"JNU jhukega nahi (saala)," Dhananjay, the newly elected president of the Jawaharlal Nehru "J University Student Union, proclaims with a mischievous smile when asked about the upcoming film JNU: Jahangir National University. Its teaser was released last month with the tagline-"Behind closed walls of education brews a conspiracy to break the nation." The student leader also mimics the trademark palm under the chin move by actor Allu Arjun as he utters the defiant dialogue in the film Pushpa: The Fire.
Once known and ridiculed for speaking in academic jargon and remaining stuck in Soviet-era ideological conundrums, the "Kremlin on the Jumna" has taken effortlessly to Bollywood-speak at a time when a polarising depiction of it in popular culture has once again brought it into the spotlight, ahead of general elections being seen as momentous in the nation's modern history.
Actor-singer-lyricist Piyush Mishra is the most well-known face of the campus-based drama, along with Ravi Kishan and Vijay Raaz. "Poonjivad se mujhko daraate ho kyun? Mujhko Lenin ke sapne dikhate ho kyun? (Why do you scare me about capitalism, why do you show me dreams of Lenin?)" Mishra proclaims from a stage modelled on JNU's chaat-sammelan, an annual Holi event in which anyone can come and entertain the audience with funny speeches and satire.
Though the teaser and a song performed by Mishra-a parody of Habib Jalib's legendary anti-establishment verse Main nahi manta-did manage to trigger the expected flurry of outrage and support on social media, the lanes of the South Delhi-based campus- these days full of blooming bougainvillea and students rushing for mid-term examinations-are by now used to the clamour that has rung out against the University over the past eight years.
Denne historien er fra April 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Emergency, Stalled
Kangana Ranaut starrer, Emergency, the eagerly awaited biopic of 2024, is yet to find a release date. Bollywood has churned out a slew of biopics in the last decade, most of them formulaic
Political Dangal
After fighting hard for Olympic glory and protesting against sexual violence, Vinesh Phogat has now stepped into a new role: the politician
Contending Nationalisms
The Manipur crisis is a complex, interconnected mess that spills across several borders, national and international
God, Communism and a Women's Gym
Unlike other constituencies in the region, Kulgam stands out as a battleground for ideological conflict. The election results, expected on October 8, could lead to either celebration in the CPI M) camp or the Jamaat-e-Islami camp
The Darkest Hour
Qurban Ali is a senior journalist and son of former freedom fighter and Socialist leader Captain Abbas Ali, who was jailed for 19 months by the Indira Gandhi government during the Emergency.
Chronicle of Authoritarianism Foretold?
Eternal vigilance on the part of citizens is imperative Eternal vigilance on the part of citizens is imperative
Blank Editorials
Despite being under scrutiny during the Emergency, small journals like Himmat Weekly got around censorship by taking calculated risks
To Write or Not to Write
For many journalists, reporting in the volatile decade of the 1970s was both exciting and challenging
Indira, the Nationalist
Indira Gandhi is dead and she cannot defend herself. But that doesn't mean others can't
Blue Star and the Golden Temple
Bhindranwale was able to get away with wrongdoings because in the eyes of the Congress leadership in Delhi, Punjab had a Sikh problem since Independence’