How Veer poisoned Zaara
The hidden agenda behind the Indian film industry and the subtle ways it introduced heretical beliefs into the masses of Muslims over a century
Bismillah.
A man approaches a waterfall and remarks "this is sublime!"
Another man standing next to him retorts back, "akktually the waterfall is not sublime, but rather, you are making a remark about your own feelings. you are feeling sublime!"
This story is narrated by CS Lewis in his Abolition of Man to provide commentary on something us modern folks have somehow been duped into forgetting. He tells this story to show us that the second man is incorrect. It's not that the man is feeling sublime or that it's a subjective claim, but rather that the waterfall is indeed sublime. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s not, the objective truth is that it is. He argues that there are objective truths in this world that all human beings recognize.
In this piece I'd like to elucidate the ways in which Indian Cinema (known as Bollywood - a combination of Bombay and Hollywood), introduced a number of ills into South Asian society over the course of a century. Many of the influences that were brought in were even done so under the banner of Islam using “Muslim” celebrities to push degeneracy and heretical ideas. The waterfall is indeed sublime and understanding moral objectivity is critical as we look at the number of ways Bollywood pushed moral relativism in order to prioritize its Universality Nationalist project.
As you'll quickly glean from the commentary I provide, I've looked long into the abyss. I'm not someone with a cursory knowledge of Bollywood cinema, in fact, I'm well versed and well aware of the intricacies of different films, mediums and was previously a huge fan of certain Bollywood films, and being Indian myself, I have always been surrounded by Bollywood culture and music, whether it's at a wedding, a party or while driving to the beach with my family. May Allah forgive me for my transgressions and may my history with it allow others to see with further clarity.
I will be breaking down how celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Farah Khan, Javed Akhtar (not a Muslim at all) and various "Muslim" figures in partnership with Hindus and Atheists have subverted, misguided and confused an entire generation of Muslims in three countries (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) and abroad. They have with subtle craftiness, dressed in the garb of merry song and dance, injected into the minds of the masses, heretical ideas of universalism, pantheism, liberalism, feminism, and more.
“Muslims” in Bollywood
The history of “Muslims” in Bollywood dates back to the early days of Indian cinema, with many early actors, directors, and producers being “Muslims”. They laid the foundation for “Muslim” participation which continues to this very day.
Now I’d like to make a point here that when I say “Muslim”, what I don’t mean is a person who is upon correct Aqeedah (creed) and would actually be considered Muslim according to Islamic Theology. What I mean is that for all intents and purposes while they held Muslim names and were assumed to be Muslim, many of these figures actively held lifestyles and many held positions publicly which would not permissible in the religion and in many cases would take you outside of Islam. But regardless of their salvific positioning, they are for all outside audiences assumed to be Muslim and thus impact the Ummah overall.
One of the earliest “Muslims” in Bollywood was Zubeida Begum, who appeared in several films in the 1930s and 1940s. She was the first Muslim actress to become a star, and her performances in films such as "Zubeida" (1941) and "Amar" (1954) made her a household name. She eventually changed her name to Vidya Rani and converted to Hinduism to get married.
Another early Muslim in Bollywood was Mehboob Khan, who was a film director and producer known for his social films such as "Mother India" (1957) starring Nargis Dutt (who changed her name from Fatima Rashid and also the mother of Sanjay Dutt).
Dilip Kumar, considered one of the greatest actors in the film industry who played roles in cult classics such as “Devdas” (1955) and “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) was also Muslim and his original name before he changed it to make it more marketable to a Hindu audience was Yusuf Khan.
In addition to acting, Muslims have also made significant impacts to the music of Bollywood films. Almost all Bollywood films were musicals and the music industry in India was for a long time just music that was directly associated with films.
A. R. Rahman is a composer, musician, and singer who worked on numerous Bollywood films and is one of the most successful and influential composers in the industry to this day. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat the Pakistani Qawwali singer’s nephew, also made a large influence to music in the later part of the century. There are many others and I’ll discuss more in other sections but these are some notable names that come to mind.
Others in the industry include actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif (yes she was born Muslim), Salman Khan, and directors such as Farah Khan, Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, and Farhan Akhtar. As Bollywood has evolved over the years, Muslims have continued to play a significant role in the industry. They have appeared in a wide range of films, from social dramas and romantic comedies to action and science fiction.
