Should the decision by an eighteen-year-old to quit Bollywood just be taken at face value?
There was a child actor named Angus T Jones, and if the name strikes a bell for some of you, he was the child star who played the ‘half man’ in the Charlie Sheen fronted show Two and a Half Men. At the height of the show’s popularity, Jones, then just around 18, decided that he was promoting filth and quit the show being a good Christian. Now Kashmiri actor Zaira Wasim, who became famous in the film Dangal, has decided to quit acting and the movie industry because she believes it is interfering with her faith. At 18, most humans are at a very challenging phase of their lives and their heads are full of all sorts of ideas and ideals. The question of whether young actors like Jones at the time, or Wasim today, have had their heads filled with different notions is a valid one; one could even call it brainwashing. Whether it is a religious or political leader, young minds are impacted by a flood of ideas but they should be free to decide the path they want to take. At the same time, and we apologise to young people for saying this, manifestoes written by most 18-year-olds do not deserve national attention. Wasim’s missive against the movie industry, therefore, has unfortunately been taken far too seriously both by Indian television news channels and beleaguered Kashmiri separatists.
We should all recall what we were doing at the age of 18; almost all of us, boys and girls alike, were trying to discover ourselves. We had ideals, developed strong political views and were looking forward to college. There were some among us who decided that faith was their calling, and good for them. And in those three-four years after we attain adulthood, our views and opinions become nebulous, some pre-conceived notions we have are broken and many idealists see their goals shattered in the real world. But these are all essential aspects of growing up. Give Zaira Wasim her space. Yes a famous juvenile actor quitting the industry should be news but making it the lead item to discuss on primetime news shows in the evening is more symptomatic of the brain-dead nature of most television ‘news’ channels than the confused mind of a young adult. Let the kids be and let them have their crazy ideas and silly notions. That is what will make the future of humanity better for everyone. We may not agree with her reasons and many of us will vehemently disagree but what she and Jones did are not illegal. We hope Zaira will one day evaluate what she decided to do and make peace with her decision for better or for worse.
