Reel Reality
For the first time young Indians realised that in India, the truth is far stronger than any fiction. In a nation where even reality fails to inspire films, cinema never fails to inspire reality. Just a few years ago if someone were told to imagine an unprovoked and unchallenged police assaulting peaceful protestors, many of them women and elders, right in the heart of New Delhi, they would conjure up images from films like Rang De Basanti (2006) or No One Killed Jessica Lal (2011). But last week Hindi cinema entered the lives of thousands of women and men in a manner most unimaginable.
Fed up with a lenient justice system hundreds of young women, men and elders took to the streets to highlight to the government and elected public representatives the urgent need for a rehaul of the system to address the most recent and widely publicised gruesome rape of a twenty-three year old girl in the national’s capital. People questioned this abject lack of apathy that rampantly prevails in the system but were at the receiving end of police action in the form of water canons, tear gas shells and lathi (baton) charge. Millions saw them live on television. One thing was common to both those who were present there and watching the live coverage – it all looked far too surreal, and even filmic, to be true and yet, it was as real as the day. Looking at the images of police beating protestors for questioning a publically elected government brings to mind images from N. Chandra’s Pratighaat (1987). When a schoolteacher, Laxmi (Sujata Mehta), choses to defy the local politician by testifying against him, he publically disrobes her and no one comes forward to save her. The film reinterprets the mythical tale of Durga, the goddess, who slays the demon Mahishasura, with the politician playing the demon that is a personification of evil and now, many young Indians could have the same view. Irrespective of the interpretation, cinema and even Bollywood, isn’t insulated enough to be untouched by reality. In Rang De Basanti the perfunctory ease with which a corrupt politician tarnishes a dead Air Force pilot for incompetence in order to save himself transforms young students in an instant. It’s not like they jump from being carefree youngsters to neo-revolutionaries who assassinate the corrupt minister; they protest by asking questions, they take out candle-light marches to evoke some sentiment in the state machinery and only resort to violence when all efforts fails. For its part cinema inspired reality when Rang De Basanti’s candle light march became a nonviolent tool of dissonance adopted by Indians in real life. It was a candle light walk that prompted people to come out in droves and urge the court to reopen the Jessica Lal murder case.
A lot of skeptics might not agree but in a nation like India, cinema plays a pivotal role in shaping the manner in which people think. Although it might be statistically and intellectually arguable but there is great truth in the fact that the depiction of police and society at large while engaging with rape victims in Bollywood films is highly responsible for influencing people’s behavior in real life. Coming down a notch from an obvious criminal act of rape, even romance sometimes presented to be a man’s playing field. You wouldn’t think of a character played by an Aamir Khan or a Govinda as someone who’d molest a girl but look closer and tell me that films such as Deewana Mujhsa Nahin (1990) or Hero No. 1 (1997) aren’t insidious enough to inspire men to view women in an uncomplimentary light? A docile fashion photographer Ajay (Aamir Khan) mistakes Anita’s (Madhuri Dixit) sweetness for love. He expresses his feelings but she shuns him away and yet, he refuses to give up. He is convinced that no one can love Anita like him and so, simply starts hounding her and doesn’t let her engagement to another stop him. You see, Ajay is certain that her perspective partner isn’t a good man and when in the end his prediction comes true Anita starts seeing Ajay in a new light. Similarly on the pretext of being helpful to a fellow Indian in Switzerland, Hero No 1’s Rajesh (Govinda) endlessly pesters Meena (Karishma Kapoor), and what’s worse her own aunt encourages him. Inspiration to do good from films is far outweighed by the instances that instigate the wrong. Popular Indian cinema and not just Bollywood fuels the already prevailing patriarchal outlook towards women in India far more than anyone would credit it with. In many Tamil films, and Hindi films like Benaam Baadshah, there have been instances when a rapist agreeing to marry their victims suddenly absolves them of all inhumanity and wrong.
Films are often blamed for stimulating the wrong in people. Experiences like John Hinckley attempting to assassinate President Regan after obsessively watching Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) are a reminder of the power that cinema wields over people. The majority of the people who took to the streets during the Delhi Protests form a segment that are usually avoided or misrepresented by Bollywood. For what it’s worth this group got inspired by the good from films rather than the second half of Rang De Basanti or A Wednesday (2008) but the way things are, who knows how reality might outshine those reel images too. Its audiences have done Bollywood some justice and now it’s up to the filmmakers to not only correctly represent a major proportion of them but also inspire them in the true sense of the word.
