Is Bollywood becoming fearless?

Is Bollywood becoming fearless?

Lada Guruden Singh

Karan Johar finds himself in a peculiar situation. On one side, he has been hounded by the fringe right for speaking on the intolerance issue and "lack of democracy" to live or create the way he wants, and on the other, some LGBT activists with unblemished record have lambasted him for not doing enough for the movement and more importantly for supporting and propagating stereotypes.

Facing Criticism from All Sides

If I were in the similar situation, I would be kicking myself for having opened my mouth because clearly Karan has been abandoned by both sides for saying what he feels. The fringe right, and I can't think of any other term for hundreds of faceless men and women, who abuse, rant and terrorise on social media, has demonised Karan for his life choices. In the similar fashion, he has been criticised for saying too little, too late' for the LGBT community including his take on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises homosexuality.

I don't agree with the sweeping judgment of both the sides and strongly support the film-maker for throwing his hat in the ring. We must, as a society learns to respect individuals and critique them, not with a blanket standard. In our deeply conservative society where neither the Government, nor the majority support civil rights of LGBT community, Karan has used his power and influence to at least create space for a debate in the mainstream. Had it not been for a film like Dostana, (which its issues of stereotyping notwithstanding), you wouldn't have had instances of hundreds if not thousands of young men and women coming out to their families. There are at least half a dozen friends that I know did so after they took their parents out to see the film and that's no mean feat. Everything doesn't need to be done through activism and taking to the streets, there are other ways to bring about a change and we must accord everyone a space to do that precisely. That's also called freedom of expression and choice.

Karan and many of his colleagues in the industry have spoken out on the Supreme Court directive of Dec 2013 and have followed up by asking fans and followers on social media to sign petitions concerning the same. The fact that he has been attacked for not doing enough isn't any less an idea of intolerance. And this is apart from even the State mocking the film maker. Even if it was said in a jest, Union Minister of State's comments that the film maker should be beaten up, must outrage us for exactly where we are taking the discourse.

Fearless Industry?

It is not any different from the time when Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan were labelled Pakistanis and anti-national, a few months ago, for speaking up about the intolerance issue. Their religion came in as a handy explanation for their dissenting views. Threats were issued by the high and mighty, indicating once more just how vulnerable the film fraternity is to reactionary politics and mob fury.

It is no surprise then; most actors and film makers choose to be diplomatic when it comes to airing their political thoughts. The issue is more pronounced because film celebrities are deified in India. They exude tremendous social power to influence and change and yet most do not venture out in fear of a backlash and legal notices, FIRs and public damnation. For a majority, being diplomatic is the best recourse but sometimes it becomes critical to speak your mind. While it is true, for most, their image is paramount, it is equally true that in recent times, there have been far more instances of celebrities holding forth their opinions last year. Perhaps the industry is becoming fearless? A prime example of this has also been the way the industry came out in support of the FTII students' strike. It was heartening to see Ranbir Kapoor as one of the first voices to throw his weight behind the students. It was very clear that all the artists be it Ranbir or Kiran Rao, Dibakar Banerjee (who along with eleven other film makers returned their national awards) and many more, were standing up to the decision of the State to appoint someone who didn't have the right credentials. While there hasn't been much progress on the issue, the fact that leading lights of the fraternity went public with their support enabled the students' plight to become part of the mainstream political discourse.

United we stand, divided we fall

One must add here that there have been divergent views too " that have supported the government. Anupam Kher and many other cinematic voices have stood for the State and don't exactly agree with the intolerance charge. All of this has made the industry far more politically charged than it ever was. The only worry in this regard is can political ideologies divide the industry that has so far managed to insulate itself from any religious, cultural and social divide. While at one level it is healthy for the industry to have its stalwarts debate the state of affairs and give an insight into their political process, it will be equally critical to ensure that none of this percolates to the professional decisions that these artistes make when it comes to working together.

After all, the age old adage holds true always " United we stand, divided we fall!

The writer is working with Sony Pictures Networks.