Dear Vikrant Massey, Thank you
I have always thought of Vikrant Massey to be an incredibly talented artist and actor. But, this blog is not about that. This blog is about his courage and intelligence.
To begin with, he chose to act in a movie called 'Sabarmati Report', which goes completely against a thoroughly established narrative. But, this blog is not about that movie too :). It is about Vikrant - the person, and what we can learn from him.
I happened to watch his interview with Faye D'souza on YouTube. What a delight of an interview - both for the intelligent questions and for the brilliant answers. Here are a few that stood out for me.
What I really loved Vikrant was that he is a very self assured, self aware, courageous person who expresses his thoughts without any inhibitions, yet in a humble manner.
Faye asks Vikrant if he loses sleep over climate change concerns. It is quite fashionable to say that climate change is a deep cause of worry, as it feeds in to the popular narrative. But, Vikrant said that he is deeply aware of the climate change challenges, however, it doesn't keep him awake at night. It doesn't occupy his mind space so much, knowing how little he can do about it.
That is exactly how vast majority of the country feels, and thank you for saying that.
At another point during the interview, the debate between Socialism and Capitalism comes up. He was brave enough to bring up how Socialism has failed in many nations. More often than not, artists or anyone who is rich speaks in favor of Socialism, as that is the acceptable thing to say.
But, I feel any hardworking individual will not find Socialism to be a great philosophy which will benefit a society. Capitalism, with its flaws, works. It creates employment and favors those who are willing to work hard.
There is the question about choosing to do the movie, 'Sabarmati Report' as well. Vikrant answered it brilliantly - touching up on points like the need to bring out the plight of people who suffered in the Sabarmati express burning, how that story has never been told and all the documentaries focusing on Godhra riots alone, how non - English speaking journalists aren't recognized enough and so on.
Let us accept it - In a movie world filled with people who think and subscribe to largely left leaning way of thinking, it is a risk to choose a project like 'Sabarmati Report' . It can come at a personal cost. He is willing to face that cost and the biased media which refuses to act in service of people. More often that not, media reports what they want so see than, what the actual reality is.
I read somewhere that the ability to change your opinions is a sign of intelligence. Faye talks to him about the benefits of investing in mutual funds. Being a more conservative investor, he says he believes in real estate more. But, when Faye presses on, he is willing to consider the mutual fund asset classes too.
What stood out for me was that he was not scared to disagree with the interviewer. He doesn't try to belong - or get in to the Bollywood mould of saying all the acceptable, polite, boring things. He speaks his mind, in a way that is polite yet firm.
Vikrant is unapologetic about wanting success and material things in life. He recognizes how the world functions and he wants to win in that world. He wants to work hard and win in ways that the world respects (like the high end car he bought). Many a time, people lose themselves in a meaningless word salads like 'Money isn't everything in life'. He knows he is an actor and not a social worker.
For anyone who is trying to cultivate a thinking mind and learning to speak without trying to blend in, yet not pushing people away, this interview is a must watch. I am providing the link below.
