The art of a divide

Lines may be blurry, but boundaries rarely are

Sana Nawaz found herself in quite the predicament recently by declaring in a video that “artists have no boundaries” when defending her politically silent peers. Given the unrelenting conflict that has marred whatever amity remained between Pakistan and India, it is easy for such a statement to raise a storm, seeing as showbiz individuals and netizens both found faults in Sana’s words. But let the steam dissolve and you are left with much to pore over. Do artists have boundaries? Does art, in obedience, maintain those boundaries?

We have long grappled with similar sentiments, such as whether or not art should be separated from the artist during delicate matters. Some consider the goal possible, viewing art as merely a product and not a willing accomplice in an unforeseen controversy. Others deem it impossible, as artists shape their actions as meticulously and deliberately as they shape their works of art.

With this deliberation in mind, it is no wonder why Sana’s words struck a nerve. Or several. In her viral video, she insisted that an artist advocates for love and peace. But boundaries can be acknowledged even in the absence of hate.

The boundaries of stardom

Don’t take it from me. Take it from Shah Rukh Khan himself. During a press conference for Raees, the Bollywood celebrity reminded heedless reporters that his co-star Mahira Khan did not, in fact, become “more of an actor” by working with him when she’s already “an established actor in her own right”, the credit of which goes to the work Mahira has done in her native industry.

Here Shah Rukh made a conscious choice, taking the high road to reiterate that he’s not merely an actor but an exemplary figure who’s available to all. A star of stars, perhaps. For all we know, his status allows him to stretch his boundaries in a way not many can afford. The expanse that he’s privy to empowers him to speak his mind, to acknowledge paralleled star power, to set a precedent.

But his cornered silence on recent tensions and the resulting backlash from his Indian fan-following have put him in a tricky spot, reinforcing the fact that even megastars have boundaries that can be stretched thin. While his peers shoulder ‘Operation Sindoor’ like a celebrity campaign, SRK stands to the side in a rare moment, unwilling and maybe unable to boast his stardom this time.

Backtracking for all he’s stood for in the past would be crossing a line — a boundary that he established for himself long ago – but silence no longer protects him from criticism either. Because even Bollywood’s king of romance is compelled to work within his boundaries, same as anyone. But he is, after all, just one man in a sea of many who understand the implications of their boundaries and know exactly how to exploit them.

A line of convenience

Many Bollywood celebrities like Akshay Kumar and Kajol made their boundaries clear when they endorsed ‘Operation Sindoor’, signalling their allegiance to age-old, colonialism-influenced differences that predate the partition. They’ve conveniently lent their platforms to a political confrontation knowing how it benefits the boundaries they work within. That is them establishing boundaries, or fortifying the ones that always existed – born of misguided patriotism.

Maybe Sana’s benign worldview is lost on them, though ironically their films might suggest otherwise. Because what also stands true is Indian celebrities’ acknowledgement of boundaries in the art they create, be it the utopian ‘Project Milaap’ from Main Hoon Na or the distressing love story in Raazi. Even a sensitive film like My Name Is Khan, that tried to stitch these boundaries at a cinematic level, doesn’t go unnoticed.

Except the thing about these boundaries is that they don’t bleed into reality, or at least Modi’s government doesn’t let them. They adhere strictly to the artforms that draw them. It is as if Bollywood is making it increasingly clear that boundaries can only be blurred when they’re presented on a screen. As if, sure, let art be political but rarely a reflection of reality.

So, much to the dismay of Sana’s ideals, boundaries do exist – both on an individual and an industry level. And they are ironically being acknowledged with the erasure of a past that’s immortalised in cinema, what with this new wave of forced delusion that Pakistani artists have made no contribution to it whatsoever (looking at you, Sanam Teri Kasam’s poster, which has removed all traces of Mawra Hocane and now only contains an out-of-place Harshvardhan Rane sulking solo).

Even the virtual presence of Pakistani artists continues to be dictated through obsessive censorship that embitters national boundaries, given how social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities are now seemingly a threat to the Indian government. It’s as Zhalay Sarhadi said when the ban was first imposed, “Have you ever heard of VPN?”

So if there were doubts over the existence of artistic boundaries, well, it is clear as day that they’ve always been there. And now, they are adding sturdier pillars to the robust design of colonial ramifications.