Book on Kareena Kapoor Khan is a political statement, a tale of two sex workers and a social movement dedicated to fighting racism, says a Punjab-origin Canadian author. The recently released book puts the story of the Bollywood diva in the broader context of the political environment and its spillover effect on the film industry.
Author Gurpreet Singh told IANS over the phone that it is focussed on continued trolling of Khan on social media by the followers of a right wing ideology. He says Khan is being subjected to unnecessary criticism for marrying a Muslim man, adopting Khan as her last name and naming her two sons as Taimur and Jeh, which are being purposely misinterpreted as the names of the Muslim conquerors. The journalist-cum-author believes it is all because of the political environment that has polarised Bollywood much as the rest of society.
Singh pointed out that she was attacked on microblogging site Twitter when she stood up for an eight-year-old Muslim girl who was raped and murdered in Kathua and remained steadfast not to change the name of her eldest son Taimur in spite of backlash.
Singh, who is a journalist by profession and has been closely following developments in India, insists that these controversies cannot be delinked from the overall situation. At least one publisher wanted Singh to remove all political references which he refused to do. The book was eventually published by Chetna Parkashan in Ludhiana. India, which is at present the second most affected country in the world after the US, is unable to deal with the financial crisis and health risks faced by its sex workers.
Although he acknowledges her outspokenness on issues, such as racism and repression, he still believes that she needs to do more and to be more consistent in her positions on human rights and social justice.
