Pro-RSS journal 'Organiser' accuses Karan Johar of 'convenient patriotism'

New Delhi: Dubbing Karan Johar as "conveniently patriotic", a pro-RSS journal has accused the filmmaker of having discovered his latent patriotism ahead of his movie's release in the face of a big financial loss.

An article in the "Organiser" has come down heavily on Johar for going ahead with his movie "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" (ADHM) featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan despite a call not to employ such artistes after the Uri attack.

Attacking filmmakers like Johar and actors Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Om Puri, the article says they are living in ivory towers far away from the country's burning borders who think patriotism is a cumbersome burden to be borne only by men in uniform.

"Karan Johar too has been largely silent against the Uri attacks. He seems to have discovered his latent patriotism only now, on the eve of the release of his movie, in the face of a big financial loss.

"But even in his video statement, there has been a careful and concerted attempt to mention the word 'ban', whereas, in reality, there is no official ban on the movie at all," the article said.

Attacking him and some actors who had joined the intolerance debate in the country, it said, "They start getting concerned only when terrorism threatens their own backyards, as it did on 26/11. On all other days, for them, patriotism is a cumbersome burden to be borne only by our men in uniform."

The article says Johar's video statement deliberately attempts to obfuscate the difference between an enforced "ban" and a voluntary economic "boycott" and the "liberal echo chambers" have already started to amplify this view.

It accuses Johar of exploiting the feeling of patriotism for commercial purposes several times in his movies.

"That Karan Johar is aware of the 'country's sentiments' is obvious," the article says, adding if one observes the music videos and promos of ADHM being aired on TV carefully, you can clearly see that he has minimised Fawad Khan's presence to a 'blink and you will miss him' frame.

It says the movie posters feature only Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai and the songs feature mostly Ranbir.

"Johar is no fool. He knows exactly what the current mood prevalent in the nation is like. Johar knows fully well that the people of India are so outraged against the cowardly Uri attacks and the silence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan over the incident that they are considering a spontaneous boycott of his film," the article says.

"Most importantly, Johar knows that spontaneous boycott by the audience hits where it hurts - on the economic front!" it said citing the box office failure of Shah Rukh's movie

"Fan" as movie-goers decided to boycott it spontaneously after Khan's intolerance comment.