Rani Mukherjee, Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor have all done it, rather proudly. Rani, as the hard-hitting journalist in No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ), used it in an office corridor. Ranbir did it in Rockstar and Sonam did it in Players. Now, Virat Kohli, one of the role models for youngsters, has done it in real life. Within a span of a year, the middle finger has become the most preferred weapon to show one's frustration and anger. There's another name that has recently come up in this long list of middle-finger 'abusers'. Paceman Ishant Sharma reportedly showed his middle finger to cricket fans as he, along with his team mates, went go-karting at a local club before the start of the third Test at Perth. So, has the middle finger showing phenomenon become the new in-thing among youngsters? “There’s nothing new in it. It’s an old thing. I’ve used it before my friends,” says R Raajesh, a city-based business analyst. “People use it always, but it’s getting covered these days more.” Chithra R Priya, a city-based bike racer, adds, “We are in an era where the public is well-informed about its meaning, and the youth are more responsible about symbols like this. It should not be creating a trend anymore than what it already has.” The controversy erupted after Virat, riled by an abusive group of spectators, stuck out his middle finger at his hecklers on the second day of the Sydney Test, which ended with India losing the match. Earlier, in 2005, former Indian coach Greg Chappel had made a gesture with his middle finger to hostile cricket fans, which triggered a furore in India. But going by Chappel's inclination to be in the news, a newspaper report had commented, “By his extravagantly tasteless gesture, the legendary Australian cricketer has virtually guaranteed that the debate would now be on him rather than the overtly sentimental crowd.” But Virat Kohli has aces up his sleeves to defend his action. He took to Twitter and said, “I agree cricketers don't have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister. the worst I've heard (sic)". Result: Kohli loses 50 per cent of his match fees, apart from a ban on using Twitter and other social networking sites. Even films and stars haven't been able to get away with it. Soon after the promos of NOKJ where Rani shows the middle finger went on air, the Censor Board swung into action and insisted that the promos be screened only if Rani’s middle finger is blurred. The Board found the promo offensive for family viewing. Even Sonam’s attempt at being bold with the middle finger was blurred in the promos of the film, Players. But the middle finger does not necessarily have negative connotations attached with it. “Ranbir showing middle finger in Rockstar was in sync with the character he portrayed. His anger, anguish and frustration were best portrayed by using the middle finger,” says Raghu, a BPO employee. Used in the right context like done in Namastey London by Akshay Kumar where the star used it after a win in a rugby match, the middle finger can be a potent weapon to silence one’s critics. “But not like how it was used in the last match against Australia. You don’t cap a miserable performance on the field with another controversial act. The best way to answer someone is to let your performance do all the talking,” says Ravi, a cricket fan.
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