Cinema, Celebrity, and the Ethics of Creativity

This chapter explores how films can impact political consciousness, focusing on a recent movie about the Gujarat riots and the role of celebrity influence. It also addresses listener concerns about AI-generated images, emphasizing the need to prioritize authentic artistic endeavors.

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In Episode 22 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the US crackdown on Indian students through self-deportation notices and detentions and the implications of the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 with Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor at The Hindu, and Senior Counsel Zafarullah Khan.

On the scale of the US crackdown, Suhasini says, “What we have seen in the last two months is... governments making it very clear they don't care if due process is followed or not. The idea that the US government now is essentially saying we don't care what's right and wrong… that's never happened before.”

Dhanya says, “There definitely is panic amongst the student community… especially that anything they post on social media, anything they do on their campuses, can come back to bite them.”

On the Indian government’s muted response, Pooja says, “Isn’t there such a mismatch between what we see — the kind of personality we see of Mr Modi in speeches in Parliament, this bravado — but the minute it comes to implementation of that foreign policy… Rest of it has been extremely meek, hasn’t it?”

As the conversation shifts to the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, Zafarullah says, “The present amendments do not address the shortcomings in the administration of the Waqf and its properties. The focus is on how to deprive the Waqf of their landed properties.

On the BJP’s claim of protecting the Muslim community’s interests, Dhanya says, “This is a party which did not give a seat to a Muslim. It stood and watched when Muslims’ homes were demolished; when there were hate speeches made against Muslims. And you want the community to suddenly believe that you want to protect their lands, you want transparency in the system, and that is why you have brought the Waqf Act? That is hypocritical. Nobody’s going to buy that argument.”

Zafarullah adds, “It is an economic deprivation of the community. That is the agenda. To deprive the community of its resources and thereby make them dependent and second-class citizens.”