Category Archives: Transhuman News

The QAnon conspiracy web hinges on the belief that former President Donald Trump was sent to expose a secret network of satanic cannibal pedophiles secretly controlling the United States government.

The seditious movement was born in 2017, when an anonymous user named "Q" on 4Chan's Politically Incorrect board, claiming to have Q level clearance, posted a message titled "Calm Before the Storm." There, the user claimed to have evidence of the pedophile ring and emphasized their devotion to Trump's mission to expose them.

The quixotic "storm" referred to by QAnon and its followers is the violent moment when Trump will supposedly provide irrefutable proof of lawmakers' evil deeds, resulting in mass arrests and freedom from the "cabal," when all of Trump's lies will be vindicated and when their Democratic enemies will face mass executions.

This fantasy congealed into one of the QAnon movement's most repeated slogans:

Though its beliefs are absurd to most, the mass delusion has expanded from obscure internet chatter to an unignorable faction of the GOP's voters.

These flames have been fanned by Republican elected officials. Infamous far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia expressed support for the belief ahead of her election. Her colleague, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, suggested there would be mass resignations of elected officials, citing an unnamed source at the Justice Department.

Even then-President Donald Trump, when asked, repeatedly refused to denounce the conspiracy theory, saying they were "people that love our country."

Now, people think House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy may be the latest to join their ranks, citing comments he made on Thursday while railing against the House's recently revived mask mandate.

Watch below.

If I was Kevin McCarthy I would simply not use QAnon dogwhistles during press conferences https://t.co/pnhopk4s7t

McCarthy said:

While some may think it's just a coincidences, QAnon's followers have been trained to see conspiracies in coincidences, scouring thousands of Q's post to see which could possibly align with Trump's recent comments or with day-to-day political developments.

Some thought McCarthy was deliberately baiting QAnon believers.

He wants those votes. https://t.co/zd4rOGQae0

Total Q dog whistle!! McCarthy whipping up the conspirators! This tool does not belong in government!! https://t.co/0nSOKqX9VZ

Is @GOPLeader worried that some members of Q won't vote Republican this cycle? https://t.co/Si9AGklX8P

Kevin McCarthy knows the only people who could possibly still believe in him are the same who would believe in some https://t.co/b0C04esfO2

The party of Q. https://t.co/rOSFCDVtIB

Last year, McCarthy warned that there was "no place for QAnon in the Republican Party." Months later, after he faced backlash from QAnoners and other Republicans for condemning Trump's role in the deadly failed insurrection against the United States Capitol, McCarthy claimed not to know what QAnon was.

What's more, people pointed out the holes in his logic regarding his dismissal of the virus that's killed over 600 thousand Americans.

That dog whistle aside, it's always been about hospital CAPACITY. It's not whether the vaccinated will be hospita https://t.co/ujTuBtHcPP

Kevin McCarthy deliberately forgets to mention that the vaccinated people that catch a mild dose of covid because t https://t.co/HENw49Ufxu

WOW!!!! I had no idea. Did 600,000 people die and were millions hospitalized from lighting strikes last year? https://t.co/FhUtnbRZxG

Q hasn't posted in months, but followers of the conspiracy theory are beginning to run for local offices and school boards around the country.

Here is the original post:
Kevin McCarthy Repeats QAnon's 'Storm Is Coming' Slogan - Second Nexus

Formative Fears is a column that focuses on horror movies revolving around young people or adults reliving something that scared them at a young age. There is no age limit on fears like death, monsters, and the unknown. Overall, this series expresses what it felt like to be a frightened child and what still scares us well into adulthood.

The namesake of George Ratliffes movie Joshua follows in the footsteps of other cinematic bad seeds. This child is only a demon in the metaphorical sense; he has no preternatural abilities to help him dismantle his unsuspecting family. In contrast, Joshua Cairns (Jacob Kogan) success hinges on his precocity and his parents obliviousness. By the time Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) figure it out for themselves, their falsely picture-perfect life has already come undone at the hands of a nine-year-old boy.

As everyone else dotes on his baby sister Lily, Joshua contemplates his place in the family like any other former only child might. Second-pregnancy fears extend to the firstborn as much as they do to parents, but Brad and Abby fail to see their sons insecurities. Early on, Joshuas grabs for attention are innocuous; he entertains everyone with the piano and tells his father he wants to quit soccer. Neither parent hears their sons whispered cries for consideration and support, though. Abby instead asks Joshua to keep it quiet for the baby, and Brads lack of argument is misread as disinterest in his sons life.

