Three days ago, Aamir Khan announced that “something big” was coming. Naturally, fans speculated. Was it an update on Coolie? A surprise collaboration? A teaser for Lahore 1947? The mystery was carefully designed, timed, and positioned to generate anticipation.
Then came the video.
A luxury bus loaded with IPS officers rolling into Khan’s residential complex—no press release, no context. Social media lit up with theories. Is Khan under threat? Is the government involved in promoting his new film? Was this a covert meeting for a politically sensitive script? The buzz built up, and just like that, curiosity around Lahore 1947—a film starring Sunny Deol and produced by Khan—spiked overnight.
But here's the truth: it wasn’t a high-level security consultation or government collaboration. It was a routine field visit by 25 IPS probationers—officers-in-training who were meeting with public personalities as part of their curriculum. It was standard practice. Mundane. Respectable. Non-news.
Until Khan’s PR machinery hijacked it.
The footage of uniformed officers entering his premises—released without clarification—was a calculated move. Not to honor the officers. Not to highlight civil service engagement. But to hijack national symbols of authority and respect, and fold them into a film promotion gimmick. Whether the big reveal turns out to be the Lahore 1947 trailer or some other production update, the intent was clear: generate hype, at any cost.
And that cost, this time, was integrity.
Using public servants, especially civil service trainees, as optical props for a movie campaign is not just unethical—it’s offensive. These are individuals dedicating their lives to the nation’s law and order. To see them casually co-opted into a Bollywood narrative without their knowledge or consent is a deep insult to the uniform they wear.
This isn’t the first time Bollywood has blurred the line between influence and irresponsibility, but it might be one of the most blatant. The silence from Khan’s team—no clarification, no denial—only strengthens the sense that the ambiguity was intentional. After all, why stop the buzz when it’s serving your trailer countdown?
Aamir Khan has spent years curating an image of social consciousness, perfectionism, and thoughtful cinema. But in this moment, all of that takes a hit. Not because he promoted a film—but because he did so by appropriating public trust and misleading the audience.
Civil service officers are not extras in a PR plot. They deserve respect, not repurposing!