It’s interesting to note the name change many Muslims took in the industry as well as the acquiescence and acceptance of things like marrying into Hindu households. A lot of the initial name changes happened in the early 50s when post partition Muslims were establishing legitimacy in the new found Hindu India and seeking to gain footholds and positions of influence especially in the media to legitimize their existence in this new reformed Hindu polity. The cost of this was to erase anything about them that’s Muslim, projecting only a watered down cultural identity devoid of limitations of theology or creed. Many people in wanting to prove themselves to Non Muslims to gain a little bit of this dunya sold it all for a small price.
“Much like the British colonizers would recruit the well manicured best and brightest from amongst the colonized to serve as the mouthpieces for imperialist dogma, so too would the nationalist Hindus reach deep into the pool of vulnerable Muslims to serve as guideposts to misguidance.” (Saad Afridi)
I can’t help but be reminded of the deep scars left on the psyche of the American Muslim diaspora in the post-9/11 landscape. Having found ourselves quite literally in the crosshairs of Islamophobes armed with religionofpeacedotcom tinged ammunition, many took the path of apologetics and appeasement.
Mohammad became Mo, Aisha became Ashley, passionate and fiery khutbahs became subdued and impotent, and any and all of the more ‘problematic’ elements that failed to align with the cultural sensitivities of the modern west were effaced.
What price has been paid for the watering down of the message Islam in lieu of proffering a sanitized and palatable variant? We may now have Hijabi models for the OpenAI homepage and on the latest H&M ad, but is the goal of Islam just adulation and acceptance, or is it to spread the haqq and the truth about the message?
In the painstaking effort to highlight all the ways in which ‘we are just like you’, we have neglected to communicate those key ways in which we are different that offer those whose societies are plagued by heedlessness and decadence a superior way of life.
Many have made seeking the pleasure of our non Muslim neighbors and friends a greater pursuit than seeking the pleasure of Allah and nurturing love for the Messenger ﷺ .
Poly-theatric Puppetry:
The introduction of Universalism and Pantheism
We start with universalism, a heretical concept which Bollywood successfully introduced into the minds of the masses. According to the universalist view, there are certain fundamental truths that are universal and eternal, and these truths can be found in the wisdom of all great cultures and civilizations throughout history. All people will ultimately be saved or reconciled with God, regardless of their particular faith or belief system. This belief is based on the idea that God's love and grace are available to all people and that no one will be excluded from experiencing this love and grace.
Well the conclusion that Universalists draw from this innocuous fact about God being loving is that all major religious traditions are valid. Islam is just as inherently true as Hinduism. Facing the Qibla and doing sajdah to Allah is just as valid as kissing the forehead of Ganesh in worship. Both lead to paradise. Believing in Allah is required, but following Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not necessary. This belief subverts the authority of Islam and the claim that Islam is the last true guidance for mankind and as a result, turns Muslims into impotent apologists of peace and love, easily controlled and directed by others.
What better vehicle to spread this to the masses than to use a figure that is beloved to millions?
Shah Rukh Khan also known by the initials SRK.
SRK for all intents and purposes in the minds of people is a Muslim regardless of what Muslims think.
He appears Muslim for all intents and purposes, so even Dubai decided to use him to promote the city and lead in a music video showing him helping out visibly looking Muslims in the streets of Dubai with his charm and swag, alongside a catchy tune and impressive visuals.
He even went on Umrah last month. And many Muslims congratulated him for it.
And then once returning, decided to visit the Vaishno Devi temple.
Is he even a Muslim?
SRK is the poster child for this Universalist faith. He married a Hindu named Gauri. He named his son Ab-Ram (Abraham and Ram), and consistently and actively talks about how it’s not religion that’s important, but being loving and caring to all people that’s important.
A famous line from a movie, Raees, about an alcohol smuggler
(translation: my mother used to say there is no business too small and there is no deen larger than business).
He’s the perfect representative for this ideology and they used Muslim verbiage and concepts in various films and songs to spread Universalism. The more a Muslim’s Aqeedah is compromised and the distinct lines between religion are blurred, the weaker and frailer Islam becomes in a person and the weaker the reason for Muslims to stay together for a cause. Devoid of a strong belief and purpose, the indoctrinated Muslims are now perfect hosts for the parasite of foreign ideologies.
