Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday said that social media is often driven by a narrowness of views that "enclose" collective narrative and makes it more divisive and destructive. In his address at the inauguration ceremony of the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) here, he said that the collective narratives in recent times have often been shaped by social media, which is often driven by a narrowness of views that limits human nature to its baser self.
"This sense of negativity often increases social media consumption and such pursuits often enclose collective narrative and makes it more divisive and destructive," said Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal. He said that cinema now has a more important role to play in spreading that message of a collective narrative.
"I hope that festivals like KIFF and the city like Kolkata can emerge as the beginning of this positivity at this point in time," the Bollywood superstar said. His comments became significant in view of the recent social media attacks by certain groups on his next release "Pathaan".
Almost echoing the Bollywood superstar, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee said that her state always fights for humanity and unity in diversity. "West Bengal fights with the courage to protect unity. Our battle on this count will continue. We will move ahead with the lesson of the icons from the state like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Kazi Nazrul Islam," she said.
Banerjee also said that the people of West Bengal never bow down in front of anyone or beg. "Bengal connects with the entire nation," she added. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also raised the demand for Bharat Ratna for Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan, who was also present on the occasion. "He is India's pride and is the right man for this award," she said.
Amitabh said that he often shares an emotional connection with Kolkata. "This is the city that gave me my first job. This is the city which gave my wife Jaya Bachchan her first film," he said.
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