Why Gujarat?

I was thinking for a while about writing my feelings out on recent 'Fanaa' controversy which again put Gujarat on the center stage of media attention. I was reading some article on the issue and was astonished by the kind of media driven hype that has been created around Gujarat. Even gujaratis are carried away by that...

Let me put things into perspective here. The sardar sarovar dam which is being constructed on the river Narmada is almost in final stages after almost 40 years since its inception - almost 10 years behind the schedule. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has been protesting against the dam and for the rights of the people being rehabilitated. NBA guys were on hunger strike when Mr. Amir Khan went and shook hands with them. He doesnt have slightest of idea what were these people demanding. But the fact of the matter is that these people were on hunger strike to stall the dam construction. And Mr. Khan was seen as a supporter of the same cause when he shook hands with them.

Now no sane people would think that, after so much investments and raising expectations of the people of parched areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan, someone can come and stop the dam entirely. Amir later on tried to escape by saying "I was just demanding proper rehabilitation for these people. I have nothing against the dam". But by then damage was done. Theatre owners association in Gujarat unanimously decided against the screening of his movie. Point to note here is that Govt of Gujarat was no where in picture - contrary to the public perception that Govt banned the movie in the state. It was the theatre owner who have a right to decide which movie to screen and which not to.

What followed was a mass hysteria by TV news channels. Programs titled as absurdly as "Dammed in Gujarat" and "Amit being Fanaa" were making rounds almost every half an hour during prime time on every news channel. Look at the intended pun in these names. Do they smell of any decency? And the only motive of these talk shows was to belittle sentiments of the people of Gujarat and especially the CM Narendrabhai Modi.

Now contrast this against "The da vinci code". The movie was banned in several congress ruled states even after Supreme Court judgment against banning the movie. And this was really a govt driven ban not a democratic decision by theatre owners. If you ask me this was a clear case of democratic rights being violated. But all the news channels were silent on this one. Never seen any program titled "Banned in Andhra" or "Crucified in Punjab" .

I am not advocating that not screening Fanaa in Gujarat was right or Code in other states was wrong. My point is only this. Why is it that every time something happens in Gujarat, our national media jumps suddenly and tries to find out all the negatives without looking at the true picture. If Amir had the democratic right to go and speak for what he believed, by the same token dont these theatre owners have the same right to screen what they want?

On a side note, even I do not buy this idea of not screening any movie which is approved by the censor board. Better idea would have been to screen these movies and leave it to the people's discretion if they want to watch or not. As the famous saying goes - "I do not agree with you but I am ready to fight till death for your right to speak up and protest".