The characters of Akshay Kumar, Tusshar Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan are asked to escort this “terrorist,” during which operation they realise he is not actually the demon he is made out to be. In Khakee, a doctor called Iqbal Ansari is accused of being a terrorist. Mohan is publicly vilified and almost hanged, till they intervene in his execution. Later, they come to find out that Mohan has been wrongfully accused, and that this whole time, they were being tricked into thinking he is the real criminal.
Shah Rukh and Juhi’s characters are tracking the riots incited by a politician who falsely implicates Mohan. In Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Paresh Rawal plays Mohan Joshi, a man who is accused of being a terrorist and locked up by plotting politicians. Image credits: Red Chillies Entertainment Image credits: Viral Bhayani Both of these films deal with innocent people who are falsely accused Either that, or no one realised that we as a society would regress so much that we’d have to look back at these movies as a source of wisdom. While these two films preached a fairly basic concept, that is, innocent until proven guilty, these movies were ahead of their times. This is why now is a great time to look back at two very commercial yet socially-relevant films from the 90s and early 2000s: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, and Khakee.
The priority is satisfying the collective bloodthirst of bored viewers sitting at home, ready to crucify whoever is deemed the culprit based on the sensationalised and biased reports fed to the public. No matter what happens, be it an actor’s death, or the alleged involvement of celebrities in drug scandals, letting the law take its course with a proper investigation, is not our priority anymore. “Media trial” has become a more commonly-used term off-late than most Indians would like to admit.