Earlier today, social media was abuzz with pictures and videos of a man who was being crucified to a cross by his own aides. The man was identified as a Jayalalithaa supporter Shihan Hussaini, who took this extreme step, demanding that Amma (as Jayalalithaa is popularly known) is made Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu again.
Tamil Nadu has often seen such extreme reactions by supporters of various politicians, but it appears like we need to take these events with a pinch of salt.
What might appear “devotion” and “passion” for the leader to our naked eyes could as well be a publicity stunt by that passionate fan.
And this could well be the case in this particular incident.
OpIndia.com wishes to inform its readers that apart from being a Jayalalithaa supporter, Shihan Hussaini is a stunt performer and a martial artist, who holds “world record” in endurance stunts according to his own claims.
He is also present on Twitter as @shihanhussaini, and he calls himself a “Sensationalist” in his Twitter bio. And he surely created a lot of sensationalism today.
We think that today’s event appears to be a publicity stunt, because Hussaini had announced this “crucifixion” on Twitter last week itself.
https://twitter.com/shihanhussaini/status/568008132774862849
He even tweeted pictures of preparations for his crucifixion, claiming he was “excited” about it and even spent some time in coffee shop “thinking” about it:
https://twitter.com/shihanhussaini/status/568488025820401664
https://twitter.com/shihanhussaini/status/568489205648789505
https://twitter.com/shihanhussaini/status/568494328798162944
Interestingly, nowhere he claimed on his Twitter feed that he was doing it for Amma to get her back as the Chief Minister of Tamli Nadu. While it’s true that he comes up as an Amma supporter on Twitter, it is also true that he keeps doing such things as part of his endurance stunts, which is his profession.
The latest stunt before this crucifixion, as updated on his Twitter feed, was “10 blocks of ice stacked on top of each other with a butt of the forehead”. Thankfully, he didn’t claim that he was doing it for Amma!
https://twitter.com/shihanhussaini/status/568531471750664193
It is clear that Shihan Hussaini is a talented “sensationalist” and an “endurance stuntman” and he deserves applaud and recognition for that, not as a fanatic who is willing to do such extreme things for a political leader.
We hope that Hussaini, realizing his responsibilities as an artists, clarifies that he is a professional and such stunts are a part of his professional life. In absence of such a clarification, some other crazy Amma supporter may try to match this stunt and meet a fatal fate.