00:00Let me bring in our guest there to get a perspective on this matter.
00:04Joining me is Cyrus Brocha.
00:05He's a theatre personality, comedian, satirist, columnist, podcaster and author.
00:10I'm trying to understand Cyrus here.
00:14How are we seeing this entire notice of Imran Khan to leave the country?
00:20How do you see it?
00:22Yeah, first I'm carrying everything.
00:24I have my Aadhaar card.
00:26I've got my passport, everything here so that there's no trouble after this interview.
00:29We'll make sure it's all cool.
00:32I find this a little ridiculous, honestly.
00:34I think the right to dissent and right to protest should be fulfilled if we're a democracy.
00:39And if he wants to do that, let him do that.
00:41The technicality of whether he's a citizen or not, I mean, it's also a bit ridiculous.
00:45And he's just like a soft target.
00:46I don't know why this is even news, quite frankly.
00:49I mean, South Africa had a fantastic test match where we saw a great test in the 190 by Matt
00:54Renshaw.
00:55I'd rather discuss that.
00:56But quite honestly, I think the government is going – the whole thing is – they need some help.
01:01They need my advice.
01:02What they're doing is not working.
01:04I speak to a lot of these young people.
01:06I use them to lean on when I'm physically tired.
01:08I put my hand on their shoulder and, you know, they hold me up.
01:11So I get a lot of feedback from them.
01:13I mean, I don't think this is the right thing to do.
01:15I think, honestly, the only way forward in any democracy is dialogue, conversations, discussions, explanations, that kind of thing.
01:22And this is looking a little scary.
01:24You know, when we have 30-odd thousand in Delhi is closed down.
01:27A police on – you know, you can't even walk around.
01:30An army personnel being called out for just what is – at the face of it, just a protest, just
01:36a march, you know, dissent of some sort.
01:38So I'm a little scared about all that.
01:40But coming back to the Imran Khan thing, I honestly think why we – why is this even an issue?
01:45You're saying why is it even an issue?
01:48But is the film industry also thinking like that?
01:51I know you don't speak for them.
01:52People are scared.
01:53Nobody wants to talk.
01:54People are still a little worried.
01:56They say what they want to say behind closed doors, but they won't say anything openly.
02:01This guy – you'll – cynics will say he does this for publicity, because it goes viral immediately.
02:06And we're all talking about this, even though we're doing a show a few days later.
02:09And you can have that thought.
02:11But at the end of the day, I mean, he has the right to join a protest.
02:13Aren't we in a democracy?
02:14Can't people show disagreement, dissent?
02:18Can't people, you know, peacefully protest?
02:20I mean, isn't that part of the whole social fabric?
02:23And then coming to the point of singling him out, I think it's a little petty here.
02:26It's so unnecessary.
02:28Okay, so he holds a passport, American passport.
02:30He lives and works here.
02:31And, you know, everybody knows that.
02:33So, I think – I'm not happy.
02:35I'm not happy with this whole situation.
02:37I wish I was in leadership.
02:38But Cyrus, this is – yeah.
02:40Cyrus, this is not the first time.
02:42Every time we've seen Bollywood come out, at least in the near future that I can recall,
02:47past 10, 12 years or so, if one can recall, every time a celebrity has shown dissent.
02:52The one big one comes to mind is Deepika Padukone, when she had gone and she had stood with some
02:57protesters at JNU.
02:58Then we saw cases against her, all of that.
03:01The opposition, again, the critics would say that all of these are pressure tactics to ensure that voices of dissent
03:07and popular voices of dissent are kept at bay.
03:10Would you agree?
03:12Look, the fact of the matter is people aren't – the famous people, VIPs, people who earn much more money
03:17than you, me and all the worlds we live in, are not speaking up.
03:21The reason they're not speaking up is because there's a sense of fear.
03:23So if I was the government, I would reduce that sense of fear, allow a little dissent, and win this
03:28argument with the battle of minds and dialogue.
03:30Because that's what's going to count in the end.
03:32We're not a fascist state.
03:33We're not going to become North Korea.
03:34We're not going to beat people.
03:35It's not going to become Tiananmen Square.
03:37So let's face it.
03:38You can only win by winning people over.
03:39And you win people over by having conversations.
03:41Explain SIR.
03:42Explain the election commission's pattern and procedure.
03:46Explain all that.
03:47Put your argument forward.
03:48That's the only way, as far as I'm concerned.
03:50Why are we wasting time with poor Imran Khan?
03:52You know, I mean, the real Imran Khan was in captivity in another country.
03:56And this poor fellow is just being badgered for nothing.
03:59You know, and he went, he attended a protest, which was largely peaceful.
