Bollywood reels: Saif attack exposes stars' vulnerability

The dream merchants of Bollywood have been facing an endless night for a while. Buffeted by films flopping regularly, a dearth of creative talent, the ageing out of charismatic superstars sans any replacements, and the all-pervasive stranglehold of the “nepo babies,” the near-death attack on actor Saif Ali Khan seems to be the last straw.

I spoke to a dozen Bollywood insiders, including boldfaced stars, for this SWAT analysis, and they all have two common laments: a creative death that has protracted the box office agony, and the pervasive feeling of being unsafe from mafia-like gangs such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, extortion and blackmail artists whipping up mobs on social media, and unofficial censors like the “Karni Sena” who want a say in the creative process and content produced by Bollywood.

A top director says he will move away from Mumbai because he can’t take the pressure cooker atmosphere he is forced to live with: “All of us actors, directors, and producers are slow-boiling frogs. We don’t know who we will offend and why, and when the bullet or knife will come.”

Saif Ali Khan being attacked inside the supposedly safe confines of his home has brought the whole house of cards crashing down. The three incidents which add up to the current Bollywood nightmare are the murder of Baba Siddiqui, a legislator and real estate magnate who had close ties with Bollywood and was the Uber mediator between the trio of Khan superstars. He had gotten many real estate projects for many industry boldfaced names who are now scared about losing all their money.

The repeated targeting of superstar Salman Khan, where even his father Salim Khan is not safe on his evening walks. Khan is now essentially a prisoner in a fancy bulletproof cage of his home and his cars. Producers of upcoming films have been firmly told that no outdoor shooting can take place in India and will have to be done in “safe” foreign locales.

"Security in our own home"

Says an actor: “You sign up to lose your privacy, any semblance of a private life, but you don’t sign up to be knifed in your home. This has made us realise that we live only seconds away from death. We pay so much in taxes and we can’t even be afforded security in our own home?”

We in India may glory in the tag of the world’s largest democracy, but the reality is that we pay first-world taxes for possibly the shoddiest civic amenities in the world.

Take Delhi, the capital, and Mumbai, the financial capital: the air is the most foul in the world, the roads are the pits, huge piles of garbage lie around, rampant organised encroachments by the mafia is the norm, the infrastructure is absent, barely any green public space, mass transport not upgraded for decades in Mumbai, law and order is noticeably absent, and both cities are now unsafe for women to walk in 24/7.

However the authorities try to dodge this, it is a total and utter collapse of governance, and this will have its inevitable consequences for Brand India and Brand Mumbai, which will be noticeable in a while.

A cage, however gilded, is still a cage, and then when big names seek to move to other parts of the world with effective law and order, a clean environment, and proper civic amenities, you hear motivated howls of outrage at the lack of patriotism. Frankly, it’s really rage that they don’t have the option to pick up sticks.

The mystery currently surrounding the Khan knifing incident has made the situation worse. Who was the assailant, what his motives were, and the multiple men detained and released have just made the conspiracy theories swirl in the public about the viral incident.

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has left on his annual Davos sojourn accompanied by a bevy of top officials. Law and order in the maximum city of Mumbai now awaits his return. Should it really be this way?

Bollywood is an important component of India’s soft power. Our calling card to the world — should creators and stars be treated so shabbily?