Growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s there were a number
of Bollywood films that even a person without much inclination in new age Bollywood,
would not be able to get away from. Bollywood especially then, was quite “in-your-face”.
However, one of the actors with a slightly more “tucked away” demeanor was Amir
Khan. I don’t recall too much about him, other than the songs! And that films
with him in them would appeal more than the likes of Salman Khan and Co. There are
always back-stories and controversies that people will entertain about famous
people, and I’ve also heard some about Amir Khan and how despite what he shows
in the public eye, that his integrity is compromised due to scandals etc. I
would prefer to either i) Give him the benefit of doubt, going with the “nobody
is perfect” mentality, and/or ii) Try to see the good in what he does. One
teacher mentioned that if you wanted to criticize the moon which shines so
brightly in the sky, one can also say it has so many marks and craters, ignoring
the fact it illuminates the night sky so beautifully. So with that context about
Amir Khan set, my wife and I one evening rushed to the cinema thinking we would
be in time for the showing of a Hollywood film we had planned to see, and
instead found ourselves late and needing to choose whether to go home, wait for
the next show in an hour, or to watch another film. My wife has a tiny bit more
inclination to watch Bollywood films than I do so she suggested we watch a film
that happened to be starring Amir Khan. Half-heartedly I agreed, and to my
shock we found ourselves in the screen in a room full of only local Hong Kong and
Chinese people from what I could see. My initial reaction was, maybe like us
there was a mishap and they somehow think that this might be a good film. A few
minutes in I could see that they were quite captured and following the story well
despite of it being in Hindi with Chinese subtitles. They were also following
the humour with great enthusiasm. I then thought maybe they actually like
Bollywood films, but was kind of confused given there isn’t the greatest amount
of cultural diversity in many Asian countries as compared to the West at least.
Later I learnt that Amir Khan has a huge following in China and Hong Kong. It made
sense, Asian culture tends, compared to Western culture at least, in general,
to be a little less in-your-face “rah rah”. And Amir Khan has tended to be an
actor that “could” appeal to such an audience. He’s generally been into films
that highlight social issues, injustice, etc and this could resonate here. The Vedas
talk about the principle of svajati, or likeness – this means we will tend to
resonate with things that are like us, emotions that we relate to, behaviours
we display ourselves, and so on. The principle of likeness however doesn’t mean
things have to be exactly the same. It also considers how well behaviours
complement each other even if they are not the same. If we study this, we will
understand relationships around us; how commonality in certain aspect will lead
to more “stickiness” and group dynamics that may otherwise confuse us. As much
as we like to think we are in a progressive era where there is equality etc, we
aren’t. Human beings are certainly a form of animal; and no number of robots or
artificial intelligence will change this.
Amir Khan along with his co-stars for the wrestling film
Dangal based on real-life story about a girl who medaled at the Sydney Olympic
games, had to go through a grueling training regime to fit the various
characters they played. Amir Khan who directed the film, had to play a young
character and then the older version in the film. As a national level Indian wrestler
this required him to gain and shed a staggering 22kg. So after this news, India
and the Bollywood followers all over the world were going crazy about this
weight fluctuation and the heavier and/or unhealthier people were using this as
motivation to ask how long it took him to gain and lose 22kg. 9 times out of 10
when people ask this kind of question they ask it with a mentality to compare
it to how hard they would find it. After seeing the videos of his training, the
discipline it took etc, an American fitness expert broke it down. He explained
how Amir Khan was extremely fit before gaining the weight, he gained it in a
structured way, and lost it in a structured way. For most people who read the
numbers, they are not at the level of fitness of Amir Khan. The other cast who
were his daughters in the film had an even great amount to do in terms of
making themselves look like professional world class wrestlers in the film. They
had various national coaches, as well as Olympian Sushil Kumar help them train.
Indeed the lead actress broke her bones during training for the film. Training
to look good and training for combat are two different things. There are many world
class fighters who don’t look particularly muscular or attractive in the terms
of being super well-defined etc, which the media and society try to advocate.
Having a beach body vs having a combat body may well have some overlaps but
there is a clear difference in focus. Many animals who are kept in captivity
away from their natural wild habitat, cannot survive when released since they
do not work with the natural ecosystem that leads to sharpening of skills they
are born to develop. The tigers in the zoo look ferocious on the outside, but
when released into the wild they are far less likely to survive than those who
have been hunting, defending and surviving their entire lives. A human being is
made not only for fighting, but cultivation of meaningful intellect. When the
mind and body is actively channeled then we can argue that we are robust human
beings who are in touch with their ecosystem. Otherwise like the tiger in the
zoo, the look and feel will resemble “the real thing” like the beach bodies,
but reality itself is able to tell that all that glitters is not gold.
Amir Khan’s ability to dip in and out of “fat” or
weight is a testament to a mental strength that comes from practice and
experience, and his inclination to highlight social issues to do with injustice
show his desire to expand his intellect and use his abilities to try to make a
change for the better. Georges St Pierre, of the best mixed martial artists,
and a true gentleman said that what comes out under pressure will be what you practice
– not something else. One who likes only to enjoy, misses out on the liberating
detachment that comes from finding joy in the process and not being so anxious over
results; which is a mentality that in its irony attracts the best results.
