During the debate on banning Pakistani artistes, a noted actor Om Puri’s remarks on soldiers questioning if they were forced to join the Indian army: “Who had asked soldiers to join the army? Who told them to pick the weapons? This comments made by him is totally unacceptable. One would have never thought a highly respectable film industry personality like Om Puri would make such a shameful comment. Earlier in the day, Puri had called for arts and politics to be treated separately and stressed that banning Pakistani artistes will not help address the issues between both the countries. He said “Kisne bola army mein jao” is direct reference to a martyred soldier. It seems for him roles in Pakistani movies are more important than national security. Every citizen gives the utmost respect to their armed forces and soldiers as they put their lives online to protect their fellow citizens. No doubt, now Om Puri has apologised for his mistake and stated that he deserves punishment. However, comments made by him are unjustified as we all are proud of our soldiers and they are the one sacrificing their lives to protect us. His words are beyond pardonable.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
