Western publications love to caricature India. The seriousness and rigor of real journalism is always missing. If @TheAtlantic wanted to do a story on Hindi film industry, I wish they had approached a serious critic and not a cheap fellow whose ‘journalism’ is kiss and tell.
The disgruntled fellow may not know but serious readers of @TheAtlantic should know, India is a huge country. What your cheap fellow calls ‘Bollywood’- a pejorative term, is essentially Hindi film industry operating out of Mumbai. But that is not the only film industry in India
There is Telugu,Tamil, Malayali, Gujarati, Punjabi and tons of other cinema in India and thriving. Thank you.Coming to Hindi Cinema, this fellow’s only qualification in writing this piece is that he dated a film director who happens to be a protégé of another famous film director
I am shocked that ‘kiss and tell’ author does not even know about Hindi films in the past that have been censored, movie theaters that have been vandalized,actors/directors/ singers who have been harassed by then governments of the day.Compared to that we live in golden era today
Current government has not banned a single movie which was a favorite pastime of the previous governments that the author favors. All kinds of movies are being made, watched, critiqued and hailed or trashed. That is what happens in vibrant democracies like India.
What the author’s real grouse is and he is such a bad writer that he cannot even hide his biases, so it is clear as daylight. He is upset that the substandard fare that Hindi cinema used to dish in the past now will be met with vigorous criticism. That is what bothers him.
This fellow won’t even be able to name 5 Hindi movie classics, much less critique them, and I have no desire to educate him. But for the rest, films like any other art, reflect the society. They do not exist in vaccum. Film makers in all eras have been able to tell their stories.
There is LESS interference from the govt and NOT MORE. What is happening is ordinary people now have a platform to speak up. So they are questioning stories that they don’t agree with, sound and look fake, talk about stuff that does not reflect their daily struggles.
There is healthy criticism that Hindi cinema is not used to and it is good that they get used to. For the author I have only one word of advice-look beyond KJo Cinema and you will be shocked to see the amount of good work that is happening.Creativity always finds a way for itself

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More from @sunandavashisht

31 May
Mamata is manufacturing controversies and artificial clashes with the Central government. Governance is her Achilles heel but she has ambitions and is unstable. These manufactured clashes help her rally her vote bank because in their mind she is ‘standing upto’ Modi.
Mamata knows she has a captive vote bank and in order to stay in power all she needs to do is keep them convinced she is ‘fighting’ against Modi. There is no need to deliver on ground if she can keep ‘clashing’ with Modi. For Mamata race to 2024 has begun.
Mamata is destroying institutions, politicizing bureaucracy, bringing about unprecedented Center-State crisis, only because she knows she will be forgiven for everything including destroying Bengal, if she pretends to be up against Delhi all the time.
Read 4 tweets
22 Apr
Angela Merkel’s statement that Germany/West ‘allowed’ India to become a large pharmaceutical producer is extremely unfortunate and shortsighted. India is a rising power of 1.3 billion people who are hardworking and have aspirations. Merkel should have known better. @CDUMerkel
India has stood by the world during these dark times of pandemic. India has behaved as a responsible member of the global community. Not because West deserves it, but India’s values don’t allow her to do anything else. Such arrogance by @CDUMerkel should be condemned by all.
United States has hoarded vaccines four times its real need . Greatest democracy on the earth doesn’t get tired of preaching equality to the ‘third world’ yet it won’t share vaccines or raw material. US is sitting on tons of Aztra Zeneca which will never be approved.
Read 6 tweets
29 Mar
The unmistakable lesson, it seems, is China treats meek leaders such as Duterte with contempt, but will strike mutually beneficial deals with the likes of Jokowi, who has consistently refused to be intimidated by Asia's superpower. -Fascinating comparison asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/How-Jo…
‘After five years of strategic servility, Duterte has little to show for his pivot to Beijing, not even the large volume of free COVID vaccines China promised to deliver by the end of 2020’- This is why I am convinced China will never ever emerge as a super power.
1) Decades of communism have robbed Chinese of all empathy and it is no longer possible for them to be large hearted. Their foreign policy is like their domestic policy - mean spirited, cruel and self centered. They don’t even treat their allies well.
Read 6 tweets
8 Mar
It is time to call out bluff on this nonsense that West/America is invested in India’s rise. Or to put it more palatably as DC think tankers do ‘America wants India to rise and be successful because why wouldn’t they’. Let’s analyze this in detail.
Which countries has America ‘allowed’ to rise? China?Because they love Chinese? No.Because at one point they thought it was in their interest to send all manufacturing along with pollutants to China so that little Jack and Little Jill in Montana and Nebraska can breathe clean air
Of course China was allowed in WTO. Of course China was given a free pass on ‘human rights’ as defined by the US. Of course China was a friend. Well that lasted till the dragon actually started breathing fire and then America did not know what to do.
Read 13 tweets
12 Jan
[Thread] Invention of Social Media democratized discourse. It was much needed. Legacy media was guarded by old boys club and it was impossible to break into it. Still is. So SM brought in a whiff of fresh air.
In 2012, when SM was just about gaining ground in India I was ecstatic about what it had achieved and what it could achieve. This is what I had written then swarajyamag.com/commentary/new…
In 2021, 9 years later, I think it is time to write a sequel to this piece. SM is still democratizing discourse, it still gives voice to the voiceless but it has also brought with it some consequences that we had not accounted for.
Read 11 tweets
7 Jan
Now that I have had my moments of Schadenfreude followed by sadness at the events that unfolded in Capitol Hill, it is time for some serious reflection. Everyone saw the shameful scenes that unfolded and there is nothing one can add to that. However let’s see what else happened.
1) Capitol Hill should never have been breached but once this happened the citadel of American democracy was secured quickly as soon as law makers were evacuated. Within couple of hours the Capitol Hill was secure again and rioters had been thrown out.
2) US Congress reconvened as soon as they could and certified Joe Biden’s election victory. They sent a strong message that no one is more important than the constitution and they are beholden to the constitution and not to any mob.
Read 7 tweets

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