Move over Chulbul Pandey, Chandra Shekhar Aazad is here | Opinion

There’s something almost poetic about Dabangg 3, directed by Prabhu Deva and starring Salman Khan, being released the very week that the police are having a bit of a moment nationwide. While Khan lost his pants in an effort to tell us the origin story of inspector Chulbul Pandey, real policemen were redefining their roles to the public as they tackled protesters who wanted to register their opposition to the recently notified Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

In Maharashtra, the protests have been mostly peaceful with police standing on the fringes, often carrying sticks and shields, but rarely interfering in the protests (i.e. doing their job right). In fact, on December 19, when Mumbai saw more than 20,000 people gather at August Kranti Maidan to protest CAA, a friend actually got directions from the police. She had walked past an entry point to the maidan when an on-duty policeman called out and said, “Madam! The protest is this way.” Another, stationed at a security check, scanned the items in a photographer’s bag and said approvingly, “Nice bag.” And he was right. It was indeed a stylish backpack.

Nagpur Police was reportedly less chirpy, but their threatening behaviour doesn’t hold a candle to what protesters have accused the police of in Chulbul Pandey’s home state of Uttar Pradesh. Perhaps the most chilling part of watching the terrifying videos of individuals being attacked by a swarm of khaki-clad men is to hear witnesses cheering in support of the violence unfolding before them. There’s no horror in their voices as they film the incident. Instead, you hear jubilant bloodlust, much like what laces the reaction Chulbul gets in theatres when he says dialogues like, “Ek hota hai policewala aur ek hota hai goonda. Hum kehlate hai policewala goonda (There are cops and there are thugs. I’m what you could call a police thug).”

In the past week, many have raised eyebrows at how the biggest names in Bollywood have opted to say nothing condemning the violence that students have been subjected to for opposing CAA. At a promotional event for another cop-action drama, actor Rajinikanth was asked for his views on the police response to student protests. He said “I don’t want to talk about politics,” and his fans cheered loudly.

That Dabangg 3, a staggeringly violent film about a rogue cop, would have the fifth-highest opening day of 2019 in a week crammed with accounts of police brutality, is yet another timely reminder that the Indian public is faithful to its heroes.

The saddest part of all this is that the public deserves better stories and heroes than what the Indian film industry routinely delivers. Dabangg 3 may have collected ₹20 crore at the box office, but it’s difficult to tell what is older – the tropes it falls back on or its hero. Meanwhile, we’re witnessing real-life popcorn-worthy drama like how Bhim Army leader Chandra Shekhar Aazad gave the police the slip at a protest at Jama Masjid in Delhi on Friday. He got out of the police’s grasp within minutes and escaped by running from house to house and jumping over terraces. After a few hours, he returned to the steps of the Masjid and announced his presence with a tweet. Take that, Rajni Sir and Salman Bhai (both of whom would need stuntmen and computer-generated imagery to pull off such an escape on screen).

Much later, after many were detained and allegations of police brutality started streaming in, Aazad again tweeted that he would surrender to arrest if those detained would be released. His last message, recorded just before being taken away by the police, contained an appeal to protest peacefully.

It’s worth mentioning that Aazad was the inspiration for the Dalit leader Nishad in Article 15. However, Bollywood couldn’t imagine the heroism that Aazad displayed in real life on December 20. The only eventuality that the film could come up with for Nishad was death in an encounter staged by the police.