Joshuas disturbing behavior is triggered by a home video; the recording shows what his father meant when he said Joshua had a lot of spirit at Lilys age. Most importantly, the eerie footage captures Abbys first bout of postpartum depression. Joshua may be smarter than other kids, but even he is still too young to understand Abbys emotional state is a symptom as opposed to a reflection of how she truly feels about her children. Even so, the anguished person seen in the video is nothing like the seemingly delighted mother Joshua sees today with Lily. Abby has assured her brother Ned (Dallas Roberts) everything is going to be different this time around, but as soon as Lily starts to cry incessantly, her tune changes. Abbys resolve melts away, and Brads pious mother Hazel (Celia Weston) is brought in to help.

Beneath Joshuas kempt exterior and sophisticated demeanor is a predator. He typically refrains from full-on, physical violence in favor of manipulation and mind games. Joshua also has an uncanny knack for recognizing peoples flaws and weaknesses. With his mother, the boy sets off her paranoia and anxiety by spoiling the bliss she feels with Lily and tampering with her meds. The doubt he plants in her head is manifested by the pounding construction noises from the unit above the Cairns. Meanwhile, Brad is more difficult to crack. He openly admits to a teacher had he known a kid like Joshua when he was younger, he probably would have bullied him. Now having a son as intelligent as Joshua, Brad feels exposed for who he is and never will be. His brand of fatherhood consists mainly of high fives and phoned-in courtesies, but Brad can no longer coast on charm or irksome optimism in this precarious relationship. None of that has any effect on someone as capable and vicious as Joshua.

Deconstructing Joshua is no easy feat. He is not the work of satanic meddling or villainous teachings, and his dramatic transformation from mere prodigy to enfant terrible almost comes out of nowhere. Of course, there are armchair diagnoses that work in a pinch; sociopathy is the go-to answer in these sorts of movies. Something else to consider is maybe Joshua is really testing the bounds of love. The aforementioned videotape stirs up questions about the mother-child bond, whereas with Brad, Joshua outright asks him if he loves his weird son. He hesitates, then quickly delivers the answer any parent would or should in these formative moments: Ill always love you, no matter what. Joshua is so convinced by his own perceived otherness, he accepts skewed interpretations of his parents words and actions rather than what is plainly communicated or displayed. Add in his darker instincts, and Joshua goes to extremes when challenging his mother and fathers love.

To no surprise, Joshuas malefic change coincides with Lilys arrival; he is celebrating his own sort of birth. With Brad and Abby so focused on the new baby, Joshua can peel off the veneer cultivated by his parents and society. He can play the wrong notes, study the loss of childhood innocence through Alice in Wonderland, and most of all, he can decide who raises him from this point onward. To Joshua, growing and improving means getting rid of what holds him back.

Ratliffe conveys domestic disquietude with a fair amount of vagueness. There is no mistaking the goings-on in the Cairn home as anything but the work of a juvenile antagonist whose every move is deliberate and never squandered. However, the director and co-writer David Gilbert frame the story so Joshuas twisted behavior is understood even if not certain. The most substantial clarity comes in the form of a song. Upon closer inspection of Joshuas original composition at the end a haunting track called The Fly, composed and written by Dave Matthews missing pieces of the puzzle fall in place. An air of ambiguity still surrounds earlier events, but the confessional lyrics are as insightful as they are chilling. That persistent speculation, along with stacked performances and reams of dread, is exactly why Joshua sticks to the ribs.

William Marchs 1954 novel The Bad Seed has inspired countless stories of wicked children as well as stoked the argument of nature versus nurture. The horror genre has exploited both sides of the discourse; evil is either inborn or taught. And while the Damien Thorns and Rosemarys babies make many adults nervous, there is something profoundly more upsetting about children like Joshua, whose malevolence has no ready explanation or unnatural origin.

Read more:
Before 'The Suicide Squad' - 'Tromeo and Juliet' Set the Blueprint for James Gunn's Absurd Humor and Lovable Characters - Bloody Disgusting

Josh and his wife have always wanted a classic car. Now that they are close to retirement, this is the perfect opportunity to get a big American cruiser with a V8 and rear-wheel-drive so they can enjoy local car shows and vintage car events. What car should they buy?

