The nightmare has subsided and the country I call home can exhale for the first time in four long, emotionally and mentally taxing years. As many have punnily put it, it’s the “the end of an error”.
That being said, we should not forget the few morally ambiguous Bollywood stars who decided to openly back him in 2016 by performing in a Republican Hindu Coalition event that took place in New Jersey to honor then presidential candidate President Trump.
Trump made a brief appearance at the Republican Hindu Coalition’s event where he famously said “I love the Hindu, I love India.”
According to the Guardian, the lavish event revolved around fundraising to “combat Islamic terrorism”. Quelle surprise. It’s not a state secret at this point that many Hindu Indians back Trump solely for his incendiary rhetoric towards Muslims and his Muslim ban, which thankfully, has been pulled by President Biden on his first day of office.
I’m by no means suggesting these stars should be cancelled – I think we have collectively come to the realization that cancel culture is an ethical slippery slope- but they should be publicly called out and shamed.
Prabhu Deva
Ameesha Patel
Kanika Kapoor
Malaika Arora Khan
Shahid Kapoor (dropped out at the last minute)
I don’t know what possessed these stars to participate in this hate fest with Malaika and Shahid are an especial mystery given that they both have strong ties to Islam, but nevertheless they should be reprimanded.
Will people do anything for a quick cash grab these days? I very much doubt they needed the money given that they’re all incredibly successful in their own right.
American pop singer, Beyoncé, publicly apologized in 2011 for having performed at a private party for ousted Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi’s son and donated her $2m fee to then devastated Haiti.
I suggest those Bollywood stars follow suit. Unless they condone the former Fuhrer’s toxic, nativist populist agenda, reparations must be made.
