Independence has different connotations for different individuals in Bollywood.
Says Shabana Azmi,“Independence to me is a precious gift that comes my way because of the struggles and sacrifices made by thousands of those who paved the way so I could walk the talk. I value what I have and will do everything in my power so that I pass on the gift to those who have come after me .
The incredibly reclusive Raakhee Gulzar who was born on August 15 has a different take on freedom . “I am one of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight Children. I was born on the same day and same year when Bharat Mata got her freedom.I was born during the pangs of Partition and the birth of a new nation. For me , freedom means the freedom to make individual choices that are beneficial to the entire community and nation.I value my personal space. In order to be a good citizen one must first respect oneself. When I listen to Lataji’s Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai I feel a surge of freedom.”
Veteran actor filmmaker Manoj Kumar who has given us some of Hindi cinema’s most patriotic films like Upkar and Purab Aur Paschim says, “I could make films genuinely patriotic films because I valued India’s freedom. My Upkar was based on Lal Bahadur Shastri slogan Jai jawan jai kissan. Unless and until every farmer in India gets the opportunity to plough his land , sow seeds and grow his crop, there can be no freedom. My Roti Kapada Aur Makaan was about rampant unemployment. People tell me the film is still so relevant. There is still no job for every youngster. Until that happens, there can no no true freedom.”
Shatrughan Sinha feels freedom is not a personal issue. “It means we must respect every individual regardless of cast, creed, community or nationality.To discriminate on the basis of personal or political prejudices goes against every tenet of freedom.”
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt values his freedom above everything else. “Let me quote you Nelson Mandela: ‘For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.’ As for me, freedom mean to live life on my own terms. To refrain from imposing my will upon others and to resist the imposition of another’s will upon me.”
Actress-activist Nandita Das feels there can be no freedom in a society where there is injustice. “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. How can one celebrate freedom when there are so many who are still imprisoned by poverty, violence and discrimination. But I’m an optimist so Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Ayegi….”
