With the dawn of the digital age, some of these skirmishes have moved online. I am as forthright and frank in my Twitter avatar as I am offline. I say what I feel should be said, without fear or favour. Isn’t that the way it should be? Neetu has often asked me to hold back. But what’s the point of it all if you cannot voice your opinion? I don’t say anything that can hurt anybody. I do not do it for the sake of sensationalizing anything.
Some of my most controversial tweets pertained to those I made about the Gandhi family. In May 2016, I commented on the issue of national assets being named after the Gandhis. What I highlighted was the politics of dynastic identity at play. I also wanted to know on what grounds Rahul Gandhi was being promoted as Congress president. Just because he is the son of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi? Does he have a vision for the country? Has he carved an identity for himself without the crutch of the ‘Gandhi’ name? I haven’t been a successful star just because I am Raj Kapoor’s son. Ranbir isn’t there just because of me. You have to have something to prove yourself.
Of course, this raised the hackles of many sycophants of the Gandhi family. There were threats of violence and mobs were hired to pelt stones at my house. I was accused of being pro- BJP. I categorically deny that. I have opposed the beef ban and also the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India. I also spoke up against prohibition in Bihar. I’m a tax-paying citizen and I have a right to say what I feel. I may be right or wrong, it is open to debate.
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I have nothing against the Nehru–Gandhi family. They have made immense contributions and sacrifices for the country. We have always supported the party. I have been secular in my beliefs and approach all my life. I’m only talking about the sycophants who are trying to exploit the family and fool the common man. But we aren’t illiterate anymore. The youth is more aware. I believe in calling a spade a spade.
But I have now started holding back. I didn’t do this to get a Rajya Sabha seat or a Padma award. I have been working in the film industry for forty-four years non-stop and you think I will do this to get a Padma award? I am still a student of cinema. I don’t have any aspirations to be a politician. Of the hundred-odd years of cinema in India, the Kapoors have had a presence for eighty-eight. We have been entertaining people. I am not a politician. I would rather be an actor.
This excerpt from Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, with Meena Iyer, has been published with permission from HarperCollins India.
I liked this “khullam khulla” assertion by the late actor very much. That is how one has to be, “khullam khulla” in expressing one’s views, but it does not have to be derogatory; views should reflect well thought out material and not reek vengeance.