New Delhi: In a worrisome reflection of the current Islamophobic times, actor Naseeruddin Shah finds it "worrying" how "undisguised propaganda" is being sold to the general public through art. Shah, a staunch opponent of the BJP-led administration, claimed that hatred of Muslims is being "cleverly" used and has even taken on a "fashionable" status. The veteran actor currently stars as Mughal emperor Akbar in ZEE5’s Taj: Reign of Revenge.
Shah responded to a question about whether it is concerning that some films and television programmes are being used as a platform for misinformation and propaganda by saying that the atmosphere portrayed on screen is a mirror of what is actually taking place: overt Islamophobia that is being exploited to win votes in elections.
During an interaction with The Indian Express, Shah said, "Oh sure, these are worrying times absolutely. The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times. Muslim hating is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve. We talk about secular this, democracy that, so why are you introducing religion into everything?,”
The veteran claimed that the electoral commission does little when politicians invoke religious sentiments to win support. The actor said that if a Muslim leader had invoked "Allahu Akbar" to solicit support, there would have been complete devastation. The aim, according to Shah, is that eventually the divisive religion card will "wear off" because even Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to utilise it to his advantage—but failed.
He said, "I mean how spineless is the election commission of ours? Who doesn’t even dare utter a word. If there had been a Muslim leader who had said, ‘Allah Hu Akbar bol ke button dabao’, sh*t would have hit the fan."
“But here our Prime Minister goes ahead and says things like this and yet he loses. So, I have hope that this will wear off. But it’s definitely, at the moment, at its peak. It’s been a very clever card played by this government, and it has worked. Let’s see how long it continues to work,” he added.