(Welcome back to What Car Should You Buy? Where we give real people real advice about buying cars. )

Here is the scenario:

Hi there, my wife and I are close to retirement and we want to get a classic cruiser to take to car shows and cruise-ins. We have always loved classic cars and we are now in a position to get our own car. We have always loved the big cruiser type cars like the Chevy Impala, Biscayne, late 60s Cadillacs, 60s Buicks, Ford Galaxie, Dodge Monaco, just to name a few. We dont need a pristine numbers matching all original car with a meticulous restoration, but something that is in decent shape with some punch would be nice.

We have a budget of up to $30,00 and are open to coupes, sedans or convertibles. We dont want an import or something with fewer than 8 cylinders.

Budget: Up to $30,000

Daily Driver: No

Location: Kansas City, MO

Wants: Classic, American, V8

Doesnt want: Import or something too small

Image: AutotraderClassics.com

G/O Media may get a commission

Vintage rides and classics are a bit outside my area of expertise so I tend to make judgement calls on what seems cool. And honestly, when you are buying a car like there really is no wrong answer so its usually best to go with what speaks to you.

With this kind of budget, I would be drawn to something like this Dodge Dart GTS as some of the upgrades offer a bit more than just straight-line speed. However, you seem to be focused more on a cruiser than a performance car, so perhaps going with something a little different could work. Every year, there is a big classic car gathering in Wildwood, NJ, and folks bring some cool rides from all around the area. You see a lot of Malibus, Bel Airs, Corvettes, and your usual muscle cars. However, I dont think Ive seen a Plymouth Valiant like this. It covers your basics with a 4.8-liter V8 sending power to the rear wheels, and it comes in well under budget so you can make whatever upgrades you like.

Congrats on your upcoming retirement, Josh. It sounds like you want to take it easy in a classic American cruiser, but without giving up any oomph under the hood. I would recommend a wagon, because you could have lots of room for friends at car meets in something like this Buick Special, but thats a lot of car for the engine. So, Im recommending this 1972 Ford Ranchero, instead.

This 72 Rancho is car meet-ready, it seems. Its a wonder in baby blue. Its quite beautiful, and is the classic car equivalent of the pickup that one friend of yours always seems to need. You can cruise and carry all the goods stylishly in the Rancho, which predates the famous El Camino, for car/truck goodness.

This one is very close to you and will leave you with a good chunk of money, priced at just over half your budgets ceiling. The seller lists many of the upgrades, among them a new 302 V8 engine. They even say you can eat off its clean surfaces, but Id refrain from that. You dont wanna mess up that paint.

These requirements feel like a personal attack. Fine, Ill keep the diesel Smart Fortwo that I found to myself! In all seriousness, I think I found something here thatll youll enjoy. Check out this 1967 Lincoln Continental.

I see that youre looking for a sizable 1960s American land yacht. The Continental hits this right out of the park. This massive beauty is 18-feet-long with a hood and trunk so long that they can act as a runway for a 747. The Continental weighs in at an impressive 5,000 pounds and is motivated with a 7.6-liter V8 making 340 HP.

This one comes in budget and is described in being in great condition. It was repainted in the 1990s and has a ton of original parts. Its not in show car condition, which means that you wont feel bad taking it on a road trip.

Josh, I know youre the more seasoned of the two of us, meaning you should be using antiquated expressions, but allow me to say: I like the cut of your jib. We dont want ... something with fewer than eight cylinders is the way we should all be living our lives. Its bold. Its bordering on politically incorrect these days. Its in some ways illogical. But you know what you want, and I respect that.

Youre in an exciting position right now. Thirty grand is a lot of cash to be able to drop on an old cruiser; the number of options is absurd.

I, of course, am always keen to recommend something a bit different. Something with a fun story. Something with quirks. And the Edsel brand itself was a giant quirk in some ways. Named after Henry Fords son, the brand was a huge flop and only lasted a few years. It wasnt just the cars polarizing styling (Reception in the early days wasnt exactly positive); many factors contributed to Edsels demise.

Still, that just makes the cars rarer and more interesting, I think. I actually think the styling is great, and the push-button transmission shifter in the center of the steering wheel does it get any cooler?

Theres one for sale in Illinois for $7,500. It needs a bit of work, but seems like a great base for a fun project.

Do you want us to help you find a car? Submit your story on our form.

