Salman Khan recently got into trouble again when he tweeted against hanging 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict Yakub Memon. It resulted in a severe backlash, so much so, that his father Salim Khan had to step in and call him “ignorant”, which finally led to Salman deleting the tweet and apologising.
It sparked off a debate about how a celebrity in his 50s can be “ignorant”. Image guru Dilip Cherian says, “There’s no doubt that everyone has the right to their personal opinion. But when a star, who’s Muslim, makes a comment on the said case, I think he underestimated the impact of it. It might be a weak excuse but what his father said was a smart strategy. It instantly took the heat off, otherwise his movie (Bajrangi Bhaijaan) would’ve been embroiled into a controversy.”
Salman is not the only one to get into hot water time and again. Even Sanjay Dutt’s father, the late Sunil Dutt, had to cover for his son his entire life. In this age of social media, how does one teach kids to behave appropriately? Child psychologist Dr Diana Monteiro says, “You need to inculcate good values and judgement right from when your kid is four, not when he or she is 17 or 40 or 50. Kids learn from their parents. It’s important for parents to share and be open about their opinions, in order to create a balanced view for your child. They should allow their children to grow up, instead of bailing them out at every given opportunity.”
The schooling and college-life also plays an important role. Professor Daniel David from Madras Christian College says, “As a teacher, I have to be extremely careful about what I speak in my classroom as a lot is at stake. When a teacher can, I think a celebrity too should be responsible while commenting on sensitive issues. Now, airing your views on social media is akin to holding a press conference.”
Meanwhile, media consultant Latika Khaneja says, “People have a short memory now. If you can’t do anything, wait for the scandal to die down.”
An incorrect opinion from celebs could lead to mayhem. How can we control that? Cherian says, “Stay away from tweeting about sensitive issues. If you do want to, get them vetted by someone who’s smarter than you. However, I feel bad boys should be kept under parental supervision.”
