Bollywood actor Salman Khan probably is not a very well known figure in the United States. However, in India, he is a mega-superstar, somewhat akin to what Tom Cruise is here. His trial for running over a sleeping homeless man 13 years ago has come to an end with the actor found guilty of culpable homicide. With several of his films of recent years have been huge hits and, at the time of sentencing, working on several more big ticket projects, what does the future hold and was the five year jail sentence fair? Is there a more productive way to handle the situation for all concerned?
Salman Khan's history tells us he carries demons around. Thirteen years ago, those demons took on passengers. While the first set dieembarked that September night in 2002, the ones he took on were just as ominous.
It began with alcohol and a car and ended when it came to rest in a bakery. Before his car came to rest, the son of Bollywood screenwriter Salim Khan, hit a crowd of people, one of them being a homeless man who was sleeping on the sidewalk. The others were able to walk away. It didn't make Khan's action right, it just spared him from crossing over a line that he couldn't come back from. Maybe this might have been a wake-up call to the actor to get his head on straight.
That wake-up call did come, though. That homeless man died. Eventually Salman Khan would have to answer for this transgression. This was the result of a path taken. There were numerous incidences that, if you pasted them together, were probably leading him to this point.
The laundry list of trouble reads like this ...
- An angry Khan reportedly emptied a can of coke over a girlfriend's head in a restaurant
- A relationship with Aishwarya Rai ended badly and Rai claimed he beat her
- An arrest for illegal hunting and killing a protected deer.
Caring and giving were not words that most would associate with the actor, but that was then and Khan has worked hard in recent years to shed his bad boy image. A path of redemption was sought and his charitable work suggests he found it. That is why people who know Khan most thought the five year sentence was a bit harsh.
Dia Mirza, who has starred opposite Khan in a couple films, is one of them. She doesn't condone Khan's actions 13 years ago on that infamous September night but it shouldn't define him either. The Salman Khan that she and so many others know is a kind, caring man. "He is the man that saved my Mother's life," Mirza stated "My previous tweet (in support of Khan) was NOT a comment on the proceedings or the verdict. It was an emotional confession of a grateful friend."
Another friend, actress Alia Bhatt, put it best, saying, "It hurts when your own are punished, even if they are in the wrong. We love you and are standing by you".
Salman Khan committed a wrong 13 years ago but that wrong was, seemingly, a wake-up call. To continue to dwell on an image, that of a reckless bad boy, because it makes great press, is as wrong as the death of the nameless, homeless man so long ago.
No, Salman Khan was not in the right and he committed an egregious crime which he should be made to pay for. However, payment comes in many forms. You can go to the store and buy food without having to take cash. That is the beauty of humanity. We can look at a situation and assess how the most good can be done.
That nameless, homeless man's death at Salman Khan's hands will not be made right by sending Khan to jail. The Khan that committed that sin seemingly, if news reports are to be believed, is no longer on this earth.
The Khan that now exists, the philanthropist that is helping the underprivileged in India through such foundations like Being Human, can serve a greater purpose in society, amongst the poor..
Jail will do nothing for anyone..
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