One of the most famous Bollywood songs is called Chaiyya Chaiyya, the song includes SRK dancing on the top of a train with a random improperly dressed woman and workers. It was also one of the first to introduce a viral sensational “item” song into the industry, a musical performance that is typically a high-energy, upbeat number that is included specifically for entertainment value. They often feature thirst trap women, elaborate costumes and choreography, and are are usually inserted into the film to add a touch of glamor and excitement.
The choreographer in this famous song is Farah Khan, the composer is AR Rahman. Farah Khan will later go on to direct other films with SRK, notably “Om Shanti Om” whose title is literally a Hindu prayer, and the film about a reincarnation story.
The song is originally inspired from a Sufi poem Tere Ishq Nachaya by Bulleh Shah which is about the love for Allah. Gulzar the lyricist (whose not Muslim but uses a Muslim sounding name), took inspiration from it to write this song to which millions dance and sing to this day.
One of the very disrespectful verses goes as follows:
Taveez banake pehnu usse (I’ll make her like a taweez and wear her)
Aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin (I’ll be able to find her like a verse of the Quran)
Followed by other verses that use a lot of Islamic imagery, symbols, and words along with dancing and gyrating. By including this mix of Islamic imagery tied in with other foreign concepts in Islam they were able to slowly start introducing Islam verbiage and lyrics into the masses which would slowly become incorporated into Hindu ideas.
SRK has another famous film called Veer Zaara (the namesake of this article) in which he plays an Indian soldier named Veer who then falls in love with a Pakistani Muslim woman named Zaara. In the famous song Aaya Tere Dar Par, Javed Akhtar, one of the most famous lyricists, writes a Sufi Qawwali about arriving at the doorstep of God, but in reality he didn’t write it with the intention of it being about God at all. It’s about the love between a Muslim and a Non Muslim. How do I know this?
Because Javed Akhtar is not a Muslim and doesn’t even believe in God. He’s a straight disbeliever and Atheist, and that’s not me saying it. He as a matter of fact won the Richard Dawkins award and is a self declared and proud Atheist. He made a fortune writing lyrics such as these. It’s unfortunate that he drifted so far away from his great great grandfather who was a Mujahid and great Sunni Mutakallim Imam Fazle Haq Khayrabadi.
In addition, the song accompanies a music video showing Zaara (Preity Zinta) who’s sitting in the middle of her Nikkah wedding ceremony who seems to be in a sad state until the heartthrob SRK shows up to swoop her off her feet as the camera pans to her angry Muslim father as he stares as a strange and unknown man embraces his daughter. How dare a Muslim father attempt to stop love! It created an escapist fantasy where the ‘humble’ kafir mushrik is accepted by the ‘arrogant’ Muslim monotheists.
In the film SRK ends up in prison and his prisoner number is 786 (representing Bismillah) and becomes a Messiah like figure to all the prisoners as the Muslim lawyer talks about his greatness and fights in court to get him out of prison and back to his beloved Zaara.
It’s interesting to note that the film could have been written in the inverse as well, with the man being Muslim, being played by SRK and the woman being Sikh played by Zinta, but that wasn’t the message that needed to be told. What needed to be told is that a man who isn’t even Muslim could be seen by Muslims as a great figure and worthy of a Muslim woman.
Let’s move to another film, Jodha Akbar. It’s a legend that glorifies a Mughal ruler named Akbar who is beloved by Hindus because he married a Hindu princess named Jodha Bai to unite the Mughals with the Rajputs. He also created a religion called Din e Ilahi which was essentially Universalism. It was an attempt to merge elements of Islam, Hinduism, and other religions into a single faith. Akbar believed that all religions contained truth and that it was possible to create a universal religion that would be acceptable to people of different beliefs.
A very famous song was written by the snake Javed Akhtar, composed by AR Rahman, and sung by Mohammed Aslam.
There are loads of examples of this in numerous films as well as songs, another is a song called Sajdah, from a movie called My Name is Khan, starring SRK. The singer is Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and the song initially sounds like a Sufi poem about Allah.
However upon closer inspection you’ll see that it’s not actually about Allah. It’s a duet sung with two people talking about making sajdah to one another in love alongside a music video to match. In addition, the movie is about a Muslim man named Khan with Aspergers who falls in love with a Hindu girl and marries her. The movie shows him on a quest to get his wife back in a post 9/11 world, going around doing good deeds, catching terrorists, and helping church goers in a storm and then meeting the President showing once and for all Muslims are good people and finally his Hindu wife decides to take him back.
