Just about Meme Nepal?

After all this #FreePraneshGautam thing and observation of the miserable path our justice system is walking on, felt like being vocal about what I feel. Well, I never liked Meme Nepal. Neither did I like the review video; for sure it was offensive. In fact when it was just the threat to file case at first, I was happy. I had thought- "Okay, this will work as warning. They will rethink what they did and will learn to focus on healthy sarcasm in future days. They will try being witty yet funny rather than being pure offensive and childish."

However, after this custody thing when it turned out to actual arrest instead of mere warning and that too for days, this case is taking dangerous shape. Now, this is threat to democracy. It is generating fear of persecution on youths who dare to be creative; warning that they should be constrained. Now this is about the career of a guy who deserved just some good suggestions and lessons about manners. The public post on facebook account mentioning him as criminal and assassinating his character was no way a sensible act on the part of Nepal Police.

This is not just about Pranesh Gautam now. Not just about Meme Nepal either. Not even about mere advocacy for press freedom. Its about rising arbitrary actions of the government. Its about the way Police organization is acting. Its about the way law is being misinterpreted. Its about the horrible precedent that is being established with this case.

So, let's speak. This time, rising above the grievances we hold against Meme Nepal. If not for Meme Nepal, for democracy; for due process of law. बुढी मरी भन्ने पिर भन्दा पनि, काल पल्केला भन्ने पिर हो ।

Last but not the least, of course, I support the campaign #FreePraneshGautam. But I hope the real issue does not end with that. I urge for continuous discussions on what actual constructive criticism is. Lets have discourse and decide limitations on sarcastic reviews. Because again, what is happening is beyond limit but troll, memes and reviews also have their limits. We can see some people trying to justify the act of rant in the review with reference to Indian critic Kamaal Rashid Khan (KRK). But what we need to remember is :just because Bollywood is silent does not mean the man is right. Just because that industry is more developed than ours does not mean we need to follow them everytime. What is offensive needs to checked. We don't need to glorify and learn from KRK. If we want critics, lets seek for our Rajeev Masand. Even if we want funny reviews, lets watch how Sucharita from Film Companion does it.  But before all that, let's protect democracy and rule of law first.