An Op-Ed in the Firstpost read, “The recent and classic example can be taken from Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha. The adaptation of Forrest Gump, which is struggling at around Rs 50 crore at the box office, has garnered around one lakh forty thousand votes on IMDb. Well, if we analyse the votes and collections, we can come out with the result that many of them gave negative votes to the film without even watching it, which is honestly an unethical and unfair practice,” it further added.
Other films that have been a part of this Boycott movement are Brahmastra and Vikram Vedha. When actor Hrithik Roshan praised Laal Singh Chaddha, his upcoming film - the Hindi remake of Vikram Vedha started trending as #BoycottVikramVedha. While the source of these hashtags is unknown, it is directly impacting the creator and film distribution economy. Trade pundits have predicted that Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, the official adaptation of Tom Hanks’ starrer Forrest Gump will be off the cinemas by next week.
For instance, international cricketer Monty Panesar is not happy with the portrayal of Sikhs and the Indian Army in Laal Singh Chaddha. He took to Twitter and called for a boycott of the Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor-starrer. He tweeted: "Forrest Gump fits in the US Army because the US was recruiting low IQ men to meet requirements for the Vietnam War. This movie is a total disgrace to Indian Armed Forces Indian Army and Sikhs!! Disrespectful. Disgraceful. #BoycottLalSinghChadda (sic)."
“Forrest Gump fits in the US Army because the US was recruiting low-IQ men to meet requirements for the Vietnam War. This movie is a total disgrace to Indian Armed Forces Indian Army and Sikhs!! Disrespectful. Disgraceful. #BoycottLalSinghChadda.”
Mehak, a professional with over a decade of work experience in the Indian film industry, belongs to the Sikh community, and watched Laal Singh Chaddha with her family. Speaking to the newsweekly, Mehak explained that the film gives references to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Operation Bluestar. Therefore, she said, “Some parts of the film that may be uncomfortable and triggering to watch for the people of our community, getting reminded of the traumatic experiences all over again.”
She further added, “However, Laal Singh Chaddha is just a character, like every other character, who happens to be a Sikh and the film follows his story. Yes, recruiting a low-IQ individual into the Indian Army might be questionable and debatable, but what’s that got to do with his religion? At the end of the day, it’s just a film, telling a person's story, and it should be viewed as just that, without attaching it to the labels of caste, colour or religion. Personally, his simplicity and the unconditional love he had for his friends and family, struck a chord with me.”
It is imperative to note that several social media users shared an image showing a group of Sikh men holding their religious flag and posters of Laal Singh Chaddha. Those who shared the picture claimed that the image was from a protest by the Sikh community against the movie in Punjab’s Jalandhar. Newschecker, a fact-checking website found the claim to be false and that the men seen in the viral image actually came out in support of the movie and not against it.
Film journalist Deepanjana Pal of Film Companion wrote, “Ironically, when it comes to holding a mirror to society, the most telling detail might just be the essay-sized announcement at the start of Laal Singh Chaddha. Prior to its release, the film was subjected to vicious, online trolling by those who stand opposed to Laal Singh Chaddha because it’s headlined by one actor who is Muslim and another who is Hindu but married to a Muslim. To pre-empt any misunderstandings or allegations of ‘distorting’ facts, the film begins with a written assurance to the audience that while there are visual effects used on archival footage, Laal Singh Chaddha does not seek to rewrite history or cause any offence to anyone. It says a lot about present-day India that being imaginative has to come with a disclaimer.”
What we see on social media, and what goes into writing and producing the film are two different spectrums. Indian cinema has always been perceived as the most influential medium for Indian society, and of late, there’s a resurgence of realistic cinema - cinema that mirrors society. However, as viewers no matter how evolved the audiences become, cinema at large will always be first a source of entertainment, then education.