Muslims loved this movie, praised it, and applauded it as pushing the Overton window for Muslim acceptance. News flash, no one accepted anything. All they accepted was a watered down version of Islam where everything is about peace and love. No rules, limitations, or actual adherence to Islam. It normalizes the idea of a Muslim man marrying a Hindu woman. This isn’t permitted. Their wedding is not valid.
The movie even shows his Hijabi sister in law being so proud to finally have a new person in the family for her autistic genius brother who’s a devout Muslim who knows pretty much all to know about Islam but somehow doesn’t know that you can’t marry a Hindu.
“it’s not that deep bro!”
Maybe it wasn’t for the first shovel through, but you keep digging and digging for decades, it becomes deep enough to bury you.
Somehow some are okay with not only selling out the deen for a measly price but then allowing millions to be impacted. These songs play at weddings, birthdays, you name it and are sung by Muslims and accepted as normal. Most people are unaware either willingly or unwillingly as I was and really deserve a slap back to reality.
SRK has another popular song called Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai (I see God in you), which appeals to another heretical idea, pantheism. And the idea of universalism and pantheism in South Asia is directly linked.
Pantheism is a belief system that holds that the universe and all that exists within it is a manifestation of a single divine essence or reality. Pantheists believe that the universe is not separate from God, but rather that it is a manifestation of God's nature and being. Basically, all things are God. And so you could see God in something, both metaphorically and also physically.
Eventually we need to become fanaa fi-Allah, or enter spiritual annihilation. But fanaa the way it’s understood in the science of Tasawwuf by the Sufi’s and in Orthodox Islam is to relinquish the ego entirely in submission to Allah to align with the true reality of Allah. It is when your entire being is aligned with the desires of Allah and chooses to only do what pleases Allah. There is an understood idea of Wahdatul Wujood in Sunni Orthodoxy in which Allah is the only necessary being, his existence is Wajib Al Wujood and ours is only temporary/imaginary. This idea however is distinctly different to the one that is shoehorned into Bollywood songs and movies, which is clear pantheism.
What in reality they are alluding to is the concept of Moksha in Hinduism. Moksha could be considered the ultimate goal of Hinduism and is seen as the highest state of being that a person can attain. It’s when they become submerged within the divine. ie. Pantheism.
You may think this is some goofy thing that no one believes, but I assure you there are many people, many who I know who hold this version of a belief that all religions are essentially equal and we are all just a manifestation of God’s nature.
As a matter of fact, Aamir Khan, another famous Bollywood celeb has a movie which alludes to this concept in a song in the movie actually called Fanaa.
Tu Jo Paas Ho (If you’re close)
Phir Kya Yeh Jahaan (Then why worry)
Tere Pyar Mein Ho Jaaun Fanaa (In your love I am spiritually annihilated)
What this allowed is treating Allah with utter disrespect because when you elevate yourself to the divine, you may speak to him Azzawajal however you please. And when you elevate love, and women to be above the divine, does that not create some level of entitlement? By using Sufi poetry with the combination of ideas of pantheism and universalism, disrespect of Allah becomes a norm and also introduces to Non Muslim Hindu audiences that this is something that is okay within Islam.
In a song called Aaj Din Chadeya starring Saif Ali Khan sung by Rahat, the lyrics go as follows talking to God:
Maanga joh mera hai (i’ve only asked for what’s mine)
jaata kya tera hai (what are you going to lose)
Maine kaunsi tujhse jannat maang li (it’s not like I’ve asked you for Jannah)
Kaisa khuda hai tu (what kind of God are you)
bas naam ka hai tu (you’re a God only in name)
Rabba joh teri itni si bhi na chali (even your order on this one little thing can’t occur)
Over the years there was a slow eradication of proper Islam in the public sphere replaced with a watered down Sufi Goofy Universalist peace and love Islam that removed a major and critical portion of Islam, the Prophet ﷺ.
The waterfall is indeed sublime.
This statement and profession of objective reality is critical. Some reading this may say, oh that’s just your opinion of Islam, “only God can judge”. No, that’s not correct. In Islam we believe and accept objective reality and objective truth. There are certain principles and ideas that we believe to be true that form the bedrock of Islamic Theology and its worldview.
When you’ve subverted theology and morph the idea of the divine you lose the fundamental building blocks of morality and how to define it; leaving an open door for serpents to inject further venom into the minds of people at large.
