“Hindu ko Ram Ram, Muslamaan ko Salaam, Isaayi ko Good Evening aur Sardarji ko Sat Sri Akal (Ram Ram to a Hindu, Salaam to a Muslim, Good Evening to a Christian and Sat Sri Akal to a Sikh).”
These famous film lines of a renowned showman of India, the late Raj Kapoor, still echo in my memory.
Born on December 14, 1924, Kapoor left behind a rich legacy of secular cinema and a family of talented descendants, who continue to dominate Bollywood.
On his birth centenary, his family members met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a chat about the life and work of Raj Kapoor. Later, they exchanged gifts, signed autographs, and posed for group pictures.
They all seemed pleased by Modi for making time for such an event and almost everyone from the Kapoor clan let no opportunity go to flatter the leader of the country. Among them were Raj Kapoor’s granddaughter Kareena Kapoor and her Muslim husband Saif Ali Khan, who are both prominent actors.
The Prime Minister’s Office posted this YouTube video of his meeting with the Kapoor family.
It is pertinent to mention that the couple came under attack for their interfaith marriage by the Hindu Right that actually identifies itself with Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Such elements have become emboldened since Modi became prime minister in 2014.
Kapoor Khans trolled over son’s name
The attacks on religious minorities, especially Muslims have grown under Modi’s rule.
So much so, when Kareena named her son Taimur, her family was heavily trolled on social media. Hindu supremacists who are already on the spree to rebuild temples by razing several mosques claim that Taimur was a tyrant Muslim king who persecuted Hindus.
These radicals already demolished an ancient mosque in 1992 in Ayodhya, where a grand Ram temple has since been inaugurated by Modi. They are going after other mosques now.
It was a sheer shamelessness on part of Kareena and Saif to try to please Modi and not to question him at all when the country is going through such dark times. The least they could have done was raise their concerns over eroding secular values in Indian society and the ensuing damage to the social fabric.
Not to be left behind, prominent Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh had a cordial meeting with the Prime Minister at the beginning of 2025. He has also been under attack from Modi supporters for standing up for Sikh farmers who were protesting controversial farm laws in New Delhi for about a year.
Diljit Dosanjh follows suit
Dosanjh, too, did not lose any moments to show his reverence for the leader. His silence about Modi’s anti-minorities policies said everything and left many disappointed.
Whether it’s the Kapoors or Dosanjh, these folks have probably forgotten that audiences made them the stars. They survive only because of the people’s interest in their films and music. And if the people, particularly the most vulnerable, have faded from their minds, then we need to hold them accountable by boycotting their movies and concerts. We need to send them a strong message that if our issues do not matter to, then they cannot expect us to make their shows or songs a hit.
Notably, Kapoor family patriarch Prithviraj Kapoor cofounded the Indian People’s Theatre Association during British India. It was an anti-colonial and pro-people platform. This was the time when founders of the BJP were hobnobbing with the British and instead of fighting for liberation of the country, were campaigning to establish a Hindu nation.
Watch scenes from the 2004 film Dev, co-starring Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Dev featured Kareena as a survivor
Both Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor must have been rolling in his graves after what their grandkids and great grandkids did to give legitimacy to Modi. That’s because many believe that he has Muslim blood on his hands. Although Modi was never charged or convicted of any these crimes, survivors of Gujarat pogroms of 2002 suspect he was complicit.
Thousands of Muslims were murdered when Modi was the chief minister of that state when the massacre occurred.
Ironically, Kareena played a survivor of anti-Muslim violence in Dev, a film based on the real events of Gujarat. Even as the makers of Dev changed the names of the places and the characters, anyone could conclude that it was a story about the bloodshed in Gujarat. Do we need to remind her of this part of Modi’s history?
Likewise, Dosanjh’s village is also associated with political activists who fought against the British rule and stood for a secular India. He has blackened the glorious history of his village by bowing before a man accused of being a fascist.
Gurpreet Singh is the author of Nazneen to Naina: 20 years of Kareena Kapoor Khan in Bollywood and what that means for India and the rest of the world (Chetna Parkashan). He also co-founded of Radical Desi. Follow Pancouver on Twitter @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
