As I keep emphasising, the issue of women being portrayed as second class human beings and women being exploited in films/serials is a serious one. But it is a completely different issue, so please do not flog it here.
The point I have been trying to make is that in this day and age, when contact between fan and actor has been revolutionised by the internet, we need to be a bit less judgmental and more sensitive to the feelings of those whom we criticise. And, I think both Thamizhan and Caryn do agree with me. I am not saying we should censor all fair comment, but let us be responsible in making comments. Actors are human beings, often with real and serious problems.
In the news story that I posted, there was mention of an actor named Charukesh. We will never know the real reason behind his suicide though a director has made some allegations under the cover of anonymity. I have since found out from a well-connected relative that the suicidee's young wife has been trying to settle the debts her husband left behind while also looking after a seriously ill mother and a young child. She was making a living as a serial actress and television host prior to the death of her husband and now she is continuing in the only trade she knows, viz, acting. Can you imagine how the already traumatised woman would feel if readers were to repeatedly criticise her appearance or her acting, or, worse, call her names?
This is just one example. The problems that actors and actresses undergo may have little to do with the roles they play. So, all I am asking for is some responsibility in the way we critique serials and the actors who appear in them. (Of course, I will be the first to admit that I myself have often unthinkingly made uncharitable comments.)
On the separate issue of whether or not actors/actreses should vote with their feet on moral grounds if they are asked to play unwholesome roles in unwholesome serials, let me draw an analogy. Let's assume you were working for an MNC and they were exploiting you by making you do overtime work with no pay and hardly any promotion prospects. Naturally you would quit the company. But let's say you were paid handsomely for the job you were doing. But one fine day you find out that your employers are, say, exploiting child labour in Ghana. Would you give up a cushy job on a matter of principle? Or would you try to change things quietly from within? Or perhaps would you just shut a blind eye and pray that things would change? Boycotts would never hurt film and serial producers in a country of 1 billion Indians!
Producers are likely to say that they are reflecting society as it is, warts and all, and not trying to change society. And, they have a point. How many people will continue watching serials or movies if all they get to see and hear is a whole load of moralising. As Caryn pointed out, many of the negative values projected in movies are in fact deeply ingrained in society and society cannot be changed overnight. Nor can we expect the entertainment industry alone to change society. We need to go out and move things ourselves.
That said, there are also serials, such as Anandham, which, all said and done, do portray women in a positive light. Where men behave in a chauvinistic manner (as Madhan is currently), their behaviour is clearly portrayed in a negative manner.
Let me end by returning to my main point, which is that actors need to be treated with due respect -- something which has little to do with the themes projected in serials.
Apologies if I have offended anyone.
Edited by Bonheur - 17 years ago
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