Until then, for the actor to throw caution to the wind and gamble with the business prospects of professionals who have trusted his brand image is both unethical and self-indulgent.

The Aftermath

Crusades are usually championed after the victim suffers a trauma. This is true of Salman Khan. I’m not going to waste any further newsprint on the whys and what happened with Salman Khan. It is no more about dates—1998, 2000 or 2002. Nor about targets—Chinkara, black buck or pavement dwellers, all are a blur now. It is about the aftermath and about self-examination. I recommend it to his fans, family, lawyer, the police, hospital security and most important the media.

In the olden days a hero was one who did heroic deeds. His followers revered him for his virtues. Today, a hero is one who is in the news and his distinction is in his charisma.

Then the common man prided in remaining anonymous. Today he is desperate for that one glimpse in print or on camera. Be it a late legend funeral or a superstar home-coming, the fan is forever overstating his loyalty. On the other hand, the actor’s family for some mysterious reason has begun to underplay their role and responsibility. Writer Salim Khan will agree with me that his son could have been more subdued in his home-bound journey.

It’s distressing that nobody any longer exercises any restraint. There is no pride or sanctity of profession. How else would you explain a responsible jail superintendent discuss the excitement amongst staff children at Jodhpur jail to have a superstar amidst them? Why should a private conversation shared between two inmates be leaked out for a sensational story? Not just that, don’t Salman’s lawyers understand that it is premature to make pompous statements like ‘‘we got justice’’ when the actor is only out on bail and the case hasn’t closed? It’s shallow of the hospital security hosting the actor’s mother Salma Khan to complain about extra working hours due to celebrity guests. Shouldn’t they be resolving these issues in-house?

... contd.