An Open Letter to Shayan Munshi

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsDear Shayan,

I, like so many other viewers saw you on TV saying that you ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time and for no fault of your's, your world came crashing down. You want us to give you the benefit of age since at that point in time; you claim that you were only 19 years old.

It's taken seven long years for the law to take it's course, the judge basing his 'landmark' judgment on what the investigation team dug up, which thanks to the way the police in our country functions is not much. Then again for the guilty to be brought to book a lot depended on the account of a key witness who, unfortunately for the late Jessica Lal, the Lal family and the rest of the nation turned out to be a 26 year old actor with not even a shade of courage and integrity and no sense of fairness to stand by what he had seen on that fateful night and help the court of law dispense justice to the beleaguered Lal family.

Shayan, shall we say that the 19-year-old teenager was more courageous and just than the 26-year-old man who wants to forget all that happened and 'move on' in life. Of course you have every right to do that. After all everyone is entitled to a good life, and so was Jessica Lal. But thanks to Manu Sharma, Vikas Yadav and their ilk she was even denied the right to life and thanks to you and your ilk she's being denied justice as well. But then you want a 'good life' for yourself, don't you? So screw outdated ideas like truth, justice and integrity. Instead be the person who helped Manu Sharma, Vikas Yadav and their kind to a good life. Who cares man as long as we continue to see you making magic on the silver screen? I mean what is the noise all about? Why can't people leave you alone? After all so many people get away with so much and some even manage to enter the highest portals of power and will continue to do so, since there are 'Shayan Munshis' to help them go scot-free. And some time from now when we see Manu making a 'name' for himself as a politician, as he surly will since his father happens to be a high flying politician we know who to thank for giving us all a chance to be represented by Manu.

It's people like you who are the bane of this society. You, in not testifying against Manu Sharma are as guilty as he is. Maybe you should have fired the shots yourself. So Shayan by all means go ahead with your life. Marry, have kids and have a glittering career but at the same time be remembered as the witness who chickened out, the wimp who let the guilty get away, the actor who could never be a hero. At least that's what I'll remember you as and I'm sure a lot of people are with me on this. I for one am buying a copy of 'Jhankar Beats' at the earliest so that I'm able to show my kids (when I have them) who Shayan-I-Will-Let-The-Entire-Nation-Down-Munshi is.

(Raheel Khursheed is a news trainee with CNN-IBN) first published:February 25, 2006, 09:54 ISTlast updated:February 25, 2006, 09:54 IST
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