Being Salman the Dangerous Innocence of Bollywood’S Most Controversial Superstar Anna Mm Vetticad
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Founder: Vishva Nath (1917-2002) VOLUME 09 • ISSUE 11 Editor-in-Chief, Publisher & Printer: Paresh Nath NOVEMBER 2017 cover story 20 Being Salman The dangerous innocence of Bollywood’s most controversial superstar anna mm vetticad Salman Khan has appeared in some of the biggest blockbusters in Hindi film history. But his career has been blighted by allegations of involvement in crimes of poaching, domestic violence and culpable homicide. In the last decade, the star has tried to reform his image. If he has succeeded to some extent, it has been not just through his own efforts, but also the willingness of his fans and many around him to accept or justify even his most disturbing behaviour. 20 perspectives 17 48 62 politics 14 Hammer and Fickle 48 The Second Coming Nepali politics sees a major reconfiguration How Malayalam cinema’s only female superstar got back to work in time for a watershed election leena gita reghunath shubhanga pandey 62 Director’s Cut 17 Counting Crores The cinematic myth-making of Louis Mountbatten Why Indian films’ box-office figures do not add up manik sharma suprateek chatterjee NOVEMBER 2017 3 the lede 72 12 arts 8 People’s Choice Attendance and absence at the Tibetan photo essay / health Music Awards 72 Deadly Risk aathira konikkara Unsafe abortions through the ages politics laia abril 12 Driving Miss Jinnah An antique car exhibit in Karachi spotlights an underappreciated historical figure alizeh kohari books 94 literature 86 The Streets of Desire Old Delhi’s subversive love-letter manuals kanupriya dhingra 86 the bookshelf 92 showcase 94 NOTE TO READERS: “A MARKETING INITIATIVE” ON PAGES 42–46 AND “SPONSORED FEATURE” ON editor’s pick 98 PAGES 60–61 AND 70–71 ARE PAID ADVERTISING CONTENT. 4 THE CARAVAN editor Anant Nath executive editor Vinod K Jose political editor Hartosh Singh Bal senior associate editor Ajay Krishnan associate editor Roman Gautam books editor contributors Kushanava Choudhury senior assistant editor 8 Aathira Konikkara is an intern at The Caravan. THE LEDE Martand Kaushik 12 Alizeh Kohari is a Karachi-based journalist. Her piece was facilitated in part by the Coalition copy editors Aria Thaker for Women in Journalism. and Maya Palit web editor Nikita Saxena PERSPECTIVES 14 Shubhanga Pandey is a journalist who writes on politics and culture. He was an assistant assistant editors (web) editor at Himal Southasian, and has written for Jacobin, Newslaundry and The Record, among Surabhi Kanga and Arshu John others. He tweets as @shubhangap. contributing editors 17 Suprateek Chatterjee is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai who writes on film, music Deborah Baker, Fatima Bhutto, and popular culture. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at Huffington Post India. Chandrahas Choudhury, Siddhartha Deb, Sadanand Dhume, REPORTAGE 20 Anna MM Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and social commentator, and the author Siddharth Dube, Christophe AND ESSAYS of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. Jaffrelot, Mira Kamdar, Miranda 48 Leena Gita Reghunath is a former editorial manager at The Caravan. Before that job, she Kennedy, Amitava Kumar, Basharat had a brief stint as a public prosecutor and civil lawyer. During her days at law school, she Peer, Samanth Subramanian and freelanced for the city editions of The Hindu and the New Indian Express. Salil Tripathi 62 Manik Sharma writes on arts, culture, books and film. staff writers Praveen Donthi, Priyanka Dubey PHOTO ESSAY 72 Laia Abril is a multidisciplinary artist based in Barcelona, working in photography, text, and Atul Dev video and sound. web reporters Sagar and Tanvi Mishra is the photo editor at The Caravan. Kedar Nagarajan editorial manager Haripriya KM 86 Kanupriya Dhingra is a research scholar at the department of English, University of Delhi. BOOKS fact checker Nileena MS Her research interests include the history of books and South Asian print cultures. photo editor Tanvi Mishra photo coordinator COVER Photo: AFP / Getty Images Shahid Tantray graphic designers Paramjeet Singh and Sandhya Visvanathan luce scholar Daniel Block editorial interns Aathira Konikkara and Greeshma Mohan photo intern Shrinjita Biswas Corrections: Kamayani Sharma’s “This is Not that Dawn,” published last month, mistakenly identified the film Jab Harry Met Sejal as When Harry Met Sejal in one instance. Priyanka Dubey’s “Student Days,” published last month, mistakenly referred to a claim by the veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Govindacharya that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad always supported [email protected] caste-based reservations in educational institutions and government employment. The claim referred to, which is quoted in the piece, came from Sunil Ambekar, the national organising secretary of the ABVP. Rahul M’s “Reasonable Doubt,” published last month, mistakenly stated that the trial of Duryodhan Sunamajhi and others accused in the Lakshmanananda murder began in 2013. The trial began in 2009. facebook.com/TheCaravanMagazine The Caravan regrets the errors. subscribe [email protected] website www.caravanmagazine.in @thecaravanindia edited, printed & published by mumbai: A 4, Shriram Industrial Estate, Rates article, photographs, images, illustrations Paresh Nath on behalf of Delhi Press Patra Wadala, Mumbai - 400031 inland One copy R100, Discounted price also known as the “Content”) are protected Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. E-8, Jhandewalan Phone: 022 - 24100844 one/two years, R960/1800 respectively. by copyright, and owned by delhi press Estate, New Delhi - 110055 and kolkata: Poddar Point, 3rd Floor, 75 p. per copy air surcharge in following patra prakashan pvt. ltd. printed at PS PC Press Pvt. 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All materials published in this magazine as a result of his/her accepting or offering Exhibition Road, Patna - 800001, (including, but not limited to articles, to accept an invitation contained in any Phone: 0612- 2323840 ISSN 0971-0639 quotations, extracts, or any parts of the advertisement published in The Caravan. 6 THE CARAVAN THE LEDE People’s Choice Attendance and absence at the Tibetan Music Awards / Arts / aathira konikkara they live under Chinese rule in Tibet, “Special Recognition.” Despite the pos- and their movements are restricted sibility that artists from Tibet, such On an evening in early September, in a beyond the region. as the members of Anu Ringlug, may modest-sized auditorium called “Nir- Oddly enough, Wangyal said, the never see the awards’ certificates with vana Hall” in McLeod Ganj, Lobsang Chinese government makes life for their names embossed on them, Wang- Wangyal stood at a podium before an Tibetan musicians quite materially yal considers it vital to acknowledge audience of about forty people. Wear- comfortable. “China is actually helping their contributions. “It helps us connect ing a crisp white chupa—a traditional them in productions because they want as a community,” he said. Tibetan top—he began by addressing Tibetans to get distracted,” he told me Two of the night’s winners were pre- the audience in Tibetan, then switched when we met at a café, on the day be- sent at the ceremony. Wangdak Dorjee, to English. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he fore the ceremony. “That’s why there only 25 years old, bagged the “Best Al- said, “welcome to the Tibetan Music are lots of bars, prostitutes, snooker. bum” prize for Oneness, his second al- Awards, 2017.” Apart from politics, China makes life bum. “Oneness is about the unity of all The awards, which honour musicians very good.” Tibetans,” he told me after the event, of Tibetan origin, are held in McLeod Songwriters in Tibet must censor wearing a white shawl that had been Ganj every two years. Wangyal, the themselves; they “cannot use ‘de- gifted to him on stage.