Aamir Khan Insults Hindu Dharma: Do you believe in reforms? Well, most of us do, as one opts for reforms and course correction as one matures. The same is with religion. Religion is an integral part of human civilisation as it decides the way of life. And every religion evolves with changing time, and era. The only ones that are loaded with timeless values and are rational, which evolve with time, stay in practice.
Talking about the regressive practices in a particular religion, or talking about reforms is what makes the new generation cool and modern. Now, you tell me who will be considered cool, or who will have more friends in a Gen Z batch, the ones who keeps a shikha, wears rudraksha has a kalawa tied on his wrist, or the one who has a band on hand with some tattoos or with blonde hair? I don’t need to tell you the answer.
Religion, that teaches us the way of life, that teaches us the principles on which civilization survives, is somehow considered regressive, old fashioned, orthodox. The popular belief is that religion needs reforms. And whenever a messiah is needed to reform Sanatan Dharm, someone from the Bollywood jumps in to score some woke brownie points.
Aamir Khan is out to reform Hindu Dharm
Media is a reflection of society and there is no denying the fact. But the media also drives the narrative of society. Here, when I state ‘media’, it encompasses everything from newspapers to films. But what happens when the media starts propagating agendas. With time it loses its credibility. The same has happened with Bollywood and its stars.
Once dubbed as Mr Perfectionist, Aamir Khan finds himself in hot soup once again and he again Insults Hindu Dharma. After showing his Hinduphobia in Lal Singh Chadha, which had a dialogue ‘puja se dange bhadakte hain’, now Aamir Khan is out to reform the Hindu Dharma and its customs.
Recently, an Ad was released for a commercial bank namely AU Small Finance Bank, starring Kiara Advani and Aamir Khan. The 50 second commercial bank Ad features Khan as groom and Advani as the bride. As the newlywed couple travels from their wedding in car, they talk about none of them crying at the time of Vidaai.
As the Ad progresses, it’s revealed that there is no Vidaai that has happened rather Aamir Khan has moved to the bride’s house to help her taking care of her ailing father. Then the Ad discusses who will take the first step in the house and Khan takes the first step, in contrary to the popular practice. Then they appear in a bank and saying in Hindi, “Why should traditions that have continued for centuries continue to do so? That’s why we question every banking tradition.”
Aamir Khan Insults Hindu Dharma: The problem with the Ad
While one should have no problem in questioning the banking tradition, there should be issues when one questions our tradition, our rituals and customs.
The first problem is of not crying or getting emotional at the Vidaai, as if there existed no emotional attachment. As the girl, who has grown up in a household with her parents, she is ought to be emotional while she leaves the place and family behind, to start a new chapter of her life.
Second, the tradition in which the bride enters the home first, followed by particular rituals and customs along with her Swaagat, has a deep religious connection. A bride is hailed as ‘Goddess Lakshmi’, whose entry is deemed auspicious for the growth and well-being of the family.
Third, it is a common practice of taking care of our ailing and old parents. A ‘sanskar’ deemed to be of utmost importance in the Sanatan Dharma, has been misrepresented.
Due to the Ad, Khan is now at the centre of backlash and is being trolled heavily on microblogging site Twitter.
Also read: A stupid Ad and a dumb explanation: What Tanishq lost in last 48 hours?
Aamir Khan is not the only crusader, there exist multiple offenders
While many credit Mr. Perfectionist for speaking on such rarely spoken issues, let me clear the fog. Aamir Khan is not the only crusader for reform in the Sanatan Dharma. Rather, there have been multiple attempts to paint the Sanatan Dharma as well as its practices as regressive.
The most recent was clothing brand Manyavar’s ‘Kanyadaan’ Ad featuring Alia Bhatt. In the advertisement, it was promoted that a new idea of Kanyamaan should be adopted rather than kanyadaan, advocating that one should respect brides instead of giving them away. The Ad was seen portraying ‘Kanyadaan’ as a regressive practice, and hence came the alternative.
Bhatt, coming from an industry that veils exploitation of women and celebrates and sells their objectification, had the audacity to call a Hindu ritual regressive. And she along with the brand faced severe backlash for the same.
The 21st century awakened Hindus, who are well aware of the tradition and its significance, criticised the Ad. The users also castigated brands for only targeting Hindu festivals and rituals while leaving out oppressive customs of other religions untouched like polygamy and Halala among others.
Also read: No objectification of women, No Surrogate Ads- ASCI issues new advertisements guidelines
Sanatan Dharma- An easy target
Not only the rituals and customs, but Hindu festivals have always been at the target of the Left-liberal cabal. Not only the Bollywood, but the brands and Ad agency also have made it a habit of guilt-tripping the Hindu-community. They portray the impression that Hindus are bigoted and intolerant towards other communities, while the others are always keen on building good relationship with the former.
Be it the Tanishq Ad, or the Brooke Bond or Surf Excel Ad, all can be termed as surrogate Ads, run to malign the Hindu Dharma. If you cannot recollect, let me make it easier for you.
First let us talk about the Surf Excel Ad, the brand famous for its ‘Daag Ache Hain’ campaign. In the Ad, a girl is seen dressed in white clothes rides on a bicycle and challenges neighbourhood kids to splash her with Holi colours. It is revealed in the later part of the Ad, that it was to protect her Muslim friend who had to go to a nearby mosque for prayers. The parting note by the girl ends with a message “baad me rang padhega (will colour you later!).”
The next one is for Tanishq Ad, the jewellery brand which is a division of the Titan Company. It released an Ad showing the bride’s in-laws and other relatives being extremely big-hearted who almost intuitively care for her cultural emotions. It drew flak for promoting inter-religion marriages at a time when social issue like Love Jihad is on the rise.
Another Brooke Bond Ad, released in 2019, is about the iconic Kumbh Mela, which holds supreme respect in the hearts of Hindus. Often the mela is presented as a place where people get separated owing to the mass congregation. In the Ad as well, a son was shown leaving his ageing parents amongst the crowd to get rid of them. There existed subtle propaganda to demean the Hindu culture and horrible writing that had no connection with the product being advertised.
Also read: Days after Tanishq controversy, another case of Love Jihad and a bloody murder shocks the nation
The reform initiative is uncalled for
The Bollywood ones might have attempted to score some woke brownie points, by calling for reform in the Hindu dharma. However, they need to be made aware of the basic philosophy of reform. ‘Religious reforms are performed when a religious community reaches the conclusion that it deviated from its true faith’, and not when the Bollywood finds it fit.
To add on, in the recent years, wokeism has engulfed the entire advertisement industry. They have been heavily criticised for various woke agendas like painting Hindu festivals as not being environmentally friendly. Presenting Hindu cultures and rituals as misogynistic or Brahmins as villains and presenting Hindu men as toxic. If the Bollywood needs to survive, it needs to shed its agenda.
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