AAP-friendly Bollywood music director Vishal Dadlani has been facing massive backlash for encouraging violent acts against critical voices and announcing a job for the CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur, who assaulted actor-turned-MP-elect Kangana Ranaut. Several X users have lambasted him over his series of Instagram posts offering to provide “gainful employment” to the suspended CISF personnel.
Many online users applied his logic and asked him whether he would be fine if a random person slapped him and later on gained employment at Kangana Ranaut’s office or if they slapped him on the pretext that his remarks or songs hurt them.
Vishal Dadlani is a proof that urban naxals are deep-rooted and very well exist
— Major Pawan Kumar, Shaurya Chakra (Retd) 🇮🇳 (@major_pawan) June 8, 2024
Thread on Gems of Vishal Dadlani!
— Āyudhika (@Ayudhika1310) June 8, 2024
1. He offered a job to the CISF lady, who slapped Kangana Ranaut pic.twitter.com/oojDf6cuJp
Vile mainstreaming of violence by @VishalDadlani. How is this any different from Ajmer Chisti offering his home as reward for beheading Nupur, or BSP MLA offering 51 crores to terrorists who killed Charlie Hebdo journalists?
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) June 8, 2024
But Democracy is not in danger. Tolerance is sky-high. pic.twitter.com/KhDDcpkph5
What if Vishal Dadlani is slapped tightly in a concert and then the person who slapped him gets employed by Kangana?
— The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) June 7, 2024
How will liberal media react? pic.twitter.com/TAtrvmPU54
If I sl@p Vishal Dadlani who will do crowdfunding for me?
— Gaurav 🇮🇳 (@IamGMishra) June 7, 2024
Incidentally, Vishal Dadlani has encouraged violent acts on several occasions in the past. Many X users have shared his old tweets in which he can be seen asking (the authorities) to shoot dead BJP leaders, including the current UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Sharing his old tweets, they have tagged UP Police asking them to take legal action against the controversial music director for calling for physical harm on BJP leaders including Yogi Adityanath.
If anyone had given a similar death threat to opposition leader, his/her career would have finished Instantly but this vile man @VishalDadlani is having normal life because his threat was against “fascist & intolerant” BJP. pic.twitter.com/u5iL5kfgfS
— Mr Sinha (Modi's family) (@MrSinha_) June 8, 2024
ये होती है फ़्रीडम ऑफ़ स्पीच यही सेम चीज अगर कोई राइट विंगर बोल दे ममता,सोनिया,केजरीवाल,तेजस्वी और अखिलेश के लिये तो उसे अरेस्ट करवाने वामपंथी नंगे नाचने लगेंगे, मैं @Uppolice से अनुरोध करता हूँइस बकल को (@VishalDadlani) मुंबई से खींच कर इसके मुँह में लात भर दी जाये घुटने तक। pic.twitter.com/maQCLPAO7o
— 😾 (@Keshuu_16) June 8, 2024
Singer Sona Mohapatra also slammed Vishal Dadlani for his double standards and shared an anecdotal story. She said, Dadlani had refrained from taking a stand against alleged serial molester Anu Malik stating that he just wanted to gather a lot of money and leave India.
She wrote, “The ‘spine’ includes sitting next to a multiple accused serial molester like Anu Malik on the judges seat & when colleagues like me call him to stand up, speak up, help push back this toxic culture of reality shows – saying paisa kamaake desh se nikalna hai..such a gem I tell you (sic).”
The ‘spine’ includes sitting next to a multiple accused serial molester like Anu Malik on the judges seat & when colleagues like me call him to stand up, speak up,help push back this toxic culture of reality shows – saying paisa kamaake desh se nikalna hai..such a gem I tell you. https://t.co/Xo2ug0d6DB
— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) June 8, 2024
Dadlani’s zealous support for the CISF constable who went against everything her organisation stands for and her duty, and assaulted a passenger for her personal grievance is a classic case of encouraging and rewarding violence just because he doesn’t share the same social and political outlook as espoused by MP-elect Kangana Ranaut.
What Kangana said years ago is irrelevant. Kangana exercised her Freedom of Speech that is enshrined in the constitution of India. Contextualising her comments to justify the turn of events we witnessed on Thursday (6th June) at the Chandigarh airport is a crude attempt at rationalising the assault, a discourse that would not only shrink the space for dissent in the country but also set a dangerous precedent to follow.