Fairytale Matrimony
India as a culture has always been patriarchal and gender roles very strictly defined. Bollywood introduced multiple concepts that were generally foreign to Muslims. One being the idea of romanticized soulmate monogamous “love” before marriage.
Although this concept was introduced very early in cinema even as early as the 60s, the idea didn’t become cemented until the king of Bollywood romance SRK himself, introduced the iconic and beloved character of Raj Malhotra. In it he plays a young man with a mix of modern and traditional culture from London who woos a traditional Indian girl living in London under a tyrant father .
DDLJ became a cult classic phenomenon with its songs played at weddings, scenes and dialogues memorized and quoted as SRK became the perfect ideal of a man. It suggested that your father was an angry old man who didn’t understand the ways of love. It taught women that if you travel alone independently you’ll discover the perfect young man who will become the love of your life. Fighting against your parents and waiting for your love would be worth it in the end setting up millions of women for failure in a lie about a relationship which doesn’t reflect reality.
This film set the precedent for a plethora of romantic comedies and the golden era of Bollywood cinema and music.
Similar films include:
"Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998)
"Mohabbatein" (2000)
"Kal Ho Naa Ho" (2003)
"Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu" (2012)
"Tamasha" (2015)
"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" (2016)
"Badrinath Ki Dulhania" (2017)
It’s basically every other film and what Bollywood has become known for worldwide. What is interesting to note is that initially Bollywood love stories were known for what we would now consider quite misogynistic tropes in which a strange man would essentially strong-arm and coax a young woman into love. Following her, threatening her, bullying her and if he did it long enough he would eventually get her.
There are whole films surrounding this concept including Salman Khan’s Tere Naam, or a more recent Ranjhana.
SRK came to change this formula. He didn’t need to strong arm women, he was a charmer and a lover. If a man could be like Raj, he could get any woman. Of course we all know that this isn’t true, it’s just what women were told to believe. Now unfortunately as Muslims in post-partition India came to be around Hindu culture, Muslims adopted much of the outright harm and injustice that’s put upon women from Hindu culture and further disenfranchised men and women by changing the definitions of marriage and how its understood.
There’s a number of films which pushed the concept of Muslim women being repressed but the most popular is a film made by Aamir Khan called Secret Superstar. The film is about a Muslim Niqabi girl Insia Malik in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat who makes a viral song while keeping her identity secret. She lives under a tyrant Muslim father of course who is not okay with her aspirations of music and doesn’t allow her to sing. The story follows her empowerment into an independent woman and the mother finally divorcing the tyrant father as Insia becomes a superstar.
Much of the film is feminist propaganda and furthers a callous lie that Islam is seeped in canonized misogyny. The truth is that many men did indeed mistreat women in India but it wasn’t just Muslims. It was the cultural baggage of Hinduism and egregious negligence and ignorance of the boundaries of the Shariah.
A major idea was the concept of lifelong marriage even after death or divorce. Women were forced into a strong stigma adopted from Hindu culture that she is to remain with only one man even if her husband dies or divorces her. As a matter of fact the practice of ‘Sati’ was practiced in Hindu tradition commonly up until the late 19th century in which a woman would throw herself into the funeral pyre of her husband committing suicide and dying with him. In addition the woman held her husband in the position of a God. The word ‘pati’ in Sanskrit, often used as the word for spouse means ‘Lord’. And Pati Parmeshvar (Supreme Lord) is a phrase often used in the context of Hindu marriage, in which the husband is given a form of divinity.
Now, this is by no means an indication that Islam came to break down the walls of the patriarchy in India. But rather to show that the way Islam understands gender roles is completely different. There is indeed a deference to the husband, and a submission to his authority as a leader in the marriage, but it is only within the rules and bounds of the Shariah. Women in Islam have autonomy in a way that Hindu women traditionally never had. Women are given rights to money, property, land, freedom of education and movement (with rules and limitations of course). In addition widowed and divorced women were immediately taken care of in many ways through waqfs, shelters, and polygynous marriage.
In addition to elevating the husband to a divine being, Hindu society in 1955 in lockstep with global monoculture did away with the concept of polygyny (more than one wife). The way multiple wives were treated in Hindu culture was no where close to the level of equity and justice required from a Muslim husband as enforced by the boundaries of the shariah.
