Why there's nothing wrong in naming a Diya seller Damodar!

Why there's nothing wrong in naming a Diya seller Damodar!

Nov 3, 2022 - 12:30
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Why there's nothing wrong in naming a Diya seller Damodar!

PM Narendra Modi is an enlightened leader. He never allows his better judgement to be clouded by sycophancy. You will never see him surrounded by yes-men posing as his mouthpieces. The simulated furore over a Diwali advertisement for  a chocolate  brand where a veteran actor(Masood Akhtar, who has been a part of the iconic Nukkad) is named Damodar has triggered off a pavlovian hate-response in a section of the PM’s supporters: the chamcha supporters, I might add who want us to believe that by naming the humble honest  friendly hawker  ‘Damodar’ the ad has insulted the PM.

Firstly, there is not a shred of truth in this allegation. The man named Damodar in the ad is an honest-to-goodness an absolute gem of a guy. Yes, he is poor : since when has portrayals of the underprivileged classes become an insult to the Prime Minister? The Prime  Minister hails from the humblest of backgrounds; and he  never allows himself to forget his antecedents.

Secondly are we to presume that no character is any movie or advertisement must be named after a national leader. So no Rahul or Raj for Shah Rukh Khan, huh?

It’s not the leaders who are becoming over-sensitive. It is the people around them trying to stir up a controversy where there is none. In a nation in the grips of  monstrous problems like Morbi, why are we wasting time trying to stoke an imaginary debate? Is it just the name? Or is it more?

Firstly, Cadbury was accused of using beef products. Now, the multinational has supposedly insulted our beloved Prime Minister. Reminds me of the manufactured Maggi controversy. Every effort was  made to discredit the favourite snack. It survived the absurd attack. I am sure Cadbury will too.

For my time and money, Cadbury has over the years given us some of the most memorable ads. The gender-reversed ad in 2021 where a man dances at his girlfriend’s triumph harked back to ad in the 1990s when the girl broke the cordon to groove on the cricket pitch  hit a sixer. A memorable, unforgettable moment with a deep connect with our psyche.

Why are we discrediting those precious moments that  we have all grown up on, and that too for no logical reason? This boycott trend is extremely time-consuming and a waste of energy. You don’t like an ad. Fine. Why threaten to boycott the product?

Think of the wasted time and energy. Why not use that  time to build bridges at a time when they are collapsing on us?

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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