Shobhaa De: Why attack a 'Makdee'... and spare the snakes? - Page 2

Originally posted by: -Mmm-

<h1>Why attack a Makdee'... and spare the snakes?</h1>

ByShobhaa De, Mumbai Mirror|Sep 6, 2014, 12.20 AM IST

</div>

6

comments

1
inShare

Share More

<small></small>

<div align="right"><small>A</small></a>

<small>A</small><a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/columns/columnists/shobhaa-de/Why-attack-a-Makdee-and-spare-the-snakes/articleshow/41815656.cms">

</div>

<div>

I was really, really aghast to read the entirely unfair publicity given to a vulnerable young actress driven to prostitution after experiencing abject failure in Bollywood, despite a promising start. And what a start it was! 11-year-old Shweta Basu Prasad won a National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 2002 for her performance in Vishal Bharadwaj's film, Makdee.

Twelve short years later, at 23, the poor girl is splashed across national and regional newspapers after she was "caught in a compromising situation" in a Hyderabad hotel. Arrested by the over-vigilant cops and packed off to a Rehabilitation Home, Shweta faces a minimum of ten days in custody while the cops frame a charge sheet.

Effectively, her life and career are both over. And I fear for her safety. Going by the abysmal track record of how all such state-run shelters function, with rampant sexual abuse, torture, starvation and worse, Shweta is likely to face a whole host of nasty problems while she is being 'rehabilitated' at government expense. Meanwhile, the media will sadistically pounce on the juicy story and torment her further... till the next scandal... and the next.

Shweta's sordid experience in showbiz is not new or unique. There are thousands of Shwetas out there, struggling to survive in a heartless industry, which is more of a meat-packing factory than a provider of legitimate entertainment.

The real tragedy of girls like Shweta kicks in after they taste early success, and then nothing happens. Buoyed by praise and misled by avaricious agents, they start dreaming big and expecting too much. Since image is everything these days, they often end up living way beyond their means, frequently borrowing money to subsidise their jumpedup lifestyles. Movie business world over functions in exactly the same way, when it comes to women. It works on a demand/supply principle. The supply always exceeds the demand.

There alarming number of young girls waiting for a break and willing to go to any lengths to get it. Shweta had it better than most, having worked with established directors like Nagesh Kuknoor and Ram Gopal Varma. Despite such a huge advantage, Shweta, when she was busted in the staged raid, was broke and jobless. In her brave and upfront statement, she stated she had a family to support and was lured into prostitution by an agent who set her up with a Mumbai businessman.

Why pick on a comparative non-entity like Shweta, when there are hundreds of high-profile, prominent, top bracket stars indulging in exactly the same 'dhanda'? It's an open secret in Bollywood as insiders snigger about the 'rate cards' doing the rounds. Some of the featured names would make most people roll over and die of shock!

One wonders where Shweta went wrong. She blames her flop career to picking the wrong roles. A lot of actresses pick wrong roles, but not all of them become prostitutes. The problem is different. Bollywood refuses to acknowledge the levels of poverty and desperation that drive young aspirants (male and female) to seek other avenues to pay their bills and stay alive. Some of these strugglers take to drugs and alcohol (a brave admission by 'Mary Kom' Director Omung Kumar Bhandula, that his FTII-trained father died an alcoholic after failing to get roles), and that path often leads to prostitution or even suicide.

Shweta is a victim of a sting operation conducted by a Telugu television channel. She was easy bait. With no powerful patrons or backers, Shweta turned out to be just the thing a TRP-obsessed media organisation could effortlessly exploit. But why have Shweta's clients been shielded from media glare? Why aren't they being named and shamed? Why pick on Shweta? Her story got the cops what they were looking for - attention. And the channel got its eyeballs. Where does that leave Shweta? At the bottom of a pit... still poor... and now shunned as well.

'Balu', the pimp who booked her for a fee of one lakh a night (keeping 15k as his commission) allegedly assured her she wasn't the only actress indulging in this racket, and several other actresses also freelanced as prostitutes in order to keep body and soul together. This was Shweta's third 'assignment' and possibly her last. At 23, her future is looking scarily dark and grim. If anything happens to this young woman, who will assume responsibility? The State? Bollywood? Society?

We need to take better care of the Shwetas we may know in our own lives. We certainly owe a desperate, hungry, young person that much.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/columns/columnists/shobhaa-de/Why-attack-a-Makdee-and-spare-the-snakes/articleshow/41815656.cms

Originally posted by: pakeezah

Shobha De

@bold : pls you lead the charge...name the names who would make one roll over and die
The so called ones with rate cards? I didn't even know this sweat till I read YOUR lengthy article about her...now tell us about the bollywood actresses?

Originally posted by: VanBuuren

How typical of Shobhaa De. Here she is ranting about why only the girl is only being shamed but not the customers, yet in the bolded part she is only talking about the high profile names who are in the business, but not her clients. Wouldn't the high profile names also have high profile clients, why is Shobhaa so quiet on that front? Such a hypocrite.

Originally posted by: altuphalu

So which Telugu channel are we talking about? What was their role in this bust? Picture of the pimp please? Why is he allowed to make easy money and get away?

Who is the Police Commisioner in charge of the case? Names and picture please. Who are the businessmen involved?

Why does the media not spend time digging up all these details? Let us making ALL those involved's life a living hell.

Bollywood rallies around fellow actors accused of rape or criminal acts. But says nothing in cases like this. Surprise, surprise. And Salmanbhai, why is he quiet here? Cause not human enough?

Originally posted by: VanBuuren

Watch this video, Shweta negotiates price here. She is like if it's a minister double the price.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aXcjfmA1Hk[/YOUTUBE]

Originally posted by: -koiza-

I don't feel sorry for this girl any more

She is clearly doing it for greed of money rather than being helpless

Her saying 3 lakh bolo 1 tum rakho 2 muje do..then she says if you ask 6 ..2 tum rakho 4 muje do..