Although Muslims were permitted to remain polygynous under Shariah courts, the overall culture had shifted. Even now, Muslim widows, divorcees, handicapped, older or unattractive women remain unmarried and married men are not permitted to take on additional women in marriage helping both parties. In concert with monogamous ‘soul-mate’ love and the global monoculture, women were thrust out of traditional roles of being mothers and homemakers to now pursuing an independent career, a long winded education, and the thrill of one day meeting their very own Raj Malhotra or Rahul Khanna.
There are many who assume that Muslims carry the same baggage as Hindu patriarchy, incorrectly assuming that there is canonized misogyny in every religion and culture. Rather it’s a deep misunderstanding of the completely equitable and just gender roles set up by Allah Azzawajal himself. Now that Muslims were completely sold on the idea of Bollywood over the years, it was only a matter of time before those nefarious forces used the same vehicles to usher in down right degeneracy that is completely opposed to Islamic values.
Degeneracy and the secular world order
It’s 1993, and all eyes are on actor Madhuri Dixit. In her new film, Khalnayak, she’s Ganga, an undercover cop posing as a sex worker so that she can capture Balram “Ballu” Prasad (Sanjay Dutt), a menacing gangster. In cinemas across India and beyond, Dutt and Dixit’s dynamic duo has people glued to their screens, making Khalnayak the second-highest-grossing film that year. The soundtrack is so good, Khalnayak ends up selling over 10 million cassettes.
https://www.thejuggernaut.com/horny-sophisitication-of-choli-ke-peeche
The iconic song played in the streets of India in the 90s wherever you went flooding the sound waves with degenerate lyrics about “what’s hiding behind my veil”.
“The song sparked protests for being “vulgar” and All India Radio and India’s national TV channel Doordarshan banned it. But the people loved it. On YouTube, commenters from all over the world now recount how they were punished — one was even suspended from school! — for singing such a crude song, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
https://www.thejuggernaut.com/horny-sophisitication-of-choli-ke-peeche
Now, further degenerate content would be made with item songs throughout the coming decades normalizing thirst trap women in scantily clad clothing with high energy tunes. One particularly egregious one comes to mind called Mashaallah by Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
(I would directly post the video but it’s not appropriate, you can click through at your own discretion HERE)
The movie features Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif who play undercover agents for India and Pakistan and once again the Hindu man (Khan) woos the Pakistani Muslim agent Zoya. The song is about how beautiful Katrina is and is titled Mashaallah. In the music video, Salman Khan pulls off her veil to reveal her essentially wearing lingerie as the singers sing Mashaallah Mashaallah.
Now I don’t need to list all of these types of videos, there’s too many to go through but additional numbers include:
"Mahi Ve" from Kaante (2002)
"Parda Parda" from Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010)
"Sheila Ki Jawani" from Tees Maar Khan (2010)
"Munni Badnaam Hui" from Dabangg (2010)
"Chikni Chameli" from Agneepath (2012)
"Fevicol Se" from Dabangg 2 (2012)
"Dilbar" from Satyameva Jayate (2018)
After introducing these songs, Indian youth would begin the adopt clothing styles, dance moves, and the overall culture associated with such films and music, thus quickly spreading secular liberal monoculture throughout India even replacing much of the traditional Hindu culture found throughout along with the remaining Islamic culture.
An interesting look at how this was achieved might come as a shock to many readers. Director Karan Johar (one of the first openly gay ones might I add) was instrumental in bringing a number of secular ideas to the forefront. Starting shockingly with the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in partnership with SRK, he introduced in a very subtle manner a number of secular ideas, or what most considered western ideas to the Indian populace. By making the film into family entertainers, they were able to slowly inject poison into the masses without anyone batting an eyelash.
KKHH, a cult classic, introduced a novel idea to Indian culture, college. And not just the idea of an educational establishment, this was already known, but rather a fun, mixed gendered place where guys and girls could be the best of friends, fall in love and awkwardly play this new cool sport called basketball. Many seeing this scene today might laugh as this is perhaps the lamest and most horribly played game of basketball however, what you find amusing, the youth of India in the 90s, especially women, found magical.
It sells the India that going to college isn’t just about learning and higher education. It tells girls sitting in a village making chappati rotis that they also need to go to college so that they can play awkward basketball and find the love of their life. It’s not about education, it’s about feels, it’s about finding Rahul Khanna.
Shortly after KKHH and films of the 90s, the idea of relationships outside of marriage and premarital sex became something that was no longer rare and initially it started only amongst Non Muslims but slowly crept its way into Muslims as well.
