Comment: The SRK-Salman conundrum

In the early ’90s, it was perfectly normal to be a fan of both Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. It was a time when there were no ‘camps’; neither had there been a much-publicised brawl between the two actors, with different versions from people who claimed to have been ‘at the spot’ when it happened. There were surely no opening weekend wars then. There was a sense of competitiveness, yes; the media often pitted the two against the third Khan, Aamir, as upcoming stars fighting for the top spot, which has remained consistent over two decades. But there was certainly no pressure on fans to side with one or the other.

In 1995, as a school kid, I found myself liking both heroes. The dark, scrawny Shah Rukh had impressed me with his simplicity and sincerity in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, while Salman was the dude who had created magic with Aamir in Andaz Apna Apna. In Karan Arjun, Rakesh Roshan’s sappy revenge drama about two brothers who are reborn to avenge the wrongs done to their mother, they scorched the screen with their chemistry. Both of them — young and even awkward — played off each other’s contrasting personalities beautifully.

In the years to come, their off-screen friendship and the ensuing rivalry was well-documented. Pictures of them hugging at Farah Khan’s wedding (or was it sangeet?) after a brief fallout was splashed across newspapers and tabloids, with emotion-tinged articles about how the two were back to being besties.

Then followed the ‘fight’ at Salman’s then girlfriend Katrina Kaif’s party — Raada, as a tabloid headline declared it — and it was never the same again. Stories of how the film industry is divided in two clear camps since have become commonplace now; someone considered close to one star is thought of to be the other’s enemy.

More importantly, there seems to have been a clear demarcation among fans — it seems like it is imperative for them to choose between the two actors now, which amounts to not only having good things to say about their favourite, but also having to be vocal against the other. On the eve of any film release, for example, you will find one actor’s fans trying to bring down the other, and vice versa. And anyone who has anything nice to say about the other’s film is the enemy.

Recently, after having panned Bodyguard in my review of the film, I was sent a barrage of comments from Salman Khan fans, accusing me of being part of the Shah Rukh camp. On Twitter, Shah Rukh fans wrote to me, complimenting my critiquing skills and making it clear that Ra.One was the film I should really look forward to.

For the last three days, following my review of Ra.One — which I consider to be a half-baked attempt at the sci-fi genre, and an opportunity squandered — the same Shah Rukh fans are convinced I am the worst film critic there can be. How could I not love a film starring their god, they demand, throwing at me opening weekend box office numbers. But this too has a silver lining. Salman fans are now seeing me in a new light, convinced that I am on their side. One even complimented me for not compromising on my integrity, while SRK fans were sure that I had been paid a fat cheque from the Salman camp.

Sadly, though, I didn’t make any side income in either case, nor was I invited to a secret ‘success’ party. Instead, I had to contend with mere solace from fellow-reviewers who shared my opinion, and had been treated to similar name-calling on Twitter and other public platforms.

Die-hard fans clearly don’t differentiate between actors and their films. As long as their favourite star is present from first frame to last, a coherent plot is inconsequential and engaging storytelling unimportant. Akshay Kumar fans are probably the staunchest. No one has delivered more drivel with as much regularity over the past few years as Kumar, yet they continue to endorse every new film of his. The same could be said about Aamir’s or Ajay Devgn’s or Hrithik Roshan’s fans — for many of them, the actor is bigger than the film itself.

But the Shah Rukh-Salman conundrum is the weirdest of them all, pitting fans of one against the other unlike with other actors. While the battle lines seem to be drawn, I imagine Karan Arjun’s maa optimistic about her sons returning from death to disapprove.