If you don’t know who Fawad Khan is you live under a big, giant rock. The man is a heartthrob, a superstar and women go weak in the knees thinking about him. He’s one of our most popular exports to India and if you have ever watched a Pakistani drama you know the hype a drama called Humsafar created. Fawad Khan played the leading man and oozed charm and irresistibility.
I didn’t watch most of Humsafar — almost a decade after it was released I did catch some episodes to see what all the fuss was about. I’m not going to comment on whether the typical evil-saas miskeen-bahu drama and the dim witted-useless-hero-who-doesn’t-trust-his-wife plot was anything to write home about but I did understand the fan following that Khan commands. I guess you could say he’s a big deal (understatement) and he has an unmistakable aura.
No, I didn’t start writing this blog to discuss Khan’s looks or talent (he’s obviously gifted, duh). I happened to watch a recent interview of him in which he said some questionable things. Before I go on I should add that Fawad Khan did an Indian movie called ‘Kapoor and Sons’ back in 2016 in which he played a homosexual man. Wikipedia outlines the plot very clearly, and it’s disturbing. I think to myself — Bollywood needed a guy to play a gay man and they choose a Pakistani Muslim man with a huge fan following and he agrees to do it? Why, though? When the movie was released and I came to know about Fawad Khan’s role I was pretty disappointed. The interview he gave recently made things clear.
During the said interview, Khan states that one shouldn’t be preachy when making film or drama and that his job is basically a 9-5 and he’s just putting food on the table. He doesn’t think too much about legacy and he doesn’t think his work will change the world. So the project choices he makes, as long as he makes good money and connections out of it, he’ll do them if he can. Entertainment is entertainment and should be taken as such. Period. Disclaimer: I’m not quoting him exactly but this was the overall message.
Sorry Fawad Khan, but I have a huge problem with that. The entertainment industry is precisely what changes the world. First, in a subtle way by normalizing what we thought was wrong and then by openly endorsing it. If there is one thing that shaped my thinking as a child and even as an adult it was stories, whether they be told by my amazing father on the dining table, or in the form of books or on screen. I got a lot of my rights and wrongs from books and TV. (Gladly, we had some quality books and some quality movies and tv shows growing up). Storytelling is an extremely powerful medium that shapes lives, personalities, dreams, everything!
If an actor/entertainer in today’s day and age (and that too of Khan’s caliber and reach) can say that his work doesn’t really make a difference, he’s either extremely naive or just another rat in the race. Seriously, what’s the motivation? Money? Power? Fame? If he doesn’t think about his legacy, that doesn’t mean he isn’t leaving one. Just so he could make the right connections on the other side of the border, he plays a homosexual man? Isn’t that a type of preaching too?
Aren’t you in effect transmitting a message to the public — hey look, this guy was homosexual, but very cool, smart and successful and came out of the closet and his family accepted him (eventually). So here’s what I think. Every single thing we put out there be it the form of film, drama, music, social media posts or anything on the world wide web we are peddling some kind of an ideology, leaving an idelible effect on the consumers of our content. As users and consumers of this technology we have to be extra careful because all of us are creating ‘footprints on the sands of time’ (you see what I did there lol) and we better make sure they’re worthwhile.
Think about the Egyptian civilization. How did we learn about them? Their art opened up the ancient world for us. Artists are dangerous people. They shape thinking, they dictate the norms we follow and they end up becoming role models and their work stays around forever. Those who think ‘entertainment is entertainment’ would do well to remember that a 5 inch screen selling entertainment is where our children (and ourselves) learn everything. I’m appalled at the lack of sense of responsibility Khan casually portrayed in the interview. If all entertainers thought like him, we would hardly ever get to see any meaningful work! What made me even more disgusted were the comments swooning over him — pretty gag-worthy.
Someone reading this blog might think why I suddenly brought up a 2016 movie but with how fast and how aggressively the LGBTQ agenda is being mainstreamed (especially in Pakistan) one must connect the dots. There were efforts happening way before the 2018 bill was passed to help the LGBTQ cause. It isn’t mere coincidence that this stuff is happening — every cog in the wheel has played its part. Now, if you openly speak up against the LGBTQ agenda, you may be labelled a homophobe. This didn’t happen overnight. It’s almost as though quoting the Quran or the hadith against the ‘pride’ is insensitive. It’s not. Just because the media endorses LGBTQ+ it doesn’t make it right. One must read and research and ensure there is clarity.
The entertainment industry isn’t going away anywhere and we need to find (and create) better role models and stars than those who will peddle just about any ideology for some fame, connections and fortune. Remember when Ronaldo pushed the coke aside and chose water and how coke suffered huge losses? Influencers have a huge role to play and saying their work doesn’t make a difference is, well, baloney.
Rant over.
Footprints on the Sands of Time 