04:02My son went that day to pick up a friend from, I don't know if you're familiar with Mumbai Grand
04:06Road Station.
04:07The police sent him back.
04:08You know, they shut the whole area.
04:10I mean, it's not like a terrorist attack of sorts.
04:13You know, I think the whole overreaction.
04:15And it's a little scary because we become like a police state, and that's not fun.
04:18And in the meantime, then this becomes a big issue, which is not an issue.
04:21One guy who's well-known, you know, part of the protest, and then you sort of pick on him.
04:27And is he a foreigner, not a foreigner?
04:28I mean, who cares, really, after a period of time?
04:31I hear you, but you're saying something important, Cyrus.
04:34You are saying that the film industry is scared.
04:38And acts like this enforce that fear even further.
04:44Don't you think that's true?
04:45I mean, where are the voices of the A celebrities, the super big guns, and whether they're actors and cricketers,
04:52or, you know, but even the business community, everyone, I mean, they'll say one thing, but they won't say anything
04:56openly.
04:56And just this idea to support free speech and allowing people to have different opinions and to actually question.
05:04I mean, you have to question governance.
05:05That's part of being in a state of democracy, I would think.
05:09So, as long as the protest is peaceful, as long as people are behaving in a civil manner and in
05:15a courteous sort of manner, what is the big issue about all this?
05:18He was very well-behaved from what I could see from the video.
05:21Imran, I don't think he misbehaved at all.
05:23And maybe he was a little saki or cheeky, but that's fine.
05:26That's allowed.
05:27Yeah, so I'm a little, I am a little disappointed that we don't have voices of famous people, if you
05:34like, or voices that count the movers and shakers, not enough of them.
05:37If they believe in this cause, they should come out and talk about it.
05:40Definitely, 100%, that's not happening.
05:42Movers and shakers, or Shaker Suman, if lifting to this, will not agree with you at the moment.
05:47No, he is.
05:47He's doing his bit.
05:48He's doing his bit, no question.
05:50In fact, I thought he was one of the voices of, you know, let's say, who go by the book,
05:55but turned out to be quite different.
05:57And yeah, he's actually going hammer and thongs.
05:59And again, that's basically satire.
06:01And if you don't support satire and, you know, somebody using humor to make a point, etc., then I mean,
06:07there's nothing left.
06:07I might as well go back to Bharatanatyam and, you know, I do recitals.
06:11What is there against Bharatanatyam, man?
06:13I mean, I also trained in one.
06:15Let's not go there.
06:16Let's not go there, Cyrus.
06:18Why can't you, me and Imran put up a nice recital and bring India together again?
06:23That's a good one.
06:24We'll ask Imran Khan, if he manages to stay back in India, to answer that and take up your proposal.
06:30But let me ask you a slightly, you know, play the devil's advocate here.
06:35Many online have said that this was Imran Khan's, supposed to be Imran Khan's big comeback.
06:41The last time we saw him was in Jaane Tuya, Jaane Na.
06:44He's done a couple of movies, but that's been his biggest role.
06:46The memes online, I'm sure you've seen.
06:48I'll ask my producer to flash them on the screen also.
06:50This Granjhore ka Rathod on his horse has become quite a meme.
06:56People are saying that.
06:57People are saying, you know, he can actually dance.
07:01He can actually protest, but he can't live in India.
07:04All sorts of memes are being made online.
07:06He seems to have caught the imagination of the young people, at least.
07:11But, you know, at this point, many would say that, was this a publicity stunt?
07:16Could this have been a publicity stunt?
07:19I think even if it was, or rather if it was slightly, part of that, you know, they're not stupid.
07:25People know by going there, they're known people that are going to be seen.
07:28People who are famous know that they're going to be pictured, photographed, talked about.
07:32They know there's a good chance.
07:33I mean, let's face it, that's definitely there.
07:35But that's sort of negative for me, you know.
07:37At the end of the day, he went and put his hand up and joined that protest and got detained.
07:42It's a very uncomfortable thing to do.
07:44He went and did all that, and he kept his sense of humor.
07:46He was quite charming.
07:47He was not badly behaved at all.
07:49So if I was in charge of the entire country, I would not minus points for that.
07:52I mean, he does what he does.
07:54Look, if the same government is in opposition, they would be doing the same thing,
07:57joining the CJP or whoever is protesting, the kids or whatever you want to call them.
08:02And that's the way it should be.
08:04That's what democracy is.
08:05If you leave aside the issue for a second, the idea that you are allowed to show dissent,
08:09to disagree, to argue, to protest peacefully, and to have some sort of dialogue to come to,
08:14I mean, in any civil situation across the world, that's the only thing.
