This was good news to wake up to. A court FINALLY agreed to allow bail for Aryan and his fellow accused. He isn’t home yet, the bail process has to make it’s way through the procedures, but hopefully he will be back home within a few days.
I greatly admire Shahrukh as a person and his political judgement and, to my mind, he played this very carefully and just right. He made it clear that he did NOT want celebs to visit his house, and I suspect also made it clear he did not want huge public tweets or anything. If this turned into a big “privilaged film stars versus hard working cops” storyline, it would keep Aryan in longer.
Instead, the loudest voices were political. The local Congress officials who called out the BJP political conspiracy over and over again, the Maharashtra police and officials who wanted information into the raid in their state. Politician against politician, cop against cop, the common man has not automatic side to take here.
What I admire most of all with this is his pure bravery. This is not a unique situation, the activist whose children are made into a target. Sometimes I feel like they love the people they serve more than their children, that they have a larger vision which makes it, sort of, easier. FDR, for instance, I love him, but he clearly saw his children as second to his service to America. Sometimes they are human and quit their activism once kids get involved. My aunt, for instance. The most active activist I know. First protest she went to as a mother, as soon as the tear gas came out she had an instinctive “NOPE! I’ve got a kid now, I am done with this, I’m going home to my baby and letting other people fight the cops”. What I find unique about Shahrukh is that I think he really does put his kids before anything else. And yet he forced himself to be in pain and live with that because he is smart enough to see long term.
Like Lincoln! Okay, I know this is crazy comparison, but it’s what I’ve got. In the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln’s beloved young son was slowly dying. His wife Mary Todd was driven insane with the grief, as any mother would be. Lincoln’s hair went white and his face turned into a death mask, but by golly he kept leading the country. He was ENDING SLAVERY. There is possibly no greater evil ever on earth, millions of children dying in horrible torment every day. And so Lincoln ripped himself from his son’s bedside, from his falling apart wife, and looked at the greater god.
In this case, there is no question that if Shahrukh wanted his son out of jail he could have paid off the cops, bowed down to the BJP, and made it happen. But that would mean he was in debt for the rest of his life to them. That everyone runs the risk of their child being attacked any time, because it works. And that the truth would never come out.
So Shahrukh killed his father’s pain and waited it out. He made it public, he used the courts, he hired the best lawyers, and he let his son stay in jail until he could get him out the RIGHT way. That I am amazed by, that kind of strength to hold yourself together and do what is the better thing and the smarter thing even while you are dying inside every moment. I respect him SO much! For staying moral, staying intelligent, staying within the rules he has set for himself, even in the worst situation imaginable.
dontcallitbollywood 
I am a long time follower of this blog and SRK fan. I am a first time commenter. I am happy Aaryan finally gets bail. All this though made me think and feel sad for Rhea Chakraborty. She suffered through same ordeal and worse with little support, no prayers from anyone but more crucifixion by the media.
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Mahesh Bhatt stuck his neck out for her, and almost got it chopped off. I wish Mahesh was still president of the producers union, he always stood up for people.
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So happy and relieved!!! There are so many things going through my head about this entire ordeal but right now I’m being positive, looking at happy tweets, etc.
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And, now you can read yesterday’s silly birthday post which will make you happy!
On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 2:16 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I did! You’ve outdone yourself and it made me happy! I feel like watching one of his films today, maybe Swades 🙂
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His public silence throughout this horrible episode has been amazing. Such dignity and strength.
And again Margaret a fabulous analysis from you.‘morality’ is an excellent word to use.
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I just can’t imagine the strength necessary to keep it all inside, to let go and trust in the lawyers and the courts someday working it out.
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I never expected him to comment publicly. I don’t know much about these things but I think anything he would’ve said could’ve been seen as influencing the judiciary, given his status. And honestly, what could he have said?
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Exactly. But, on the other hand, how hard would it be as a father to just sit there and be silent?
On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 4:42 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Phew. Yes. And also, how do you push back against these forces that are twisting the idea of your country that you’ve always defended? You decline to play by those rules, you force the system to function the way it’s supposed to. Because everyone is supposed to be equal before the law, even you.
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YES! This is an argument that comes up routinely in Indian fiction and, I assume, in regular Indian life. Do you bribe or do you not bribe? It’s almost impossible to get anything done through regular channels. But nothing will ever change so long as you keep being part of the problem. Or the American version I hear a lot, do you spend money sending your kids to a private school? Or do you buckle down and spend time and energy trying to make your public school good? It’s one thing to have your ideal of how the system works, it’s something else to risk a personal sacrifice and have faith that it WILL work.
On Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 10:22 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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