Freedom of Expression.Take Two

No one like Aamir to bring a fresh perspective and some nuance to the AIB Roast debate The superstar actorproducer was asked if he endorsed the recent roasting of Bolly personalities KJo Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer SinghI have seen clips of it And the night the Roast happened Karan Johar and Arjun Kapoor had come and told me about all the jokes etc I was most disappointed in what I was hearing I completely believe in freedom of speech but we have to understand we all have a certain responsibility he said at a live forum which saw the likes of Super Cop Julio Ribeiro also on the podiumAamir Khan andRanveer SinghWhatrsquos more Khan commented on the colour jibes which we too had voiced concern on these pages a few days ago I donrsquot think jokes about the colour of skin or onersquos sexuality are funny at all he saidKaran Johar andArjun KapoorHowever like all sensible people Khan maintains AIBrsquos right to freedom of expression Irsquove also seen a lot of AIB shaming and lynching happening publicly I donrsquot believe in that eitherWho are we to ban anything If I donrsquot like something yoursquove done I should communicate it to you in strong and firm words Who am I to decide how anyone is going to conduct himself or herHear hearMy fave after partyWord comes in that the popular lsquoMyFav awardsrsquo created to honour DJs and music producers each year will celebrate its after party tonight at Nido in BandraVishal ShettyThe brainchild of Vishal Shetty one of the original partners of Mumbairsquos happening nightclub of the nineties lsquoFire N Icersquo the awards are divided into sections with categories ranging from lsquoDJ of the yearrsquo to lsquoclub of the yearrsquo and lsquomusic festival of the yearrsquoAnish SoodUnlike the past this year the winners have been already announced online after voting was closed on the website a couple of days ago Some of the big winners this year include Goan boy Anish Sood drum and bass artist lsquoNucleyarsquo and Kohra as ArtistAnd going by past yearrsquos turnout tonightrsquos after party is expected to be very hot and happening according to a source It attracts some of the biggest names of the music scene as they all come out to support the fraternity The only question with so many stars present who will get control of the console tonight he saysThe antiright partyAccording to our sources there was a great and spontaneous eruption of joy over the weekend to celebrate AAPrsquos victory at a prominent Delhibased documentary filmmakerrsquos over the weekendKiran Bedi andSunil SethiShe sent 25 texts but more than a 125 people streamed in journalists artists lawyers activists and fashion people all the vociferous antiRight brigade says our friend the Delhi based columnist and author Sunil Sethi whose recent column on NDTVcom titled lsquoDelhi Has Enjoyed Humiliating the BJPrsquo more or less makes the point that it is the lsquosentiment of letrsquos put the BJP its place or bring them down a peg or two especially after the partys seemingly unstoppable juggernaut in national and state elections last year that has been a key factor in determining AAPrsquos spectacular triumphrsquoIt was an extraordinary eruption of spontaneous goodwill another of those seminal moments when Delhi feels it can show the way forward politically posted Sethi about the impromptu celebration People kept pouring inAs for Kiran Bedi whose pink safari suits and public buffoonery acted like the proverbial red flag in the face of the Delhi electorate That she lost from Krishna Nagar in East Delhi former stronghold of BJPrsquos bestknown local leader Dr Harsh Vardhan now a Union minister underscores the degree of schadenfreude prevailing in the constituency it derived malicious pleasure in ensuring her humiliating defeatOuchA different kind of politicianThe curious thing about the AAP victory is that because its supporters and leaders are cut from such a different cloth from the runofthemill political worker observers have noted that there is a marked absence of chest thumping braggadocio and gloating after its spectacular victory in the recent Delhi hustingsArvind KejriwalThose who have been its well wishers and supporters have such a fine sense of decency and decorum that they are loathing to brandish their allegiance in their moment of victory says one of the partyrsquos longtime and silent supporters Itrsquos the political lightweights and opportunists who are now trying to jump on the AAP bandwagon with their lsquowe were always with AAPrsquo platitudes he saidAnd from Arvind Kejriwal to the humblest party worker we see through them After all today everything the slightest tweet the smallest sound byte or the tiniest article of opposition to AAP and the muffler man is preserved in cyber space for all to see he said about the sudden swelling of party supportSleaze alertOur friend with the very big mouth and the razorsharp tongue informs that this leathery middleaged hirsutely challenged seldomsober fashion designer was up to his old tricks at a recent music event that took place near MumbaiHe was trying to get touchyfeely with all the young women in the VIP section boasting about how he had the right contacts at the event and had lsquoall accessrsquo to take them backstage she said He was also overheard asking one of the girls young enough to be his daughter for her number proclaiming in a loud belligerent tone that he had lsquoa fetish for phonesexrsquoAnd sadly for him when no one least of all the young lady in question appeared impressed he proceeded to embark on the oldest trick in the book I can make you famous if you work with me he slurred I practically run this fest