The time before all these social networks existed was so marvelous. We pooped with our butts only back then unlike now where there is more shit online compared to the sewerage. The shit in our minds is more stinky and lethal compared to the feces that comes out of our butt holes.
So what warranted this post? The way a lot of fans are reacting to Jab Harry Met Sejal. I'm not the kind of person who forgets bad things easily so I remember 2011 quite well. It was right after Ra.One released and a few days before Don 2 released. A certain film called Rockstar came out. Oh my goodness, people drove Shah Rukh nuts by asking him why he wasted time in Ra.One and why he didn't make a film like Rockstar. Why he doesn't work with Imtiaz Ali and some other high profile directors and lots of other whys. So fast forward to 2017, there you go. You have your wish fulfilled. Imtiaz Ali and Shah Rukh Khan collaborated and made a film called "Jab Harry Met Sejal". But now you say the story sucked, the script was stupid, Imtiaz is a conman, Shah Rukh should choose his scripts wisely, it is the worst movie of his career, he is finished, the WOM is bad, blah blah blah blah blah. SERIOUSLY, GO FUCK YOURSELF.
As a long time fan of him, I have seen how things narrowed down from believing that certain parts of the media always hate him to his own fans hating on him. In fact now I feel, the media persons who are always after him, are much better than those fans who are bringing him down. Because nothing hurts more than your own people being faulty and weak. This fandom of SRK should really shut down now.
I used to get annoyed by those types of fans who bet on how much a film will earn on the first day, over analyzing the weekend, screens and what not. Then they get all sad when a film doesn't reach their expected figures. I never quite understood what's the point. It was exciting to eagerly wait for the figures during CE but after that it got boring. Every film releases during different circumstances. As someone who has been in the business for so long, I think he knows what kind of decisions to make and I'm pretty certain he also has enough professionals to advice him. Love and money never mixes together so don't try to measure your love for him by the box office figures of his films. It's much easier to sit back and enjoy when a film releases than to sweat over records and numbers. It is not your damn job.
Another group of fans who would piss me were the fans who expected CDI/Swades out of him 24/7. For these fans, he hasn't been acting since CDI. Every film of his that released since Aug 10th, 2007 has been pure nonsense. Even if he has gotten hurt 534654654 times while making all those films from Aug 10th, 2007 till today, it does not matter because he acted crap in all of them. Even if he invested millions and millions of dollars, who gives a fuck because they all sucked. There shall always be an excuse to put a film down...like the director, story, screenplay, music, VFX, art, cinematography, casting, or the fucking make up is just plain shit. He needs to choose different everything. And oh yes, he needs to tone down his way of promoting films. Because he always goes over the top, his way of promoting is too loud and annoying. Why though? Because Shah Rukh deserves the best of the best.
At some point, I did make peace with these fans who had such grotesque expectations. But when I look at the following and remember his performances, I regret ever giving these fans any support.
Let me be straightforward, there is something horribly wrong with this fandom. Stop putting him or his choice of films down. If there is anything a fan has to do, then it's just to give him love in return of the love he gives us. Should there be anything that bothers you about him, try to keep it to yourself...don't go and join the haters' bandwagon. It's not cool to change sides and it's the most disrespectful thing you can do at this stage if you have been a fan of this man for this long. He has done over 50 films and if 10 or 15 of those bother you so much to the point that you have to start hurting his feelings then I'm sorry to say but you're not really a fan of him. For someone who dedicated his life to entertaining people, he does deserve loyalty and love. This counts not just for him, but for all actors in this world.
What I noticed is that a lot of you get easily influenced by what other actors do or what their fans are doing. Then you start expecting the same from Shah Rukh as well. The most important thing is that you need to let Shah Rukh set and achieve his own expectations. He is at an age where I'm sure he wants to do things which he has not done yet, even if it's a small thing. And every actor is supposed to do something different than his contemporaries. Shah Rukh is a leader, not a follower, please keep that in mind. If you are unable to tolerate those who throw mud at him, you should not start supporting them under any circumstances. Why should negative opinions even matter to you? When someone becomes famous, it is obvious that there will be people who will hate him or her. These kinds of people will always search for an opportunity to spread negativity. But it is a fact that only love and support can help a person achieve greater heights of success.
Okay, let's talk a bit about entitlement. Yes you do have the right to review a film you watched in theater because you paid for it. But there is a polite way to say it. Or even better if you say it once and move on. Don't make such a big deal about it. And please stop believing that if you do not like a film, that's when your "review" is considered honest. Stop behaving like a critic or smart ass. It doesn't make you look smart if you abuse or criticize something or someone in creative ways. Most of us are his kids' age, treat him with respect. Do you criticize your parents? Are you a professional filmmaker to give him inputs on how to choose films?
Be thankful that he is still making films, he is still putting in so much effort to entertain us all. Because if he ever decides to stop making films, it will definitely be the end of films for me. And please, not a single film from Bollywood is even worth watching nowadays. The quality is dwindling down faster than I ever imagined. This is not the Bollywood I knew.
The day his film releases, it's like a festival...it's a function, a reason to celebrate, a reason to be happy in the entire calendar. And most importantly, be thankful that you can watch him on the big screen. There are so many fans around the world that have never watched his film on the big screen or they travel to other countries just to watch his film in theater. Or there are people who live in countries where selected, not even all, releases after several months. Have you ever thought how tough it is for them? Their happiness that they can watch SRK on the big screen is much bigger than pointing out the flaws of the film. Why spend so much energy analyzing something that is meant for entertainment?
Stop taking him for granted. Because he is not immortal. Stop thinking that you have the right to bully him by criticizing him day in and day out. Because he has not done any harm to you. Stop assuming that you know the best for him. Because he is experienced enough to understand what is best for him and us. Stop spreading your negative opinions. Because he does not deserve such filth from within his own fandom. If you can't stop it then please do him a favor and STOP CALLING YOURSELF HIS FAN.