Excerpt from:
I Have A $30,000 Budget For A Classic Car With A V8 And Rear Drive! What Should I Buy? - Jalopnik

Nothing has beenmore polarizing to the 4x4/off-road/overland communityespecially to those of the Land Rover Defender faithfulthan the introduction of the new Defender. To a lot of the old Defender owners like yours truly, its cult status is undeniable.To the more rabid ones, its nearly a religion, and the new iteration is heresy, to say the least.

My introduction to the faith started when as a boy in elementary school, when I was exposed to the now politically incorrect commercials of the Camel brand cigarette. The sheer machismo and lone wolf image of a guy and his Land Rover driving and floating down the river, winching through inhospitable terrain, just triggered my imagination. Unlike my fellow kids whowere into the Marlboro man, my intro to the Land Rover brand was additionally fueled at the start of the 80s by thearrival of the Camel Trophy, orwhat we call now Adventure Motorsports.

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The Camel Trophy is an adventure driving competition withLand Rover vehicles crossing the most inhospitable terrain in the worldfrom the cold, desolate climate of Mongolia, to the jungles of Southeast Asia, to the freezing conditions of Patagonia in South America. These competitions ran for two decades. Each event would last for weeks, and the essence ofit wasgettingthe entire convoy of participants in Land Roversthrough said terrain. Thatandfinishing special tasks along the way and having teams assist each other just to get through.

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PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

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I, on the other hand, had personal experiences with various 4x4s ever since I was a kid in our province up north. During summers, I traveledaround the Cordillera mountain range, accompanying my fathers brothers and sister, all doctors who do their duty as health officers of various mountainous municipalities. And during school months, I regularly went up to our family farm in Tanay, Rizal on weekends.

Nowadays Tanay is better known as an eco-tourism destination. Back then, it was practically the wild wild west. It may be just a couple of hours away from Metro Manila, but the roadsorthe lack thereofrequired some serious4x4 and off-road driving skills just to get back home. Add to that some field-repair mechanical skills once the inevitable repairs are needed for the vehicles used both up north and in the Rizal province.

PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

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None of the 4x4 vehicles I drove back then were Land Rovers, partly due to the cost of acquiring one and also because of the lack of availability of Land Rover products. Yet during those days,inthe back of my adventurous mind, I kept dreaming ofthe Camel cigarette man and the Camel Trophy.

But enough of the reminiscinglets get to the meat of it all. I have had several Land Rover vehicles through the years: from a Series 3 pickup to several Discovery 1s, from V8s to diesels, from automatics to manuals,from base modelsto luxurious top-of-the-line variants,and yes, two Defendersboth 110-wheelbase vehicles. Over time,I have also had various very popular Japanese, American, and even German 4x4s. But I never surrendered my membership inthe Land Rover cult.

The essence of it all is adventure and the ability to cover a lot of inhospitable ground with simple, easy-to-fix 4WD vehicles. Yes, they do fail at some time, but to be honest, I personally have had the least field breakdowns in my old Defender and was always able to limp them home. As for theother brands, I have had to leave them up in the boonies and go back for them. My Defenders always brought me home.

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PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

The old Defender was also quite comfortable in terms of ride quality among its peers, many thanks to its long-travel coil-spring suspension which could only be found back then on more expensive and luxurious 4x4s.The added ride comfort meant longer distances covered without stopping, as well as getting to the destinations faster because youre not beaten up by the road conditions.

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It inspired confidence and it made you want to go further. Since its simple and easy to fix, the idea of breakdowns in the middle of nowhere was no big deal, just provided you carry the right spare parts. My old Defender station wagon has been all over the darkest corners of Luzon and Visayas, and my worst troubles so far have only been a broken exhaust and a bad bearing on the aircon belt tensioner. So, yeah, that should answer all the alleged horror stories of poor reliability of the old Defender. The secret was the simplicity of it. And that satisfied my need for motoring adventure these past few decades.

PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

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So what does the new Defender bring to the table here in the 21st century for this old Defender veteran? In the past 12 months, I have had the opportunity to drive both the new top-spec Defender P400 six-cylinder petrol and the D240 diesel with the adventure package, through the mountains of Rizal and the rock and lahar fields around Mount Pinatubo.

