Samir Soni: If you accept the bouquets, then you must accept the brickbats too – bollywood

I come from a middle-class, or upper middle-class family, where I was the youngest of three boys. My elder brothers and I went to the United States for higher studies. It was not because we were very rich, but only because our father wanted to give us opportunities he never had, Besides the education, the one thing he was most proud of, is the fact that none of his sons smoked, or had alcohol. Two of them are still the same. I however, have evolved into being, quote unquote, a social drinker. I find it extremely difficult to have an inane conversation when you are sober.

I made my film debut in the year 1998 with China Gate, and 22 years later, one fine day I was told that the industry I have been a part of is debauched, evil and gutter. I asked myself ‘who has been putting drops in my water, because in the last two decades I have not seen any evidence of it’. I am sure like anywhere else, the entertainment industry has it’s own share of black sheep. But, are all the sheep black, and these sheep must be really special because they are the only ones proudly paraded?

But if you accept the bouquets, you must also accept the brickbats. If you accept the crown of a demi God, you have no choice, but to accept the ignominy of being dark, ugly creatures. It’s because the crown was never yours. You may have worked hard for it, but it was given to you by the adoring masses. And he who giveth, shall also taketh. A human was made out to be God, and then delegated to the fires of Hell damnation, when a hint of crack appeared in his armour. Unfortunately, he was never the God, nor he was made out to be. Nor the Devil he is being called. But that is life, and that’s the nature of the beast — with every wish, there comes a curse.

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