Revenge Reloaded

While Sholay completed forty years, we completed sixty-eight years of independence. Like Sholay, revenge - a pet Bollywood theme played in the Indian Parliament. But, with several twists.

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Before your imagination runs away to Ramgarh, know that Gabbar here is not a person. Instead, he is symbolic of all that is wrong with our governance. Whether the Thakur is from the BJP or the Congress, when in power, he is helpless without the hands of the opposition. 

The monsoon session of the house resembled a battle zone, said President, Pranab Mukherjee. No, he didn’t use the Sholay analogy but like most of us, he lamented the waste of the monsoon session. Returning from a sabbatical, riding the Congress horse, God’s gift to mankind, Rahul was there to fight every cause, join every dharna and support every protest. From mobilizing farmers, to FTII, to municipal sweepers, to net neutrality, to OROP – Rahul Reloaded held an entire nation to ransom. Loaded with ammunition provided by news channels and cheat-sheets provided by party veterans, he threatened political ‘soocide’ unless Sushma Swaraj resigned. Despite being called an ‘expert without knowledge’, despite verbal bullets from Sushma’s oratorical armor, despite the social media jeers, the energized version of Rahul had only one thing on his mind. Revenge.

Those who had energized the Bunny, failed to understand that young India enjoys a tit-for-tat tale only in the theatres, and not in the Parliament. Funny, that a wise old party allowed its newly minted crusader to launch himself with an irrelevant idea that had demolished them in 2014. Why is it so difficult to understand that any hindrance that throttles the aspirations of Ramgarh, is unlikely to reap positive political dividends. No wonder, the messiah of causes was sent packing by ex-servicemen as they did not want their angst to be hijacked by any farcical photo-op.

As a bitter retribution saga played on, it was heartening to see leading businessmen sign a petition to put an end to the revenge politics. But wise Congress veterans ignored their pleas despite the fact that they need corporate tycoons to fight elections. They ignore the fact that every citizen aspires for a suit-boot, even if their Energized Bunny wants a pyjama party. How do you plan to win a battle when your basic strategy is flawed?

In the past forty years, while Bollywood has moved away from the script of revenge, our netas are stuck with the theatrics of revenge that does not resonate today. With both sides engaged in a bitter battle, Ramgarh is unlikely to get rid of Gabbar anytime soon. And it is not a reassuring thought at all. It seems as if the Congress is saying, ‘I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for’. Fine. Go ahead and hate each other more than you care for us. But know that the man who seeks revenge digs two graves.