Truth be told, they are not even close to being the same vehicles. Maybe they share the same heritage and DNA, but theyre entirely different machines. And it may be a surprise to my brethren in the old Defender faith, but yes, I do like what the new Defender is. Im still not completely sold to the new front fascia though. Its basically everything we of the old guard want our old Defenders to be and yet not what we want it to be. Let me explain.

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PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

The new car is extremely comfortable for long adventure drives, with great legroom and elbow room thatthe old one barely provided. It has a lot more power and torqueespecially compared to the non-computer controlled 300TDI enginesand is very quiet, too. Cargo room and payload capacity is better than that of the old trucks.

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Nearly every bit of 21st-century automotive tech can be accessedwithatouch of the displays, with a push of a button, or with a twist of a knob. Its just plain, with no physical effort required to usethough it may require some above-average intelligence to understand and operate. Thanks to its 84 (give or take a chip) ECUs doing all the thinking for you, no need to sortout what needs to be done to get through rough terrain.

PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

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Off-road driving is the essence of what a Defender is and the new car is no slouch off-road in terms of its ability to gain traction on any surface. Any driver with some sense of balance and a bit of mechanical knowledge can make the new car do amazing things off-road, but my beef withit is thecomplexity required to raise the car and place larger tires for more ground clearance; one of the true essentials in moderate to difficult terrain.

Yes, you can raise the vehicle usingits adjustable air suspension, but after that, it literally gets complicated to raise higher for bigger tires. Its for this reason that I worry about snagging or hitting the lower sections of the body, which is very expensive to repair.

The concerns for all these electronics and mechanical complications, in my opinion, have substance. Gone is the term keep it simple on the new car. But then again, realistically speaking, where on this earth in this age would you get an opportunity to truly explore the vast never-been-to places without help? Civilization isjust a phone call away, especially in our country of small- to medium-sized islands and where civilization is just a few kilometers walk away.

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PHOTO BY Paul del Rosario

Thinking of crossing the African continent from the north to the southeast then to the west and vice versa in the new Defender? Why not? An undertaking like this always takes preparation, and that means preparing the new car (or any 4x4 for that matter) for the adventure should any trouble come along. Journeys such as these are more recreational now than a necessity, and any recreational endeavor would be executed with the most possible comfort and convenience, since the cost is usually considered in doing an adventure like this.Andtruth be told, not many can truly afford it, let alone have the time for it.

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So in closing, do I want a new Defender? Oh yes, definitely. As a family adventure wagon and as a daily driver, the new car does both very well. But Ill be keeping the old warhorse in reserve for my own personal punishment enjoyment.

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Originally posted here:
What a long-time Land Rover Defender owner thinks of the new one - Top Gear Philippines

Kaveree Bamzai's new book on Shah Rukh, Aamir, and Salman benefits the most from its timeliness, given the rising conversations around Islamophobia, the streaming vs theatres debate, and the Khans' own complacencies.

At a time when Hindi film superstars, who have reigned over the country's collective imagination for decades, are undergoing a litmus test thanks to the shutdown of theatres and rise of streaming platforms, it seems like an appropriate vantage point to assess in retrospect the cause, impact, and graph of the Khan phenomenon.

In a timely book, seasoned Hindi film journalist Kaveree Bamzai traces the link between the trajectory of three Muslim superstars in an increasingly communally polarised world. The Three Khans: And the Emergence of New India scans the troughs and crests of Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Salman Khan through the lens of their sociopolitical standings, and even through the lens of their perceived identities as Muslim icons.

As emerging youth icons

The three Khans made their Hindi film breakthroughs at around the same time. In 1988, under then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's leadership, the country's youth found newfound energy and purpose, particularly after he pushed through a Constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. "This extended voting rights to 50 million more people and acknowledged the country's youth power," Bamzai notes in the chapter 'Then There Were Three.' "The rising number of young people would subsequently be described as the 'demographic dividend.'"

And that is also what the youth wanted to see on the big screen young faces, fresh ideas, and new voices. When Mansoor Khan's musical romance Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak released, it was a much needed respite from the 'angry young cinema' of that time that was getting older and excessive. Sample the other hits of that year: Tezaab, Dayavan, Khoon Bhari Maang, and Zakhmi Aurat. All of these were revenge dramas with the same pitch and tone that were once made popular by Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s. But with formulaic films like Shahenshah in the same year,his brand of cinema was battling the same mid-life crisis that the yesteryear star was tackling then, at 46.

Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak broke new ground with the fine vision and finer touches by Mansoor. The Hindi film heroine, reprised by Juhi Chawla, continued to be sweet and innocent but also became more 'determined,' being introduced as riding horses, desiring physical proximity, and rebelling with the same grit as the hero. The Hindi film hero too, upgraded by Aamir, was not your run-of-the-mill macho persona like most A-leagues male stars of that decade Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, and Sunny Deol. His physicality was more inclined towards that of Rishi Kapoor, the epitome of young romances.

Like Mansoor, another filmmaker's son infused Hindi cinema with freshness through Maine Pyar Kiya next year. Sooraj Barjatya introduced Salman Khan as Prem in a film about first love. Again, Barjatya updated the Bollywood gender dynamics by making Salman the object of desire, as opposed to the heroine Bhagyashree. At the same time, SRK made waves on television with the show Fauji, which led to his splash on the big screen with Raj Kanwar's 1992 film Deewana.

Riding on the liberalisation wave

The sociopolitical and socioeconomic discourse in India took a drastic turn in the early 1990s, which coincided with the Khans getting a new lease of life as conduits of public sentiment and imagination. The Babri Masjid demolition, the 1993 Mumbai riots, and investigation of the Islamists-dominated underworld shook the nation to its core but the three Khans rode the LPG wave to tide through the troubling times. They did not wear their Muslim identities on their sleeves then, but instead served as flagbearers of a changing India, thanks to the opening up of its economy.

SRK was audacious enough to do three consecutive anti-hero roles in Yash Chopra's Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993), and Anjaam (1994). He played an obsessed stalker in the first film, channeling a rage that was more individualistic, as opposed to the collective social anger of Bachchan's streak of Angry Young Man films in the '70s. SRK's relentless, single minded quest for fulfilling his individual desire was symbolic of a nation on the cusp of becoming more micro than macro, thanks to the consumer becoming the king of the market.

SRK and Juhi Chawla in Darr

To his credit, SRK took a 360-degree turn two years later with Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which painted him as an Indian-born Londoner who drinks beer but also does not flee with the woman he loves (Kajol) without the consent of her family. A year earlier, Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, starring Salman, like DDLJ consolidated Indian values and customs, and insisted they need to go hand in hand with the growing individualism in India. And then in 1995 came Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela, where a tapori Munna (Aamir) "embodies the lower middle class, dazzled by the gfts of liberalisation from five-star hotels to foreign cars but not swept away by them," as Bamzai notes in the chapter 'A Split Nation, Divided Stars.'

New millennium, wider leaps

The new millennium witnessed two of the three KhansAamir and SRK looking to expand their reigns overseas. SRK already had a head start with his brand of NRI cinema like DDLJ, Yash Chopra's Dil Toh Pagal Hai (2007), and Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Having turned producer with Dreamz Unlimted, he mounted his historical epic Asoka on a global scale, gearing up for its world premiere at the Toronoto Film Festival in 2001. But that plunge across continents was hijacked by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in the US.

Aamir Khan in Lagaan

This allowed Aamir to position his historical epic Lagaan, with which he also turned producer, at the same level. Lagaan made the cut as a nominee in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars next year. While it didn't won the golden statuette, the momentum helped Aamir build a world-class crew for his next epic, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, that included Dame Maggie Smith's son Tony Stephens in a supporting role as a British soldier. The villainisation of Muslims across the globe could not deter the Khans' overseas expansion, as evidenced by the record-breaking box office collection of SRK's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and the premiere of his historical romance Devdas at the Cannes Film Festival.

The third Khan, however, continued to consolidate his Indian market, but not as successfully. It was only in 2009 that Salman reemerged as the working-class hero with Wanted, and then with Dabangg in 2010. Around the same time, SRK's Om Shanti Om (2007) broke new box-office ground, only to be upstaged by Aamir's Ghajini the next year. In the late 2000s, the three Khans finally came to head-to-head with remarkable box office clouts.

As unrealised Muslim icons

The appeal of Khans has rarely overlapped with their identity as Muslim icons. That is also because they have portrayed Muslim characters only infrequently and have not addressed Muslim issues as voraciously. While they have not shied away from embracing their religion, they have identified themselves primarily as Indian, as substantiated by their interviews and public dealings over the years.

