Michael Holding, the great West Indies fast bowler, was poetry in motion. Cricket’s purring Rolls Royce who catapulted the ball at frightening speed, was also expressively known as “whispering death”, a moniker that Geoff Boycott, like myriad other hapless batsmen, would endorse for the existential threat that Holding posed with his thunderbolts. But Holding has now captured the headlines not for his cricketing genius but for using his celebrity status to spearhead the fight for racial justice in sport.
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Speaking a few days ago on one of our leading TV networks, Holding dismissed his own achievements on the cricket field as “fun and games” that were evanescent in their impact. In his view, what really matters is the celebrity’s contribution to making our world better, for bringing positive change to humankind. In essence, what the West Indian great meant was that every celebrity needed to mobilize her privileged and influential position for advancing the cause of social justice.

The ordinary human being may not undergo a life-changing transformation because of a celebrity’s exemplary conduct, exhortation or personal act of courage or philanthropy, but few will deny that celebrities are hallowed leaders who have always had a great influence in educating and inspiring ordinary people not only to behave better but to think and even proactively act on issues of social justice. They have the social clout to pressure the governing class to reassess policies and priorities and thereby pave the way for a more just world.  I dare say that celebrities have a greater impact, especially on the young, than religious or political leaders.
 
Marlon Brando was arguably the best actor of his time but he had another string to his bow that propelled him to true greatness as the quintessential celebrity role model. He used his creative talent for lighting up the screen with incandescently brilliant performances. When the arc lights dimmed, he was a gladiator for social justice, a life-long commitment for which he was equally revered by his legions of fans.

In 1973, the world was stunned by Brando’s pointed refusal to accept the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Godfather. At the ceremony, his emissary, a Native American actress, read out his statement that rapped American society for its dishonourable treatment of the Native American community, the original inhabitants of that land. Among other things, he castigated the movie industry with this scathing indictment: “The motion picture industry has been as responsible as any for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character, describing him as savage, hostile and cruel.” With that one singular gesture of anguished empathy, Brando had leveraged an entertainment platform to compel the world and particularly America to confront its dark underbelly of injustice and brutality. 

But he was much more than a one-off social activist. At a time when Jews were pariahs in the 1940s, he spoke publicly in support of a Jewish State. He was also an outspoken advocate of African American civil rights. Despite his megastar stature, the great thespian was humble when it came to his craft. The multi-Oscar award winner was asked to do a screen test before being offered the role in The Godfather which he readily complied with. Even at this distant date, I remember Time magazine’s droll comment: “It was like asking the Pope to recite his catechism.” His professionalism was so different from that of our spoilt, arrogant Bollywood super-stars!

In covering the entire panorama of life, cinema also re-enacts and interprets history and historical characters. The great artistes not only study but go so deep into the characters they play on screen that the roles affect them psychologically and emotionally. In fact, the great actors, through their insights, help us better understand the acknowledged heroes and villains of history. Richard Burton had this to say about Winston Churchill after his experience of playing the role of the British hero: “I hate Churchill and his kind virulently…. What man of sanity would say against the Japanese; ‘we shall wipe them out…men, women and children.’ Such simple-minded cravings for revenge leave me with a horrified awe for such single-minded and merciless ferocity.” Burton forced the world to see the sordid side of an international idol, World War II’s man of the hour, and thereby helped reassess the coloniser’s version of history. Predictably, for his truth-telling, Burton was banned from future BBC productions.

The Indian celebrity has generally been reticent, if not downright uncaring, in his social concern. I have a theory that the poorer a nation the more solipsistic the rich and the famous, possibly because of a deep sense of insecurity. Amid conspicuous and palpable deprivation, the celebrities tend to distance themselves from the misery and disorder by bolting their ivory tower. However, not all are guilty of lack of empathy and compassion and for turning a blind eye to society’s ills.

Of yesteryear’s Bollywood stars, Dev Anand was the lone celebrity with the spine and moral compass to publicly express his dissent during the dark days of the Emergency. Asked to say a few words in appreciation of Sanjay Gandhi, the ogre in that fascist regime, Dev Anand flatly refused, describing his own audacity as “a call of conscience”. In retaliation, his films were banned on TV, and All India Radio proscribed any reference to his name. Unfazed, during an election rally of Jayaprakash Narayan, he delivered a scathing attack on Indira Gandhi. The evergreen screen idol was, in truth, a real-life hero! 
Cut to the present day. The heinous murder of George Floyd in broad daylight at the hands of the guardians of the law, jolted the world to the awful truth of systemic racism in America that had become in-your-face with Donald Trump at the helm. Celebrities of all ethnicities from across the world stepped out of their luxurious cocoons to join in the protests for equality, for justice, for humanity. They were in the forefront in raising awareness, in donating generously to the cause that, inter alia, would protect LGBTQ members who got arrested during the protests. Madonna, the superstar, marched in crutches in London alongside fellow protesters to proclaim justice for George Floyd and in support of the Black Lives Matter cause.

Hollywood celebrities were the most prominent and voluble critics of the boorish conduct and blatant white supremacist thinking of the then president, Donald Trump. Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, George Clooney, Lady Gaga and scores of other stars felt obligated to tell the people that they had a dangerous bigot as President. This is Meryl Streep: “There was one performance that sank its hooks in my heart. When the person in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter, someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back, it kind of broke my heart…. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”

Our unhappy country faces infinitely greater social and existential challenges than any other nation. The most  telling statistic of mass deprivation today is the Government’s own admission in early June, 2021 that during the second Covid-19 wave, the Government had provided foodgrains free of cost to 550 million beneficiaries through ration shops in May 2021. Figure that out! Due to a series of policy blunders, unemployment is at an all-time high. The gross mishandling of the pandemic has set us back many years, But instead of addressing the burning problems of the common man, the present regime is hellbent on stifling all forms of dissent through arbitrary application of the anti-terror and sedition laws. Thousands languish in jail with no hope of getting bail.

In dark times we turn to our idols for light and inspiration. Sadly, the most striking characteristic of our celebrities, barring a few honourable exceptions, is their utter indifference to the life and death problems confronting the country. At a time when the democratic space is shrinking by the day, they have generally been playing the role of toadies to the Government.

Apart from Anupam Kher and Kangana Ranaut who have sold their souls to the regime, there are many others who have unashamedly toed the official line. The foremost celebrity legends in the country, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, have turned out to be very small men outside their professions. The God of Cricket’s only intervention on a raging public issue was his government-tutored response to the tweets of Rihanna and Greta Thunberg in support of our farmers. Playing the role of lickspittle to the establishment, Tendulkar called on Indians “to resist any threat to the nation’s sovereignty by external forces”.  Sadly, since his retirement he has wielded his  star power essentially to hawk merchandise. 

Celebrities have incredible social power. With millions of online devotees hanging on to their every word and deed, they are potentially the world’s leading opinion makers, capable of invigorating social justice campaigns with the power of their voices and their purses. A pity indeed that in our country, most celebrities are guilty of using that power for purveying fluffy trivialities! 

Mathew John
(The writer is a formercivil servant)