Karan Johar would continue to introduce a number of secular concepts and used SRK to do so. Another film called Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, is about infidelity in marriage. Two couples aren’t doing so well in a marriage and so the husband and wife (SRK and Rani) from their separate marriages become friends and eventually end up having an affair. It sparked a tremendous amount of controversy when it was released but a movie such as this today would be completely normal. Most people called the outrage a slippery slope fallacy and complained that they were tired of the same old stories. It’s not like this type of movie would lead to further degenerate films?
Of course they were wrong as more films came out. A special film which pushed the envelope on the issue of LGBTQ promotion was a film called Dostana.
It was played by John Abraham, Abhishek Bachhan, and Priyanka Chopra. The film is about two friends who decide to pretend to be in a same sex relationship to rent a room with Priyanka Chopra. They are both in love with her and throughout the film simultaneously try to woo her and pretend to be gay at the same time. What the film does brilliantly is normalize the idea of a same sex relationship as by the end of the film neither of the men gets the girl. They sacrifice their love to all remain friends.
A few short years later in 2019, a film called Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga released which was a full blown promotion of a lesbian relationship. It was heavily protested against but alas, it made its foothold and now remains as a monumental movie in pushing forward LGBT rights.
And then came the onslaught of movies that promoted everything from feminism to trans rights, as they say, Bollywood went full woke. Now every other movie is filled with degeneracy and promotion of secular values.
In a film that pushed the envelope for the Trans community, Chandigarh kare Aashiqui is about a young man who falls in love with a transgender woman. Initially he of course rejects her and then throughout the film slowly falls in love and realizes how much of a fool he was for missing out on this wonderful woman (born a man) only because of his transphobia.
Most Bollywood films have little if any culture of India left in them, being only a representative, a simulacra of secular ideas. Just watch this below trailer and tell me what about this is Indian outside of the character speaking in Hindi.
Now I could go into a very deep dive into each of the sections that I’ve covered but this was meant to be a cursory overview. I haven’t even begun to cover the number of ways Nationalism and the love of the Indian state above any and all belief systems and religions was actively promoted.
In order to denigrate Pakistan and by extension Muslims, Muslims continuously were shown as terrorists, rapists, murderers, thieves, and lecherous highwaymen in an attempt to sow hatred and enmity within the nation. All the “good” Muslims were peace loving anti violence compassionate people who even married Hindu women and formed beautiful Universalist families.
This fervor for Nationalism was promoted so strongly that even to this day, Muslims across State lines in India and Pakistan argue with one another forgetting that they are brothers and sisters in Islam and that State lines are only imaginary and meant to divide the Ummah. It saddens me deeply when I see Indian Muslims and Muslim Pakistanis deluded with feelings of State nationalism that they hold onto greater than the rope of imaan that binds them together. Pakistan is also run by a secular liberal elite who’s goals are not in alignment with the maqasid of the Shariah, and by allowing Nationalism to cloud our emotions, we become weak as Muslims. Our goal is Allah and his Messenger ﷺ.
I've been meaning to write about this topic for a number of years now but something specifically sparked me to write it now and that is the upcoming release of a new film called Pathaan starring SRK, after a 3-4 year hiatus. I saw a number of groups I'm in light up with messages about going to see the film in Imax, about the 'bomb' trailer.
SRK once again wants to raise the bar for normalizing degeneracy.
The film includes a song which caused outrage in India, ironically called Besharam Rang (The color without shame), because in it, Deepika Padukone and SRK are basically thirst traps. And one of the largest complaints was that Deepika's barely clothed body had an outfit that was the color of Saffron and this was disrespectful of certain religious sentiments.
"One of its songs 'Besharam Rang' courted controversy over the orange-coloured bikini sported by Deepika Padukone. CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi said, "Pathaan went through the due and through examining process as per the CBFC guidelines. The committee has guided the makers to implement the advised changes in the film including the songs and submit the revised version prior to theatrical release."
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pathaan-besharam-rang-shah-rukh-khan-pathaan-row-censor-board-advises-changes-in-film-songs-3646912
Yes, you actually read that correct. The major issue wasn’t the degenerate thirst trap music video, but the orange colored outfit that was part of the thirst trap. Now it’s become a religious issue because Hindu’s have used this to blame Muslims for bringing in degeneracy into the industry and the country and you know what, I wouldn’t blame them for thinking that.
