Posted:
A video of Jim Sarbh making a distasteful
'rape' joke is going viral on the internet.
Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut were two
actors who were immensely respected by
fans, and not without reason. Both are
powerhouses of talent, and have made it
this far in the film industry with no
godfather.
However, the fans who looked up to them,
got a rude shock when a video recently
emerged of Jim making a rather distasteful
rape joke, while Kangana laughed. "I'd
rather be raped by 12 prostitutes than
touch alcohol and the Punjabi says 'Me too, I
didn't know that was an option'," Jim is
heard saying in the video. This supposed
wisecrack had Kangana and the rest of the
party in splits.
Fans were especially disappointed with
Kangana's nonchalance, considering that
she has gained a reputation as the flag-
bearer of feminism in Bollywood. She has
always been all for equality, whether it is
calling out the pay gap in Bollywood or
refusing to play second fiddle in a hero-
centric film.
Incidentally, Kangana had condemned
Salman Khan's infamous rape comment.
Back in 2016, Salman sparked widespread
outrage when he compared the gruelling
shoot of the wrestling drama Sultan to
being raped.
Speaking to the media, the actor had said,
"When I used to walk out of that ring [after
the shoot], I used to feel like a raped woman
walking out. I couldn't walk straight."
At the time, Kangana had said, "We all agree
that it is a horrible thing to say; it is
something which is extremely insensitive."
She was one of the few celebrities who
disapproved of Salman's remark, even as
most of Bollywood maintained a deafening
silence. And now, seeing her in that video,
standing there and cracking up at a
distasteful joke by Jim Sarbh, is sort of
unsettling.
The unfortunate reality is this - Jim Sarbh's
rape joke is not the first, and it won't be the
last, because Bollywood is known to turn a
blind eye to such things.
In fact, Bollywood condones rape culture
with its problematic depictions. The stalker
is seen through rose-tinted glasses as the
die-hard romantic, and the girl eventually
begins to return his affections. Sounds
familiar?
Aamir Khan, in an interview with the BBC in
2014, had said that such depictions were
"very unfortunate".
"There are films that are made which make
certain things fashionable or cool, which is
very unfortunate. It is reflective of our
thinking, that there are people in our
creative field, who consider that a good
enough story to tell. So it's reflective of the
way we are - and it's sad," he had said.
Of course, there is the rare Pink, in which
Amitabh Bachchan emphasises that " a no is
a no". But that is an exception, rather than
the rule. The usual message is "hothon pe
na, dil mein haan hoyenga (you might say
no, but your heart says yes)", which gives
the impression that women resisting sexual
overtures don't really mean it and will
eventually give in.
Bollywood is not one to shy away from
condemning the heinous crime of rape
itself.
Whether it is the recent Kathua incident or
the Nirbhaya horror, celebrities have
unequivocally censured the act. They have
held placards, marched for victims and taken
candles to famous monuments to demand
justice for a rape victim.
So when one of them makes a joke on rape,
and an extremely offensive one at that, why
the silence?
https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/jim-sarbh-s-rape-joke-is-not-the-first-and-it-won-t-be-bollywood-s-last-1235932-2018-05-18.
'rape' joke is going viral on the internet.
Jim Sarbh and Kangana Ranaut were two
actors who were immensely respected by
fans, and not without reason. Both are
powerhouses of talent, and have made it
this far in the film industry with no
godfather.
However, the fans who looked up to them,
got a rude shock when a video recently
emerged of Jim making a rather distasteful
rape joke, while Kangana laughed. "I'd
rather be raped by 12 prostitutes than
touch alcohol and the Punjabi says 'Me too, I
didn't know that was an option'," Jim is
heard saying in the video. This supposed
wisecrack had Kangana and the rest of the
party in splits.
Fans were especially disappointed with
Kangana's nonchalance, considering that
she has gained a reputation as the flag-
bearer of feminism in Bollywood. She has
always been all for equality, whether it is
calling out the pay gap in Bollywood or
refusing to play second fiddle in a hero-
centric film.
Incidentally, Kangana had condemned
Salman Khan's infamous rape comment.
Back in 2016, Salman sparked widespread
outrage when he compared the gruelling
shoot of the wrestling drama Sultan to
being raped.
Speaking to the media, the actor had said,
"When I used to walk out of that ring [after
the shoot], I used to feel like a raped woman
walking out. I couldn't walk straight."
At the time, Kangana had said, "We all agree
that it is a horrible thing to say; it is
something which is extremely insensitive."
She was one of the few celebrities who
disapproved of Salman's remark, even as
most of Bollywood maintained a deafening
silence. And now, seeing her in that video,
standing there and cracking up at a
distasteful joke by Jim Sarbh, is sort of
unsettling.
The unfortunate reality is this - Jim Sarbh's
rape joke is not the first, and it won't be the
last, because Bollywood is known to turn a
blind eye to such things.
In fact, Bollywood condones rape culture
with its problematic depictions. The stalker
is seen through rose-tinted glasses as the
die-hard romantic, and the girl eventually
begins to return his affections. Sounds
familiar?
Aamir Khan, in an interview with the BBC in
2014, had said that such depictions were
"very unfortunate".
"There are films that are made which make
certain things fashionable or cool, which is
very unfortunate. It is reflective of our
thinking, that there are people in our
creative field, who consider that a good
enough story to tell. So it's reflective of the
way we are - and it's sad," he had said.
Of course, there is the rare Pink, in which
Amitabh Bachchan emphasises that " a no is
a no". But that is an exception, rather than
the rule. The usual message is "hothon pe
na, dil mein haan hoyenga (you might say
no, but your heart says yes)", which gives
the impression that women resisting sexual
overtures don't really mean it and will
eventually give in.
Bollywood is not one to shy away from
condemning the heinous crime of rape
itself.
Whether it is the recent Kathua incident or
the Nirbhaya horror, celebrities have
unequivocally censured the act. They have
held placards, marched for victims and taken
candles to famous monuments to demand
justice for a rape victim.
So when one of them makes a joke on rape,
and an extremely offensive one at that, why
the silence?
https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/jim-sarbh-s-rape-joke-is-not-the-first-and-it-won-t-be-bollywood-s-last-1235932-2018-05-18.
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