After Kamal Haasan, Kunal Kapoor calls out Elon Musk’s ‘colonial mindset’ over Starlink row in India: ‘Script rarely changes, only country does’

Kunal Kapoor criticised Elon Musk’s response to Starlink’s regulatory hurdles in India, describing it as part of a Western tech billionaire saviour complex.

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.

Actor Kunal Kapoor has called out Elon Musk.

Kunal calls out Elon Musk's 'colonial mindset'

Kunal wrote, “Watching Elon Musk this week has been a fascinating character study in the saviour complex of Western tech billionaires. They arrive in your country selling you the future. Welcome them, and you’re a country that wants progress. Make them wait, and suddenly your people are victims who need rescuing from their own institutions by the chosen one.”

Kunal cited past instances in which he claimed Elon reacted negatively when countries chose not to accept his help. 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. The rescuers did not use the mini-submarine Elon had offered for the operation that left him miffed.

Deep Dive

Why did Kunal Kapoor accuse Elon Musk of having a colonial mindset?

Why is Starlink still waiting to begin commercial services in India?

How did the Indian government respond to Elon Musk’s claim that Starlink was being blocked?

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He also referred to Brazil’s Supreme Court suspending X (formerly Twitter) nationwide in August 2024 after the platform failed to comply with court orders.

Kunal wrote, “It’s a pattern. When Thai rescuers didn’t use the mini-submarine Musk sent for the trapped boys, and diver Vernon Unsworth called the idea impractical, Musk attacked him as the ‘pedo guy.’ When Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered X to comply with its rulings, Musk called the judge a “dictator.” The script rarely changes. Only the country does. The colonial mindset isn’t always about wanting to rule a country. Sometimes it’s the assumption that you arrive as its saviour, and if the country doesn’t immediately recognise you as one, something must be wrong with the country.”

What did Elon Musk say?

Elon has posted a series of tweets about Starlink’s prospects in India, also mentioning the Ambani family. He wrote, “Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?”

India’s Ministry of Communications rejected the suggestion that the country’s regulatory framework was discriminatory. 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. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services.”