It is only in the Twitter trolls' comments and irresponsible statements of certain political figures (not only of the Bhartiya Janata Party, but even Shiv Sena) that the Muslimness of the three Khans is brought up, and even linked with Pakistan. That has been more the case with Aamir and SRK, since they have been more vocal towards national issues such as religious intolerance, the Narmada Bachao Andolan, and the ban on Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League. Salman has largely remained silent, though he is deemed to be the most politically incorrect of the three.

Still from Bajrangi Bhaijaan

He is also the only one who has not played a Muslim character on screen, except in Sultan, where his religious identity was only hinted at with the waving of green flags as he wrestles or his visits to the mosque. But that does not imply that he has steered clear of politics in cinema completely. His 2015 blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan, directed by Kabir Khan, is a love letter to India-Pakistan harmony.

Similarly, Aamir may have endorsed religious tolerance through films like Rajkumar Hirani's PK (2014), but he has played a Muslim character only twice in the over three-decade long career. While his twin roles of Samar and Sahir Khan in Dhoom 3 (2012) were not much of a political comment, he insisted his turn as the betraying Muslim man Dil Navaz in Earth (1999) wasinformed more by the character'sindividual choice rather than religious indoctrination.

Aamir Khan in Earth

SRK has been the most frequent and direct in portraying a Muslim man in his films. Whether it was as the progressive archaeologist Amjd Ali Khan in Kamal Haasan's 2000 historical film Hey Ram, as the hockey coach determined to lead the Indian hockey girls team to a world cup win in order to clean the taint of being a gaddar (traitor) in Chak De! India (2007), or an American Muslim battling both Asperger's syndrome and Islamophobia as an immediate aftermath of 9/11 in My Name Is Khan, SRK has been the most political of the three Khans, only if one manages to look beyond his NRI cinema and money spinners.

Kajol and SRK in My Name Is Khan

In the chapter 'A New Order for a New India,' Bamzai argues with inputs from experts that it is unlikely the country will ever see three Muslims as national icons again, given that Hindutva is on the rise. While they have been pushed into silence as far as their offscreen views are concerned, they continue to make cinema that has the potential to be at least mildly political. SRK's reported next is Pathan, which borrows its title from a Muslim identity SRK has often owned himself. Salman's next is Tiger 3, the preceding two parts of which have preached India-Pakistan harmony. And Aamir is filming for Laal Singh Chadha, the official Hindi remake of Forrest Gump, best known for the journey of a man alongside that of a nation.

While stars like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn continue to bank on the advantage of having their films preach in line with the ideals of the current establishment, the Khans may not be able to replicate the same. They are often compared to the trinity of Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and Dilip Kumar who helped further Nehruvian ideals of socialism in the 1960s, but then came the hurricane of Amitabh Bachchan which rebelled against the status quo with unmatched fury. A more interesting and appropriate parallel drawn in the book is between the three Khans and the three Muslim leading ladies of the 1950s Waheeda Rahman, Nargis, and Madhubala.

A future without the Khans?

More than the national issue of the rising Hindutva or the industry issue of streaming vs theatres, the primary cause of the Khans' downfall, this writer believes, is their complacency. Aamir may be the least complacent of the three, given his reputation as a method actor, yet the fate of his next film is crucial. The same rings true for Salman, who has just encountered a massive failure in Radhe: The Most Wanted Bhai as he continues to dole out films and roles that look like clones of each other. The trickiest case is that of SRK who, as Bamzai puts it in the book, remains "stuck between the changeless Khan and the ever-changing Khan."

Early chapters in the book quote liberally from past interviews of the three Khans when they were insecure of their successes. SRK said in 1991, "Six years from now, when people stop thinking about you, you're a f*ck-up. And you'll realise it yourself, but by then you've lost yourself." Salman said in 1990, "Signing 20 films isn't going to get you security. I'd call it risky. The next release flops and the others could soon be on the shelves." Aamir said in the same year, "I've learnt the intense fan following for QSQT was for something new rather than for something good."

SRK, Salman, and Aamir

The three Khans seem as insecure now, but they are less frank about it. Their fears and vulnerabilities end up manifesting in their choices and acting. It seems like India continues to change, but the three Khans cannot get themselves to change with it.Looking from avantage point like the one offered in this book may help them to capture a nation's imagination like they once did in the late '80s.

The Three Khans: And The Emergence of New India is published by Westland Books.

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Tracing the graphs of the three Khans in a nation transformed by sociopolitical upheavals - Firstpost