Adding fuel to fire: Rewarding acts of extremism and radicalism
Vishal Dadlani’s recent announcement could set a very dangerous but promising precedent for radicalised individuals. In a country where a large section of the youth is irrationally obsessed with Bollywood celebrities, online spats, trolling, and verbal and sexual harassment of fans of other ‘stars’ or neutral critics, this is a dangerous precedent. This obsession often leads to the imitation of their favorite celebrities’ acts, even their misadventures. Adding fuel to the fire in this growing trend, justification of violence and rewarding the perpetrator of violence emboldens hooliganism, leading to a trigger-happy “fan army”.
Justifying violence for the perceived fundamental right to be offended and thus acting as judge, jury, and executioner could lead to the emboldening of vigilantes, so-called social justice warriors, and moral right defenders, resulting in wanton violence and further aggravating the menace of Islamist violence. Islamist mobs who carry out ‘Sar Tan Se Juda‘ slogans over hearsay allegations of blasphemy could feel emboldened to drop the red line for giving a call for violence.
If we consider resorting to violence over grievances harboured by individuals for perceived mistreatment or insults to their relatives as justified, it will lead to a breakdown of law and order. Everyone who feels hurt may consider it fair game to assault and ‘avenge’ the perceived insult. Terrorists might commit violence in the name of grievances and then seek ‘gainful employment’ from Vishal Dadlani.
If masses know that assaulting a female Member of Parliament gets them a job in Bollywood under a leading music director like Vishal Dadlani, then what stops them from assaulting any female MP in the hope of getting a job in Bollywood. While Vishal Dadlani may hate Kangana Ranaut, for whatever reasons, his act has opened the gates for people to assault Indian MPs and get a job in Bollywood.
By that logic, relatives of victims of heinous crimes such as murder, rape, or acid attacks, who are still awaiting justice in courts, would be higher on the pedestal to pronounce immediate justice and punishment, thus taking law in their own hands. Encouraging such acts and providing employment rationalisation could lead to more people resorting to violence.
While Dadlani is in a position to provide a job to Kulwinder Kaur, will he be able to employ several hundred thousand people who might be emboldened to take up violence knowing that a prospective employer is waiting to employ them? If yes, then India’s ‘jobs problem’, as the INDI leaders claim, is sorted. Nonetheless, will the former AAP worker clarify whether his job offer can also be extended to those who have previously slapped his political leader, AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal, in public? Setting aside the routine accusations of violent acts against AAP leaders inside his residence, such an endeavour might even require the former AAP leader to seek IMF loans, similar to Pakistan.
The left-liberal lobby, which still predominantly calls the shots in the Hindi film industry, is offering assured jobs in Bollywood. This allurement, by assaulting rival parties, can endanger all politicians, particularly women MPs, for ruffling too many feathers and getting on the wrong side of the cancel culture or Islamist mobs. In the realm of politics, accusations, counter-allegations, and the branding of ideological or political statements as controversial by opposing factions have been a regular affair. Encouraging violence for alleged controversial remarks and rewarding the perpetrator puts all politicians in harm’s way.
It could cut both ways and also pose a threat to the security of Bollywood celebrities, who often make headlines for ‘getting clicked by the paparazzi’ at airports. This could render them prone to mobs of political supporters, as they might end up getting assaulted for allegedly offending politicians’ supporters with their perceived controversial remarks or actions.
I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by my friend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj.
— Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) August 27, 2016
Because Vishal Dadlani knows his head will be intact..and he will still be breathing. Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/yp2aZmyber
— Maya (@Sharanyashettyy) August 27, 2016
Interestingly, Vishal Dadlani’s logic could have put even him in harm’s way and exposed him to mob attacks for his derogatory 2016 post about Jain religious leader Tarun Sagar. Dadlani was spared from his own flawed logic and from receiving ‘guilty judgment and on-the-spot punishment’ by any aggrieved party, as the Punjab and Haryana High Court imposed only a fine of Rs 10 lakh for hurting the religious sentiments of the Jain community. This fine was later stayed by the Supreme Court in 2019. Had any disgruntled youth from the Jain community slapped him for insulting their revered monk, the music director would have cried hoarse, shouting ‘Intolerance is rising’ in his cacophonous voice, but thankfully for him, Jains don’t believe in violence, forget about rewarding it like Dadlani.
