Feature
Karan Johar speaks on intolerance, says India a “tough country”
Jaipur: Joining the controversial topic of growing intolerance in the country, Filmmaker Karan Johar said that India is a “tough country” to express one’s views with a legal sword always hanging over the neck.
In a freewheeling and frank session at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here, Karan spoke about homosexuality in films and society, as well as of the stigma attached to it.
Talking about it, he said: “What do I say… Revealing in today’s time can land you in jail. We are in a tough country to speak about your personal life and I feel really sad about it because being a public figure you are expected to helm a certain movement, talk about freedom of expression, which is the biggest joke in the world. Democracy is the second biggest joke I think.”
The director also opened up about his personal life, saying that he felt “effeminate as a child”. He made the revelation while talking about his book “An Unsuitable Boy” at a session with Shobhaa De and his biographer Poonam Saxena.
He added: “I really think how are we democratic, how is there freedom of expression? I’m a filmmaker and I’m bound by everything — be it what I put out on celluloid or what I say in print.
“I feel I will always get some kind of legal notice awaiting me. Everywhere I go I’m scared. I’m scared that I’m saying something in Jaipur and I don’t know who will file a case when I get home. So I have become a FIR king with the things happening around me.”
The director, who has perfected the art of helming family entertainers with films like “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…”, “My Name Is Khan” and “Student of the Year”, was perhaps referring to the infamous AIB Roast episode, for which an FIR was filed against Karan along with other celebrities who were involved in it.
Last year, the intolerance debate was joined by Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan and Anupam Kher among others.
Karan shared that there is a way out – clever use of language.
He said: “We finally won the National Anthem case that was 14 years old. I no longer have to apologize for putting National Anthem in my film in an emotional and proud manner. It’s like that. We eventually have to say what we have to say so in a clever way. Language is a great thing.”
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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