This teaser epitomizes the essence of everything SRK has promoted as he himself says in the teaser, “he made his nation his religion” and goes onto say in one of the lines of the now viral music videos “jaan lutake humne dushman ki hifaazat kiye hai” (I have risked my life to save the enemy). It seems that he didn’t just risk his life, he also threw away his akhirah. May Allah guide him.
As I have shown in this critique, “Muslims” were used to usher in a number of heretical issues the foremost of which is the introduction of a secular world religion that initially borrowed ideas from Hinduism but eventually morphed into it’s own belief system whose tenets are as follows:
The waterfall isn’t sublime. It’s whatever I feel it is. There is no absolute objective truth, there is only relative truth
God is not one or many, God is whatever you define to be God, and we may not judge someone’s conception of God or lack thereof
We say about someone who believes in a religion or ideology that we accept it to be a valid identity as long as it is their secondary or sub ideology which remains in submission to the values of the secular culture
The purpose of life is to enjoy the world to its fullest extent, Kal Ho Na Ho
A person may believe something is wrong or right as long as they do not prevent or judge another person from doing that action unless it causes material harm to another
No one can judge another morally (except for us)
Love conquers all and is above any religion or belief system
I hope that this piece has provided some clarity to the number of haram and heretical elements present in the Bollywood film industry which continues to influence around the world. Now someone may say, “not every film or song is degenerate”, and I would agree. Most are now well aware of the increasing wokeness of Bollywood films and shifted their attention to more independent films and even South Indian films. A recent South Indian film called RRR became one of the top films on Netflix bringing in audiences from around the world.
The drama of political unity that song lyrics characterize as “friendship between an erupting volcano and a wild storm” is also a flag-waving spectacle of patriotic pomp. The movie’s powerful sense of revolutionary virtue and collective purpose yields to nationalistic pride that’s danced and sung with uninhibited joy. The concluding production number, with militaristic bravado, spotlights the present-day purposes of this quasi-historical tale.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-netflix-hit-rrr-is-a-political-screed-an-action-bonanza-and-an-exhilarating-musical
And although it is wholesome compared to other content, the spread of the film carries with it the baggage of a century’s worth of propaganda that is sure to flow through to newer films that will be made. This can be seen in a South Indian film that released shortly before RRR called Sita Ramam produced by the same production house as RRR, it features a Hindu man (played by a Muslim) falling in love with a Muslim woman (played by a Hindu). She pretends to be Hindu the whole film and the only “good” Muslims are the ones who are in support of their relationship and are peace loving Universalists.
Bollywood is the unfolding of a Dajjalic system in real time and the seeds were planted long ago and infected the hearts and minds of millions of Muslims across the world. We must ask ourselves about the content we consume and we allow our families to consume. A reasonable amount of ‘lahw’ is something that is allowed according to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). It refers to activities or behaviors that are considered idle or frivolous and that distract a person from more important or meaningful pursuits. Lahw could be playing a game of frisbee, or painting a mural. Now you may watch a movie to bond with your family or relax and you may play a game of frisbee to get exercise and bond with your friends, but we must ask…have we transgressed the bounds set by Allah and his Messenger ﷺ when it comes to our engagement in lahw?
Note: I am not sanctioning movies as permissible lahw given the amount of things included inside of them. We seek forgiveness for our weakness and our mistakes.
We ask that Allah grant us protection from straying from his path and allow us clarity to see and avoid the traps that are set for the believers.
And Allah and his Messenger ﷺ know best.
~muin
PS: Allah reward all of the people who helped me put this breakdown together with notable contributions from Saad Afridi and Naz Hassan, along with editorial review by Hassan Patel and Waqar Ali.
Wonderfully articulated Barakallah.
Take my suggestion : Instead of links to the songs, try writing the lyrics or add videos that have no graphics/ visuals just the lyrics.
Jazakallahu khairan kaseerah
ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُه Muin
Very well written. MashaAllah!
I have been talking on different aspects of this topic within my extended family for some time now. I couldn't have written it better.
May I suggest to also translate the article into Urdu - as many amongst us don't read English articles or prefer Urdu.
If you allow, I will get it translated and also make a final edit to ensure it matches the spirit of the English version . We could then publish in different Urdu newsletters or just share a PDF version.
Do advice.
Your article needs to be read widely. InshaAllah.
جَزَاكَ ٱللَّٰهُ خَيْرًا