist, Sonam Wangchuk. Expressing his gratitude to the current government for taking the daring and much needed move, Sonam Wangchuk tweeted, “THANK YOU PRIME MINISTER Ladakh thanks PM Modi for fulfilling Ladakh’s longstanding dream. It was exactly 30 years ago in August 1989 that Ladakhi leaders launched a movement for UT status. Thank you all who helped in this democratic decentralization!”

Ladakh has since long demanded a union territory status and have detested the dominance of Kashmir. Moreover, with the numerous issues in the Kashmir valley, Ladakh as a region was often sidelined. They were never completely satisfied with the governance of Srinagar based state government. Around eight months ago, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) of both Leh and Kargil had unanimously passed a resolution, demanding “complete autonomy from Kashmir’s administrative setup”. After a long struggle, this dream is well within the reach.

However, in this state of happiness, there is one individual who has ceased to comment on Ladakh’s recognition of rights. This one individual is actor Aamir Khan.

A decade ago, he had made a movie based on the character of Sonam Wangchuk, titled 3 idiots in which he plays the role of the esteemed innovator. With a worldwide lifetime gross to Rs 495 crore, it was the highest grossing Indian film ever at that time. Since Aamir Khan takes a share in the film’s profits, he earned quite a lot.

More than the profits earned, it was Aamir Khan’s popularity that had suddenly shot up. Fresh from the success, he had even bagged an advertising deal for a staggering Rs 35 crore. The film had earned many awards and Aamir Khan even began to be recognized as the voice of educational reforms in the country.

Thus implying, that while relishing in the fame provided by Sonam Wangchuk in absolutely fine; when it comes to doing something for his community, Aamir Khan is less than enthusiastic. He has ceased to even comment or tweet a lauding statement for the momentous achievement.

But seeing the precedence set by Aamir Khan, this attitude isn’t surprising. About a month ago, when 19 year old Zaira Wasim had announced that she will be leaving the film industry as it conflicts with her religion, Aamir Khan had chosen to stay quiet throughout the whole incident. When on the other hand, being a follower of Islam and a renowned actor himself, Aamir Khan should have soothed Zaira’s troubles and encouraged her to continue with her profession.

Now again, Aamir Khan has conveniently stayed out. It would have meant a lot to the Ladakhis and Sonam Wangchuk, whose character Aamir Khan once portrayed to support their cause. However, the actor has selfishly excused himself.