Cinema: Prem is Our Idea of India

He was christened Prem for the first time with Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989 and as Salman Khan turns up charm offensive as Prem once again Diwali 2015, with Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, it holds much bigger significance not just for the cinegoers but for millions looking to celebrate the idea of India. And like always, the best celebration of India is happening at the movies! Diwali is a time to celebrate the victory of good over evil, of celebrating love, and tolerance over hate and prejudice, and of course, there cannot be a better time than this, to have a film that brings back Salman Khan as Prem!

The opening day numbers of the film are set to create new records at the box office and there are a number of reasons for this but the most critical of those is that the film celebrates family ties, love and togetherness. To that extent, it also represents what the industry is all about - where scores of people hailing from different religions and regions come together to create that one ultimate celluloid dream that has the power to not just entertain but change the lives of millions across the globe! Actors let go off their personal beliefs and choices and adorn the grease paint and face scorching lights to become someone else - only with the idea of bringing joy to their audiences. Everything is created with only one idea - to bring a smile on the faces of strangers captured in darkness and bound by a silver screen.

And then we have fans, who regardless of their own political, social and religious choices go all out to follow the lives of their screen Gods and Goddesses. One hand wave, a hand shake, a hug or even a glance and a smile from their role models, and they go berserk - reliving that moment for the rest of their lives. Stars and film-makers, the dream makers essentially are separated by a mighty distance from their fans and yet they are conjoined by cinema. It is this very cinema that carries the power to keep all of us together, else nothing can explain the madness one sees right now around Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, as Salman Khan is set to metamorphose into Prem on the big screen. The artist stands tall and far beyond every other definition or category - his religion especially notwithstanding. It's because Cinema teaches us to love and to be together like no other. It's the toughest lesson to impart and to learn. It's true that those who don't get it, won't ever be able to comprehend and appreciate, the contribution that Shah Rukh Khan, for example, has made to the lives of millions. So, when he talks about intolerance, having been part of an industry which is the bedrock of secular idea of India, it's important to listen and understand where he is coming from.

And while, it's not often that stars come out and share their opinions on matters such as these, their cinema continues to do so, ever so silently. It is not a fluke that a film like Aamir Khan's PK that belittles religious conservatism set new records across the world only to be followed by a film like Bajrangi Bhaijaan that too went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters ever.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan in fact is a great example of just how the film industry and our cinema function in India. It is a story of a Hindu Indian man travelling to Pakistan to help a Muslim girl find her parents. Salman Khan played the role of Bajrangi where as Shahida, a Muslim character was elegantly played by a Hindu child Harshaali Malhotra. Salman recently said, " My father is Salim Khan and my mother is Sushila Charak" indicating how he himself represents the idea of India. The film was directed by a film maker, Kabir Khan, whose father is a Pathan and mother is a Telugu and who is married to, television actress and host Mini Mathur.It was toplined by Kareena Kapoor who is married to Saif Ali Khan!

The ending of Bajrangi Bhaijaan summed up the idea of our cinema pretty well. Bajrangi and Shahida standing in the middle of the river, on No-Man's Land, between Indian Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.Our Cinema is No Man's land. It belongs to no one and yet to all of us irrespective of where we come from, our religious allegiances notwithstanding. Our three super star Khans, who have been blessed with mighty love of the audiences for more than two decades, have such interesting life stories- Shah Rukh Khan married Gauri Chibber, Aamir Khan is married to Kiran Rao and Salman's parents belong to different religions! It is another matter that Salman's artistic talent as a painter has seen him excel most in the portraits of Jesus Christ or that every year at Ganpati Visarjan, the maximum media mayhem is outside his residence!

Cinema and our industry therefore celebrate the true essence of India - that extends far beyond the right wingers who want to divide the country in the name of Ram and Rahim. The film industry is a melting cultural pot where the only religion is love for films. All of it, for a nation crazed by movies! On that note, Happy Diwali and Happy Cinema to All of Us!