So one fine day Mahira decided to share a smoke with Bollywood super star Ranbir Kapoor. No big deal right, I mean people smoke all the time, both guys and girls too. And as for her strapless dress, anyone who has ever been to a Pakistani Mahanadi or seen Lux Style Awards will not bet an eyelid, because skin, in fact lots of skin, is the order of the day at such social events.
Our media does not skip a beat, be it movies or fashion shows in opting for the by now ubiquitous skin fest. Whatever else may be said about our media, being conservative was not one charge that would ever stick. Or so we thought. But hypocrisy is alive and kicking in the media as can be evinced by the sheer vitriol of the attack on Mahira’s character. From wannabe mullahs proclaiming fatwas on Facebook to mainstream comperes, every one decided that they will become part of the (bay) gairat brigade and set the record straight
Since it is the personal responsibility of each and every Pakistani to decide on ‘public” morality (as long as it applies to other people, of course) and basically take over from all Devine Authority, as if it has gone on a holiday and put them in charge.
The gut churning bile pouring forth from the mouths of these “holier than thou” characters highlights only one thing. And that was the utter lack of their own character. From the scars on her body to the cigarette in her hand, everything and anything was up for grabs when it comes to degenerating a woman’s character.
Ultimately, this has never been about the perennial war between liberals and neo- conservatives, and born again Muslims. Why? Because even the most conservative of people smoke shisha at least in quite a few Muslim Arab countries. Sons, daughters, father, uncles et el.
And in our very own culture we have those teeny tiny choolis and revealing saris in wedding functions. Aint nothing immoral bout ‘that’ right?
But woe betides a girl for daring to smoke with a super star from another country. So, now we get to the root cause of the issue. Good ole fashioned jealousy. The whole ‘how can she be so popular and not me, how can Ranbir enjoy her company and not me?’ And so in the time honored Aesopian fable of the fox and the sour grapes fame, they try to cast her name in the mud. And why not? After all, we as a nation are collectively amongst the most sanctimonious people in the world. And what we cannot have we will surely abuse to or heart’s content.
This is why Mahira is the ultimate hate figure today. Because she is an achiever and the sore losers who try to bring her down to their level are precisely that. Just sore losers. Nothing more.
