Bollywood’s new Mr Bharat: Exit Manoj, enter Akshay     

Let’s face it. Patriotism, per se, has never turned on our movie going audiences. Anticipation, excitement or acceptance has been near-zero. Except Gandhi – ironically made by a foreigner – none of the other tributes to our great national heroes – Nehru, Patel, Bose – worked at the box office. In fact, films on Nehru and Patel were released with hardly any impact. Whether it was the concept, treatment or new-age audiences’ taste, totally drowned in Bollywood-style, star-studded, glamorous, escapist extravaganzas, the heroic narratives, vision and mission of our founding fathers, tragically, cut no ice with the masses. They were considered boring, didactic, preachy, soap-box gyaan inducing zzzzzz more than excitement!

In this back-story arrived a very popular matinee idol, star in the mainstream masala, Manoj Kumar, who had the guts to write, act and direct a story based on the life of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh! While many felt that the handsome star had lost it and definitely needed a brain transplant, they were forced to eat crow when Shaheed (1965) was declared a hit.

Even after fifty years, Mere desh ki dharti unfailingly strikes a chord. Passion and purpose, powered with honesty and earnestness seemed to have created a niche area that audiences enthusiastically bought into and this track created a genre and catapulted Manoj to the status of Mr Bharat. He made – post Shaheed – patriotism a red-hot leit motif which rocked the box office with impressive regularity. Purab aur Pashchim, Roti, Kapda aur Makaan, Kalyug aur Ramayan struck target and every major star from Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Nanda, Asha Parekh and Saira Banu, happily leapt on the Bharat bandwagon. Even in an environment that celebrated heavy-duty Bollywood masala, Manoj Kumar’s brand of celebrating patriotism by glorifying India’s rich heritage and 5000-years-old tradition as opposed to the West’s corrupting influence, resonated big time with the audience. His clever use of entertainment and music too created a template that held its own in no uncertain terms.

Like all sell-by-date commodities, Manoj and his brand of Mera Bharat Mahaan and Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan took a hit when new-age audiences with altered tastes entered the theatres. In the new scenario, his Mr Bharat persona pushing his version of patriotism appeared hopelessly out of sync. A new India, marching into the future with confidence, found the old-fashioned trashing of Western values and paying homage to our traditional heritage a huge yawn. Predictably, patriotism of the Manoj Kumar type, made a silent exit. However, in recent times, like MK all those decades ago, another huge star took it upon himself to revive and resurrect the spirit of patriotism, with a new spin and bring it centre-stage.

Enter Akshay Kumar!

The guy’s back-story and career development presents a fascinating case study. Entering the industry as a rank outsider with zero entitlement or contacts, this Chandni Chowk bloke started out with Suneil Shetty as an aspiring action-Jackson. Superbly fit n’ fast, this good looking, fresh-faced Punjabi munda struggled a bit before striking gold with his Khiladi roles.

A quick learner, he soon graduated to romance and comedy. His success as an emerging star – and a cool Romeo image – attracted media space and a sizeable following among B-town junkies. Be it Aitraaz, Bewafa, Mohra, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, Singh is King or any of the many masala movies [including the Khiladi franchise] he sashayed, muscled or hammed thru, Akshay Kumar carved a definite niche for himself and his movies. In fact, such was his strike rate at the box office, that even Aamir Khan, when asked his opinion about the Khiladi, was reported to have said, “Must learn how to make money from him!”

What was his secret? Pragmatism and native intelligence powered by amazing discipline in lifestyle has defined Akshay’s life. Sans the privilege of sophisticated education, he made up by learning from the university called…life. Rooted, practical and a hard-core realist, he is completely aware of who he is, where he stands, what he can and cannot do. Never ever intimidated or inhibited by the razzle dazzle of the hi-profile and media-savvy Khans, he quietly and confidently went about his business of delivering hits and feeling completely secure in his space.

The patriotism factor was more serendipity than a plotted and calculated move. Sure, he was aware of the social responsibility that must legitimately accompany star popularity, but it didn’t really drive his selection of films, early on. Script-writer [Chak De] Jaideep Sahni, who worked closely with him in Neeraj Pandey’s Special 26, has an interesting take. “I think, with stardom, Akshay’s awareness of social responsibility grew. It also came from his background, with a homemaker Mom and Defence Services Dad. Neither upper-class nor belonging to the smart city-slicker-set, he was deeply rooted in reality which made his performances in Toilet and Padman – totally de-glam – amazingly, relatable and credible.” Sahni adds that Akki is hugely street-smart. “Although his films have a definite patriotic flavour, he is astute enough to blend it with populist entertainment to cater to his large fan base.

However, he selects his scripts carefully, opting for the ones that blend message with manoranjan. God knows, there are enough issues and all I can say is – way to go Akki!” Holiday: A Soldier is never off duty. Baby. Gabbar is back. Jolly LLB. Rustom. Airlift. Toilet, Ek Prem Katha. Padman. Is Akshay Kumar the new face of Bharat? It certainly appears so…but with a difference. Manoj Kumar’s Bharat was a product of his time, passionately glorifying India’s rich cultural heritage, due to our insecurity and complex of being a backward nation, forever perceiving the West to be superior. Akshay Kumar’s Bharat has no such complexes. Resurgent India and a blazing symbol of a globalised sphere, his portrayal of Bharat is: it’s cool to be Indian. Perceptive critics suggest that if Manoj was Mr Bharat, Akshay is Mr Hindustan, an avatar that has no conflicts or combats with the West. It is more about the confidence of our soul-searching, identifying our societal wrongs and making efforts to rectify them. After all, the best means of growth come from within; the hysterical need to wear your heart on your sleeve and yell Bharat Mata Ki Jai is long gone.

It takes special talent to intelligently market patriotism in an audience-friendly way that, while aligning with the ruling power’s vision, connects with the contagious spirit of nationalism. Hail the new Mr Bharat or should it be Mr Hindustan!