Christians, scholars, fans speak out in support of Kareena Kapoor Khan

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, whose latest Bollywood film Laal Singh Chaddha is all set to release on August 11, 2022, is at the centre of a fresh controversy. On August 5, Sparsh Upadhyay of LiveLaw.in reported that a practising advocate named Christopher Anthony has approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court “seeking the registration of an FIR” against the actor for “allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Christian community”.

What has she done? According to Anthony, the actor’s use of the word ‘Bible’ in the title of her book Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Pregnancy Bible: The Ultimate Manual for Moms-to-be (2021), published by Juggernaut Books, is hurtful as the Bible is “the holiest scripture of the Christians and cannot be used in any way in the book title describing anyone’s pregnancy.”

Justice Dinesh Kumar Paliwal directed the petitioner to implead the state as a party, and the matter was listed for hearing after six weeks. The actor has made no public statement on this.

The actor wrote the book in collaboration with freelance writer Aditi Shah Bhimjyani to articulate the joys and challenges that she experienced as a mother to Taimur and Jeh. This first-hand account is supplemented by contributions from several medical and health experts.

These are radiologist Dr. Mitossh Ruparel, nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, Pilates instructor Namrata Purohit, Lamaze consultant Dr. Rita Shah, paediatrician Dr. Neeru Vithalani, clinical psychologist Sonali Gupta, gynaecologist Dr. Ruma Satwik, dermatologist Dr. Deepti Ghia, psychiatry professor Dr. Prabha S. Chandra, obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr. Anahita Pandole, psychiatrist Dr. Vishal Sawant, fertility specialist Dr. Rakhi Singh, obstetrician- gynaecologist Dr. Chandrika Anand, and obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr. M. Krishna Kumari.

Archbishop Felix Machado, Diocese of Vasai, Maharashtra, says, “The word ‘Bible’ is used as a reference text in this particular context to indicate that the author’s guide will benefit people. I have not read the book but, going by the title, I do not feel offended as a Christian.”

He adds, “I do not think that the author is trying to replace a holy book. If she is not disrespecting my faith, there is no reason at all for me to be offended by it. You see, people often use words like ‘Bible’, ‘gospel truth’, ‘commandments’ and ‘doubting Thomas’ in common usage. These are religious in origin but are also used in non-religious contexts.”

He did not know of the petition against the author in the Madhya Pradesh High Court before he was approached to comment on it. He says, “A citizen of India whose religious sentiments are hurt has the right to approach the court. I cannot comment on somebody else’s feelings. I am a priest, not a legal expert. I respect people of all faiths and believe in interfaith dialogue.”

We contacted Chiki Sarkar, publisher and founder of Juggernaut Books, to know what she makes of the court petition, and to check if any Christian readers have reached out to communicate that their sentiments were hurt by the title. We also asked if there are any plans to change the title in consultation with the actor. Sarkar replied, saying, “No comments.”

ElsaMarie D’silva, Founder and President, Red Dot Foundation, says, “Whilst it is true that the Bible refers to the Christian scriptures, in the informal sense this word is often used to denote a book that is authoritative on a particular topic. Kareena probably meant it in the informal sense when she used the word in the title of her book. As a Christian, I am not offended with her using it in the informal sense as I have used it myself in many contexts.” D'silva finds it disturbing that “freedom of speech and expression are being curtailed in the name of religion” as “people seem to be easily offended.” She thinks that an FIR will “further the hate and misunderstanding” instead of solving any problems. She says, “We should encourage critical thinking and a deeper dialogue on interfaith understanding and peace.”

Suraj Girijashanker, Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat, and ardent Kareena fan, says, "Advocate Christopher Anthony's petition to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in connection with Kareena's book reminds me of advocate Vedika Chaubey who filed a police complaint against Ranveer Singh after his nude photo shoot. These people seem to have a lot of free time on their hands. They make the legal profession seem like a joke.”

He adds, “I don't think any sentiments are being hurt by an innocuous book title. This kind of publicity-seeking drama takes away from real issues faced by religious minorities in India."

The legal academic believes that lawyers are expected to like actors such as Shabana Azmi –known for more serious roles – so his peers think that his appreciation for Kareena is odd and misplaced. He says, "It is unfortunate that many people think of Kareena only in relation to Geet in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met and Poo in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Her body of work is so wide-ranging. She has acted in Govind Nihalani's Dev, Sudhir Mishra's
Chameli, Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara, Rensil D'silva's Kurbaan and Mani Ratnam's Yuva.”

Pointing out that Kareena has been doing films for over two decades, and is still relevant, he says, “Bollywood is misogynistic; to be in top form post marriage and two kids is not easy. It is stupid to diminish her craft by pulling her into legal tangles because she is an easy target.”

Urmi Chanda, who is pursuing her PhD in interfaith studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and is a Harmony scholar at their International Federation for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, says, “As a citizen of India, I see this development as one more instance of the rising culture of intolerance in our country.” She points out that the petitioner in this case seems to have been hurt by “the purposeful use of the word ‘Bible’ to describe Kareena’s book.” She adds, “Even the quickest Google search will tell you that Kareena is not the first person to use this word in the title of a book that is not the Christian holy text.”

Chanda points out books such as Sanyog Raut’s The Candlestick Trading Bible, Guy Cohen’s The Bible of Options Strategies, and Dom Mazzetti’s The Swoly Bible: The Bro Science Way of Life to back her argument, and concludes that even the Oxford dictionary recognises that the word 'bible' informally means “a book regarded as authoritative in a particular sphere.”

Sahir Avik D’souza, who is pursuing a Masters in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh, says, “I am not personally or politically offended in any way by Kareena Kapoor Khan's use of the word 'bible' and I certainly don't see any reason she should apologise.”

D’souza clarifies, “I am not Christian and nor is my family, so I can't speak directly to the experiences or religious sentiments of that community but I do have Christian heritage and a closeness with the religion. The Christians I have met, know or am related to espouse a general respect for other ways of thought. I believe that they would not be offended either. I see this FIR as another effort to harass our movie stars; this seems to have become something of a common sport for many fundamentalist and reactionary individuals in our country.”

D'souza is of the opinion that this petition is much ado about nothing, and is “sure that the Madhya Pradesh High Court has many other things of much greater importance to deal with.”

Chanda thinks that artists, writers and publishers in India “should be allowed as much freedom as possible” so that “ideas are challenged” and “society can grow”. She emphasizes that “art and literature ought to be understood for their symbols and metaphors” instead of “taking everything literally” so that “we can protect the legacy of plurality and tolerance.”

Chintan Girish Modi is a writer, journalist and educator who tweets @chintanwriting

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