Sallu bhai: The archetype
Salman Khan is not merely a criminal, a terrible actor or one of the most influential and loved people in India. He is a new archetype for the 21st century India.
He is an archetype that answers a quintessential Indian yearning.
Unfortunately the yearning reflects how pathetic and infantile humanity can be.
When infants, we believe that we are at the absolute center of the universe, where all our acts deserve recognition and appreciation. To grow up is to grow out of this belief.
The 'Salman Khan as an archetype' answers the yearning to be forever an infant. To forever enjoy consequence-less freedom.
People refuse to see the bad in him. The 'true fans' of this horrible person get readily offended and aggressive when someone speaks ill of their 'bhai'. When someone points out facts of his monstrosity - killing homeless people, making his driver a scapegoat (what a 'hero'!), killing a harmless animal, domestic abuse, intimidation.... - the fans shut their ear holes and eye holes. They rage with blindfolds on.
They see him getting away with homicide and general assholery. and they rejoice in him getting away with it. They idolise his nonchalance. They refuse to see the injustice of it all. They badly want to believe in him. His PR stunts with 'Being Human' are enough for a lot of people to rationalise his criminality. They say that he is 'dil se accha' (with good heart) as if they have spent years living with the man to know him inside out.
Why should they get so protective about a person, who already has all the protection he needs? They are not related to him nor will they benefit from him in the real world. They are more likely to die under his drunken driving next than to have a drink with him.
They want to believe that they too can get away with their infantile adventures. They want to believe that they too can be successful and fabulously rich without trying, without merit. Salman, for them, is the beacon of hope for someday achieving consequence-less power, for being the ultimate marzi ka raja (king of his will)
This explains his appeal but not the love he enjoys. The source of love for him is in our shitty culture. He is the anti dote to forces of modernity and liberal progress. He is the patriarchal Übermensch. What's more, he makes patriarchy cool. He treats women like shit in real life and everyone for that matter in his films. See how he looks at (or more likely, doesn't) other characters in his films. His gaze is vacant or at best disinterested. Some say it is bad acting, I say it is his personality. People don't love bad acting. People love his personality. It is cool to not give a shit about anyone else.
In his films, women are mere pretty props. I guess, he can't appreciate the reality of relationship and hence can't succeed in any. The time he had to deal with a real relationship, he ended up physically and mentally abusing Aishwarya.
This is something that the millions of young men identify with. People have grown up in a culture where men do not talk to women. Women forever remain alien to men. Men forever try to 'control' the women. And as women become more and more powerful in relationships, men are increasingly confused and angry. The patriarchy identifies with Salman's confusions and acts of terrorism. They see him as the unfortunate one, the one who is innocently charged of abuse, where it is a man's right to be abusive. They want to believe that patriarchy will prevail.
Hir films are patriarchal utopias; damsel in distress, macho heros. He takes off his shirt to cover bodies of objects called women. To deal with the problem of modern feminism, his characters are the wronged 'tere naam's.
Of course he is suffering. The poor misogynist.
He is an archetype that answers a quintessential Indian yearning.
Unfortunately the yearning reflects how pathetic and infantile humanity can be.
When infants, we believe that we are at the absolute center of the universe, where all our acts deserve recognition and appreciation. To grow up is to grow out of this belief.
The 'Salman Khan as an archetype' answers the yearning to be forever an infant. To forever enjoy consequence-less freedom.
People refuse to see the bad in him. The 'true fans' of this horrible person get readily offended and aggressive when someone speaks ill of their 'bhai'. When someone points out facts of his monstrosity - killing homeless people, making his driver a scapegoat (what a 'hero'!), killing a harmless animal, domestic abuse, intimidation.... - the fans shut their ear holes and eye holes. They rage with blindfolds on.
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| Heroes, CC 3.0 |
Why should they get so protective about a person, who already has all the protection he needs? They are not related to him nor will they benefit from him in the real world. They are more likely to die under his drunken driving next than to have a drink with him.
They want to believe that they too can get away with their infantile adventures. They want to believe that they too can be successful and fabulously rich without trying, without merit. Salman, for them, is the beacon of hope for someday achieving consequence-less power, for being the ultimate marzi ka raja (king of his will)
This explains his appeal but not the love he enjoys. The source of love for him is in our shitty culture. He is the anti dote to forces of modernity and liberal progress. He is the patriarchal Übermensch. What's more, he makes patriarchy cool. He treats women like shit in real life and everyone for that matter in his films. See how he looks at (or more likely, doesn't) other characters in his films. His gaze is vacant or at best disinterested. Some say it is bad acting, I say it is his personality. People don't love bad acting. People love his personality. It is cool to not give a shit about anyone else.
In his films, women are mere pretty props. I guess, he can't appreciate the reality of relationship and hence can't succeed in any. The time he had to deal with a real relationship, he ended up physically and mentally abusing Aishwarya.
This is something that the millions of young men identify with. People have grown up in a culture where men do not talk to women. Women forever remain alien to men. Men forever try to 'control' the women. And as women become more and more powerful in relationships, men are increasingly confused and angry. The patriarchy identifies with Salman's confusions and acts of terrorism. They see him as the unfortunate one, the one who is innocently charged of abuse, where it is a man's right to be abusive. They want to believe that patriarchy will prevail.
Hir films are patriarchal utopias; damsel in distress, macho heros. He takes off his shirt to cover bodies of objects called women. To deal with the problem of modern feminism, his characters are the wronged 'tere naam's.
Of course he is suffering. The poor misogynist.
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