Kunal Kapoor, Kamal Haasan Weigh In on Elon Musk’s Starlink Row; Assert India’s Right to Decide
While Kapoor questions the ‘saviour complex’ of Western tech billionaires, Haasan asserts India’s right to determine its own regulatory and economic priorities.
Actor Kunal Kapoor has called out what he describes as the “saviour complex” of Western tech billionaires, weighing in on Elon Musk’s criticism of India’s regulatory hurdles for Starlink. Taking to X, Kapoor questioned the assumption that global technology leaders arrive in countries as harbingers of progress but portray their institutions as obstacles when their demands are not met.
https://x.com/kapoorkkunal/status/2108759413653995727?s=20
“Watching Elon Musk this week has been a fascinating character study in the saviour complex of Western tech billionaires,” Kapoor wrote. He added that when countries welcome such entrepreneurs, they are seen as progressive, but regulatory pushback can suddenly be framed as a failure that requires intervention from an outsider.
His remarks come amid a public dispute over Starlink’s entry into India. Musk had questioned the delay in the satellite internet service’s commercial launch despite efforts to meet regulatory requirements. He also asked whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani was the “real boss of India”, sparking debate around competition, corporate influence and the regulation of satellite internet services.
Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan has also weighed in, emphasising that India must remain open to global competition without compromising its autonomy or security. “India is a democracy, not a colony. We welcome the world, but we, the Indian people, will decide our own future, not Western vested interests, their double standards or any billionaire, Indian or American,” he wrote on X.
https://x.com/ikamalhaasan/status/2108549307230244902?s=20
Haasan acknowledged satellite internet’s potential to improve connectivity in remote areas but stressed the importance of affordability and national security. He also highlighted the need to address domestic connectivity challenges, including those facing BharatNet, while questioning what he described as Western double standards on free-market competition.
While Kapoor has focused on the mindset of powerful technology entrepreneurs, Haasan has emphasised India’s right to determine its own regulatory and economic priorities. Their responses bring the larger questions of corporate influence, national interest and democratic decision-making into focus.
As the Starlink debate continues, both actors underline a common point: India can welcome global investment and technological advancement while retaining the right to establish its own rules and safeguard its national interests.
