TheVoices From Bollywood That Matter On Social Media

Suddenly in recent years  a handful of voices have emerged on   social media with strong political ideas, thoughts  and  influences. These  voices gathered  a growing power and  momentum in  the 2019. They are expected to grow  stronger  in  the coming years.

1.     Swara Bhaskar:  A  powerful actress whose career   received an unexpected boost when her  voice began to be heard  on Twitter,Swara  speaks on issues ranging from rape to corruption to masturbation.She is clear in her anti-establishment  views and  not afraid to express her opinion at  the  risk of being trolled(read: abused)mercilessly  by those who don’t agree with her  strong immovable ideology. Swara feels one needs  to have a  thick skin to  withstand  the  blows  of the trolls. But she can take the  heat. She has  proven  herself a  warrior of dissension.

2.     Sona Mahapatra: A  singer by profession, a protester by right, Sona Mahapatra is scathing in her indictment of  incidents of sexual discrimination and unrelenting in  her  criticism  of celebrity-pampering. At the risk  of taking  on   Salman Khan’s fans , MsMahapatra has dared  to point  out the  anomalies aberrations and  contradictions in being the  physical manifestation  of  the fable of the Emperor’s clothes. It is believed that it was Ms Mahapatra’s relentless criticism of  music composer Anu Malik’s reinstatement  as a judge on a singing reality-show  that got him out of it. For the MeToo accused in Bollywood Sona Mahapatra is Enemy No.1.

3.     Anupam  Kher: Though his affiliation to the Establishment is well-known,Anupam’s is  a voice that carries weight and clout. His interests range into  the far-reaching  recesses  of humanism and he seems to genuinely  feels for the downtrodden. However his political leanings do  tend to limit his power and influence.

4.     Priyanka  Chopra: Celebrity influencers  like Virat Kohli, Deepika Padukone are  known to  treat  the social media as big business .Apparently  Mr Kohli carges one  crore  for every Tweet. One  doesn’t know  how far this is  true. But among this elite circle of celebrity influencers Priyanka  Chopra  stands out with her  power to influence and mould public opinions and tastes. Sadly she  uses most of the social media space to  write about her  marriage and  pet  canine. But when she does  rise above the personal, she makes her point tellingly.

5.     Farhan Akhtar: With his combination  of  social-political  savvy and  a pithy  non-toxic humour Farhan often draws attention to burning social  issues, even at the  risk of  burning his own fingers. Not afraid to  stand up for what he  thinks to be right, Farhan’s voice  reaches far and wide. His  recent  comments in the  Government’s Citizens’ Amendment Act  bill have provoked a lot of  extreme responses. But Farhan isn’t afraid to speak his  mind.