Flipside: Dilip Bobb

The public doesn't seem to think much of it, even though it has a catchy, patriotic title. Most reviews have given it less than two stars. In short, it's a flop. But now that the difference between real life and reel life is becoming increasingly narrower, there may be some valuable lessons here. What works in real life under the slogan "Dil Hai Hindustani" is not necessarily true for dreamworks. Here's the difference.

OTHER COLUMNS

Fifth Column

Kautilya

Right Angle

Religious Freedom: In Uttar Pradesh, Ram Prakash Gupta has said that he will not stand in the way of the construction of the temple at Ayodhya as long as it is as peaceful as the demolition was. Now, not many people are aware that he is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, including those in his own party. More people are aware of how peaceful the demolition was. However, the BJP Government defends its man, saying he is only promoting Hindu culture. His dil, you see, is Hindustani.

Creative Freedom: It's a case of the right hand not knowing what the extremities are doing. In the state ruled by the aforementioned Ram Prakash Gupta, cultural police have been appointed to ensure that the holy River Ganges remains as pure and unpolluted as it is at Varanasi. In other words, no one should muddy the water. Now, the Central Government wasn't aware of this when they cleared Deepa Mehta's film, having read the script. However, reading scripts is not a legal requirement. If your dil is Hindustani, like the Sangh Parivar's is, then you are licensed to set fire to property, ban creativity and generally cause mayhem. Legitimacy in India comes from having your heart in the right place.

Political Freedom: Not to be outdone in the dil department, or any department for that matter, another BJP-ruled state Gujarat has also (legitimately, of course) passed a decree that all state government workers can now report to office dressed in khaki knickers. This change of dress code has been necessitated by the need to allow a greater injection of Hindu culture into the workings of the Government. This new ruling will allow the employees to use all that spare time they have to indulge in banning films, burning sets, building temples and doing other such constructive work.

Constitutional Freedom: Since India has turned 50 and taken giant strides towards joining other occupants of the 21st century, it seems appropriate the forward-looking BJP Government should be the one to undertake a review of the Constitution. Its opponents may call them undertakers but reading between the lines is always misleading. Instead, read the party mouthpiece (not Mr Naidu). The Organiser, billed as a family paper (hence the Sangh Parivar), quotes a former rss theoretician as saying, "The Constitution does not recognise Bharat Mata as enshrined in the hearts of the Indian people." There's final proof. If the dil is Hindustani, it represents the heart of legitimacy.

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	Feb 14, 2000