Explained: The beginning, blistering and ballooning of the 'Boycott Bollywood' trend and where it will end

Cricket and Cinema were supposed to be the two biggest religions of the world, transcending race, creed and everything in between. When did Boycott Bollywood come in between? It’s understandable when films are banned by people in power as they cannot handle the truth. There’s restlessness, rage, and roaring outrage that silences voices that deserve to be heard. Filmmakers say they have all the right to reach out to the audience to show their labour of love. What if that audience turns their backs too? The slightest of that thought can send jitters across Tinsel Town. Wait, it already has.

How did this all begin?

It’s very hard to crack how and why did it all begin. There can be a very thin line between ban and boycott. The lines have long blurred and now, it seems, battle-lines have been drawn between the industry and the audience, specifically those who choose to boycott Hindi films. One of the first instances that come to mind is Aamir Khan’s film _PK_, the 2014 Rajkumar Hirani directorial. A scene shows an actor preparing for his role as Lord Shiva. The eponymous character, played by Khan, mistakes him to be the real god and chases him for a good 2-3 minutes. The scene plays out for comic relief, of course, causing outrage on social media then and even now. They found their reason to boycott Aamir Khan and his cinema.

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A year later, at a press conference, the actor, obviously unintentionally, made an unpardonable sin. He said his wife Kiran Rao doesn’t feel safe in India. Dangal, in 2016, went unscathed. _Laal Singh Chaddha_, in 2022, paid a price, at least that’s what social media trends suggest. Coming to the leading lady of this film, Kareena Kapoor Khan, she also said in an interview that if the audiences don’t want to watch her or her films, they are free to do so since nobody has forced them. Was this frustration? Was she too self-conceited to acknowledge her privilege? Eventually, she did pay a price this year in August.

How far has it gone?

Let’s talk about Kareena’s first cousin Ranbir Kapoor, arguably the one actor in the world who’s paying the price for his food choices. An interview back in 2011 shows the actor admitting he’s a beef guy. A decade later, he may have to eat his own words, if not beef.

He has _Brahmastra_ coming up in 2 days and the entire team had to attached the Mahakaleshwar Sandhya Aarti to pray for its success but it was only director Ayan Mukerji who could do that due to the problems and protests against Ranbir and his wife Alia Bhatt.

For security reasons #RanbirKapoor & #AliaBhatt not attended Mahakaleshwar Temple Sandhya Aarti.

Due to protest against #Brahmastra only director #AyanMukerji reached the temple and seeks the blessings. pic.twitter.com/hmaVBkcOxu

— Ashwani kumar (@BorntobeAshwani) September 6, 2022

In a video that has gone viral, Mukerji maintained a dignified silence on the protests his film is facing on and off social media.

#AyanMukerji speaks to the media about the #Brahmāstra and darshan of the Mahakaleshwar.

But he gracefully avoided the question related to protest and #RanbirKapoor, #AliaBhatt absence. pic.twitter.com/frC1uRN1qV

— Ashwani kumar (@BorntobeAshwani) September 6, 2022

There was a time when a star’s arrogance was celebrated as much as his alacrity. Social media expects stars to stay mum on things they don’t understand or say what they want to listen. A little here and there and they are ready to maul you. Believe it or not. Hrithik Roshan liked Laal Singh Chaddha and now there’s a hashtag called Boycott Vikram Vedha. It’s impossible to decide whether to smile or cringe at the preposterousness on display. Shah Rukh Khan, while giving interviews on his 50th birthday in 2015, spoke about the growing intolerance in India, which led to his Dilwale suffering commercially and the next target is, no prizes for guessing, _Pathaan_.

How long will it last?

It’s hard to tell how and when it will end. The most cliched answer could be- Make good films. Is it? Certain anonymous users on social media now want to boycott, hold your breaths, _Sholay_ and Suhaag. I won’t tell you the reason. These tweets will:

#Hinduphobic_Bollywood hinduphobia had already started in the 1970s era. Pic1 Sholay written by Javed Akhtar. Pic2 Suhaag written by Kader Khan primarily. Both were huge box office success. The subtle symbolism played a role in building massive mistrust towards all Sadhus.Sad!😞 pic.twitter.com/BQJ4ZQx06z

— BrijKinkari (@indiash1) May 20, 2020

Rest In Peace Kader Khan and Amjad Khan. And one day, this terrible trend of Boycott Bollywood too.

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