Adil Najam
The question mark in the headline is a real question mark. I am not suggesting that there should have been no fuss about Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik marrying India tennis star Sania Mirza. I am wondering why there has been as much fuss as there has.
I ask this because I really would like to know why you think it has been so.
Over the last many many days we have received over twenty different emails asking us to do a post about the so-called “Shoania” phenomenon. To be fair, it has been amusing to see the hysteria grow; and even more amusing to see it being fueled by a flabbergasted media that seemed even more out-of-control than the hysteria itself.
We did not do a post till now because we really did not know what we would say beyond echoing the hysteria or simply wishing the young couple well in their betrothal. Although we do wish the couple well and our fondest prayers go with them and their future, we are not particularly keen in doing the first (even though we may well be doing it now!)
We write now because it seems that things have finally begun to settle down. The “dancing on the streets” have ended. The hysteria is subsiding. And our dear friends in the media have somewhat come to their senses and realized that the world remains as complex a place as ever and Pakistan is no less messed up today than it was when this bout of Shoania first broke.
Maybe now is the time to ask the more interesting question: Why was there so much fuss made about Shoania?
I can understand the celebrity and glitterati have rhythms of their own which us mere mortals cannot understand. But I cannot remember any celebrity wedding in Pakistan that has ever generated the type of hype that Shoania did. The closest we have come before this is the wedding of Imran Khan to Jemima. And even that was not in the same league as this.
The question is, why?
Was it because these are two great sporting stars? (Except that, at least in Pakistan, few knew or cared much about Sania or about tennis before this, and other cricketers as popular as Shoaib never received such a reaction). Was it because it was a Pakistani citizen marrying an Indian citizen? (Even though that happens quite routinely). Was it because the glitter of celebrity was mixed with the spice of scandal even as the news broke? Was it because our public is so fed up with “serious” stuff that such a distraction was not just good entertainment but highly welcomed? Was it the extremist politicians across the border who actually made this news? Was it the media that created a big story because they more than anyone else benefit from a big story? Was it all of the above? A combination of the above? Or none of the above?
One last thought before I ask you to respond. Maybe, it does not matter at all that this fuss was made. But the fact is that the fuss was made. And made at proportions never seen before. I suspect that in figuring out why we will not find anything new or even interesting about either Shoaib Malik or about Sania Mirza, but we may find some interesting clues about ourselves as a society. Ultimately, that is what I am looking for here.
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “these r all idiots…..sinky people”
– “Hype Sells!”
– “WENT FOR IT…….”
– “our media needs to grow up.”
– “i feel insulted bcoz of this attitude,its not only media but general public. traffic blocked for hours on malll road lahore, people were falling over her. her mother fell down and sania started crying. ABSOLUTE FOOLISH ,INSULTING ATTITUDE”
– “truth is its actually not sania but an “alien” landed in pak..”
– “After all she is a celebrity in her own way….and shoaib 2 is a star…why not! Happy for them:))”
– “be happy for them is one thing and getting over cheap and irritate them upto the limit is another”
– “the media needed some new big story. there was no NRO or corruption or other scandal to cover for them, so they chose this duo.”
– “It was a media made hype, that’s all. Most of us were not much aware of it.”
Nice couple Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza I wish best of luck
As a nation, we always need some” garm masala for chatkhare” and our new born media has all this in its genes,they played it well and kept feeding hungry people for many weeks with garbage ,which gave happy surprise to our “all full” rulers too.
Well done,,,,, the only pleasure for common Pakistani is “Pakistani(Sialkoti) Munda neeN Indian kuri wia(married) lai”
One reason for all the fuss is the 24/7 news media.They need something,anything to make a moutain out of a molehill.Before this,they were talking about Asif and Veena and before that about Meera and her marriage.
But look at the subdued reaction of Sania eversince she landed in Pakistan.Hardly a smile,hardly a word.The couple have landed themselves in a very tricky situation where any utterance can be misconstrued in either country.
As per Pakistani media, we show what people want to watch and its a fact. Our media dont care about ethnics, privacy, etiquettes when it comes to winning the race of who telecasted first. Its not about Shoaib actually, the fuss was about Sania who was taken as a source of entertainment by our media and people of Pakistan at large. Her every move including facial expressions were covered by the very media and subsequent analysis by bloggers, media, word of mouth prove how much “farigh qaum” we are.
a country where bomb blasts take place on almost daily places, where there is no sources of entertainment, people find entertainment in others personal lives get a bit relief Sania Shoaib episode was one of those cases.