The Man who Incarcerated Salman !!

Justice Abhay Thipse. The guy who is suddenly more in limelight (and certainly more respected) than the sentenced star himself. It takes a lot of conviction to look through Salman's larger than life image and treat him like a commoner. And no, he is not driven by that base instinct to see a Goliath fall. He is a guy who is doing his job and doing it rather well. That much is certain as he let go of the star on bail when an appeal was made ( yes, that bail was a tad bit too fast but maybe he had other reasons for it ).

Like the majority of Indians, Justice Thipse could also be a fan of Salman Khan and might also watch his movies at the nearest multiplex. But that did not affect his objectivity while delivering the sentence. Salman was drunk and he did not possess a licence. Enough reason to stay away from the wheels. And that applies to anybody and everybody.

Agreed that the superstar has done a lot for charity in the last few years but cannot change what happened all those years back. Well, to put the record straight, Salman was never the proverbial good boy. His relationships with his ex-girlfriends was always in the limelight. He broke a bottle on someone's head and abused another. And he may actually have ruined a very promising actor's Bollywood career. I have put it as 'maybe' because nobody can predict who will actually succeed in Bollywood. Lady luck plays a greater role than lineage, looks and talent put together.

What goes around, comes around. And I prefer to call it Karma. Salman's largess in the recent times reminds me of some of my so called 'god-fearing' relatives. They may not treat their parents well, encroach upon a sibling's property, defend a criminal in court or even make some money under the table. But they keep arranging these elaborate 'havans' and doing charity. Makes me wonder if it is their guilt which propels these actions or is it just a smokescreen to keep people from seeing the reality.

I was never very interested in this case and just hoped that the law would take its own course. But what changed my mind was the confession by the trusted driver of Salman Khan. The poor guy, after so many long years, finally admitted that he was the one behind the wheels on that fateful night. How can someone believe that ? What kind of money was making him mouth such a damning lie ? It just reminded me of Akshay Kumar''s movie 'Khatta Meetha' in which a poor driver was offered money to take the blame on his own head and then bumped off. Somehow this celluloid meets reality episode made me very queasy. I am swearing off Salman's movies for the rest of my life.

And as for the ludicruous comment that 'footpaths are not meant for sleeping', I would like to counter in Big B's style. "Mumbai ki footpath kisi ke baap ki jagir nahi hain. If they are not meant for sleeping, they are also not meant for driving.Hain"