"I don't like to take medicine..."

Yesterday, my two children took me to watch the critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie of recent times - "Michael". Bringing life to a monumental, iconic figure on screen must have been a challenging task, to say the least. It is the film critic's job to judge the efficiency of doing so. I am not here to do any artistic evaluation. Rather, there are a few turning points in the movie — vis-à-vis the life of Michael Jackson — that caught my attention, and I want to share them with my readers.

Two things stayed with me. I could not stop thinking about them as I was leaving the theatre and sharing them with my children.

MTV and the Colour of Music

So, though I was aware of the MTV and Michael fiasco, watching it on the screen hit me big time. MTV — the biggest music channel in the world at the time — simply refused to play Michael Jackson's music video for Billie Jean. Why? Because he was Black. They said his music was not "rock enough" for their audience.

President of CBS Records Walter Yetnikoff, in Michael's presence, threatened MTV. He told them — if you don't play Michael's video, I am pulling every single artist from your channel. And I will tell the world exactly why. MTV gave in. On March 10, 1983, Billie Jean finally aired.

Now think about this. The Civil Rights Movement happened. People marched, suffered, and died for basic rights. And yet — almost fifty years later — the world's most famous music channel needed a corporate threat to play the world's most famous artist. Simply because of his skin color.

That is not ancient history. That is within living memory. And it tells us an uncomfortable reality. Racism does not always shout. Sometimes it just sits quietly in a boardroom and makes policy.

"I Don't Like to Take Medicine"

This was the moment that really got me.

Michael is in hospital after his hair catches fire during a shoot. Someone offers him medication. And he says very quietly — "I don't like to take medicine."

Such a small line. But I could not let it go.

The world knows that Michael Jackson's life ended from a medication overdose. The man who said he did not like medicine was, in his last years, being given a powerful anaesthetic every single night just to sleep.

Something went very wrong somewhere.

And here is what I think — and maybe I am wrong, feel free to disagree. We are living in the time of the Epstein files. We are slowly learning that powerful, famous, wealthy people can be targeted, used, and destroyed in very organized ways. Looking at Michael's story through that lens — the accusations, the trials, the financial pressure, the isolation, the drugs — I do not think it is crazy to ask - was all of this really what it looked like?

In a 130-minute movie, was that particular line necessary and relevant? Would it have made any impact on the movie without that single line? I do not think so. His own family made this film. Quietly, carefully — they are trying to tell us something. Are they?

Michael said he did not like medicine. I believe him. What I am not so sure about is who ultimately made the decisions about his medicine.

Maybe I am overthinking. But I do not think I am.

By the way, let me quietly tell you — I really loved Jaafar Jackson. I think it was a super cast — Michael's nephew. The connection was instant and surreal!