After Kamal Haasan , Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor has reacted to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk’s claim that his satellite internet service, Starlink, has been “blocked by certain oligarchs” in India to maintain a market monopoly. Kunal called out what he described as Elon’s “colonial mindset” and pointed to the “saviour complex” of the tech billionaires.
The actor referred to the 2018 rescue operation in Thailand, when 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach were rescued from the Tham Luang cave complex. Kunal cited past instances in which he claimed Elon reacted negatively when countries chose not to accept his help. The rescuers did not use the mini-submarine Elon had offered for the operation that left him miffed. India’s Ministry of Communications rejected the suggestion that the country’s regulatory framework was discriminatory. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, it said, “A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner.
