Bollywood celebs attending FIFA final despite Qatar's history deserves outrage, not Besharam Rang

Lionel Messi sealed his legacy as a football GOAT by lifting the FIFA World Cup on Sunday. The final between Argentina and France, held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, was attended by many Bollywood celebrities - the likes of Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Mouni Roy to name a few. Qatar’s controversial past which includes but is not limited to human rights violations, the country’s anti-LGBT stance, the alcohol ban had attracted widespread criticism at the beginning of the World Cup. In fact, many American singers who were scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa pulled out of the tournament for the same reason. Singer Dua Lipa posted a series of Instagram stories citing human rights violations as one of the major reasons why she chose not to perform at the event. And then there are Bollywood celebs like Ananya Panday in the stadium, who had unarguably the biggest Bollywood disaster this year, Liger, the distributors for which are still protesting and asking director Puri Jagannadh to compensate them for the losses. Having a gala time at the World Cup without being apologetic to the fans or the theater owners who lost business, isn’t the right approach for an upcoming Bollywood star, one would argue.

Then there’s Nora Fatehi who recently filed a defamation suit on Jacqueline Fernandez over the Rs 200 crore money laundering case. How Nora was allowed to leave the country during an ongoing investigation is, of course, a mystery. Many hailed Nora’s performance at the closing ceremony as a big win for India - it was anything but that. In fact, Nora is a Canadian citizen of Moroccan descent who was (presumably) chosen for the opening ceremony to capitalize on the Indian viewership. This was covered up under the guise of inclusion and diversity.

But why blame Bollywood alone when former coach of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri and Malayalam actor Mammootty were also spotted at the event? Farah Khan, who otherwise avoids all questions about her #MeToo accused brother Sajid Khan’s participation in Bigg Boss 16 , was seen smiling ear to ear in the stadium. All of these celebs are just a Google search away from finding out about Qatar’s past and the country’s problematic history.

But why outrage over FIFA?

A 2021 report in The Guardian states that as of February 2021, 6,500 migrant workers had died while erecting stadiums in Qatar. Bollywood celebs who proudly claim to represent India as they watch the World Cup in air-conditioned stadiums must know that many of the migrant workers who died while building the stadiums were Indians. If anything, Qatar owes an unconditional apology to the families of the migrant workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who have been working in the Arab nation day and night since the World Cup was awarded in 2010. Can any of the celebrities in the West - the likes of Gal Gadot , Amy Adams, Leonardo DiCaprio even think of getting on a private jet and flying to Qatar? If they did, they would be instantly cancelled and all brands would drop them as brand ambassadors. Why, then, are we Indians so forgiving of our stars? Why don’t we hold them accountable? The presence of Bollywood celebs in Qatar deserves outrage but the fact that there has been no outrage over it yet deserves even more outrage.

To put things into context - Qatar used India’s migrant laborers to erect its stadiums and when most celebs from the Western world refused to mark their presence at the matches, they capitalized on the fandom of Indian celebs. Of course, one would watch Argentina vs France for football but the presence of a Ranveer Singh and a Deepika Padukone in Qatar is likely to pique the interest and curiosity of fans across India - perhaps, indirectly benefiting the country’s tourism sector. Why, then, the Bollywood stars who otherwise claim to be progressive and politically aware decided to board their jets and fly to the Arab nation?

Outrage where outrage is needed

Of note, the Besharam Rang controversy blew up last week and Deepika Padukone was demonized and slutshamed for merely exercising her choice to wear what she wants. Irony died a thousand deaths when Deepika Padukone’s outfit was shamed on Sunday, yet again, but this time, it was because her Louis Vuitton dress wasn’t as ‘fashionable’ as some desired. Of course, no one was offended with Deepika unveiling the FIFA trophy in Qatar. Even paparazzi who snapped Deepika outside Mumbai airport seemed oblivious and asked her questions on Lionel Messi . But why should one expect the shutterbugs to hold Bollywood celebrities accountable when journalists don’t? A Bollywood celebrity with 70.5 million Instagram followers visiting a middle-eastern country with a questionable past certainly deserves more outrage than the same Bollywood celebrity wearing an outfit of her choice. When will the social media warriors understand this and outrage where outrage is needed?

Now that the FIFA World Cup has ended and not much can be done to control the damage that has already been caused, perhaps Bollywood celebs should start with practicing what they preach. If they claim to be woke and progressive, they must follow it up with due diligence. Endorsing a country known for human rights violations is not the way to do that.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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