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Born a cinephile and a close observer of society, the author is an award-winning documentary filmmaker/writer. He is a regular contributor to leading Indian publications and is currently working on his first book. Find out more about him here.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Last night, I watched a movie called ” well done, abba’ by none other than Shyam Benegal. It was unlike most Benegal movies I have seen, in that it had a garb of hilarity yet the message was as sharp as ever in his first “ankoor’. I loved it. Interestingly, it showed an India using an “atypical” Muslim family despite their village backdrop. I do not know how popular this movie is in India but clearly such movies along with its portrayal of new technology and education of the populace gave me some hope, despite the dark stories of rape and Modi’s electoral victory in Gujarat.
some Bollywood films use real story for script… not real people use
As I said earlier, in the 1940s Bollywood was more in control of Muslims than Hollywood is by Jews today. Most producers, directors, starlets, female singers, were Muslim.
LOL. So our Indian friends should be secretly thankful for the creation of Pakistan that gave Bollywood native talent some venues to shine.
Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin was a box office failure, so it is a marginal film. However, the 1964 blockbuster Sangam of Raj Kapoor showed the same theme, this obsession of men who would not take a no for a female answer.
The film’s socially redeeming message was not clear, so I doubt if it had any effect on Indian men’s behaviour.
Fortunately, this was never a theme in Pakistani films. This is perhaps because in Pakistani ritual if not in practice the offer of a marriage comes from a woman, not man.
In forming popular opinion, Bollywood is more powerful in India than Hollywood is in the USA, perhaps more so. Silver screen is taken for reality. When I worked in the US I was shocked to see that the first morning order of business in our engineering office was movies seen the night before.
But whereas Hollywood is obsessed about representing reality, Bollywood makes no apology for pushing fantasy, perhaps because reality is painful. People need escapism and entertainment.
I always wondered why India split into 2 in 1947. Divorces do not happen on a whim. There must have been deep, troubling, and irreconcilable differences in psyche. So I turned to the cinema of 1940s and 1950s for clues. I watched the blockbusters, and specially those movies that represented Muslims and their culture. The Film medium either represents reality as is or what it should be in dreams and fantasies. Bollywood of 1950s did both.
Indian films showed the stark inequity in both Hindu and Muslim societies. Most movies were tragedies where love does not triumph and poor and weak get a raw deal. Not so in Pakistani movies.
Indian Muslim society was shown decadent, living off past wealth. Women were suppressed. The Indian Muslim heroines played passive roles – women at the mercy of men. Most Muslim Indian heroines were rich women who fell in love with penniless poets. Love across class lines was hopeless and led to tragedy. Taking poison to end life was the norm (I always wondered how handy poison was in every Indian Muslim family).
Hindu society had starker class differences. Here too, love across class lines rarely succeeded. The Heroes used tricks to succeed and outwit the powerful. There was always a crisis of conscience and catharsis.
In contrast in Pakistani movies love across class always succeeded, and the heroes never resorted to trickery. Pakistani actresses played assertive, professional, and uplifting roles – in Dupetta, Saat Laakh e.g.
The Bollywood of 1940s was dominated by Muslims more than Hollywood today is by Jews. The most successful producers and directors were Muslim.
Actresses most in demand were Muslim – Noor Jehan, Suraiya, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Nimmi, Shyama, Waheeda Rahman, … the list is endless. They were also more beautiful than their Hindu counterparts because Islam’s mixed race vigour.
Most Muslim starlets who stayed in India died young and childless. Only Nargis, after a hopeless 10 year romance with Raj Kapoor was rescued by Sunil Dutt, a Hussaini Brahmin and managed to have a family. In contrast, Noor Jehan chose to come to Pakistan and had six and long life, and also became the first female Director and Producer.
Pakistani actresses were also able to form married couples with male actors off screen, and thus had less inhibitions to appear in romantic scenes. Not so in India.
Says a Hindi ditty: “A Hindu’s rasoi and Muslim’s heart is always spotless”. Muslims and Pakistanis are no good at pretending to be what they are not or at fantasy, so Lollywood morphed into Reality Shows, social dramas showing real people, in real situations, offering real solutions, a genre in which India is no match for Pakistan. Bollywood still pushes entertainment and fantasy.
This topic needs more research.
I think 1980s, 1990s and 2000s are wasted decades of bollywood because of meaningless romantic, mass-masala commercial movies made by the Rishi Kapoors, Shah rukh khans, salman khans, karan johars, Yash chopras etc.. The films of 1960s and 1970s were very meaningful, which are done by Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bacchan, rajesh Khanna, Raj kapoor etc..
Film can be a powerful instrument of social change and form public opinion. Raj Kapoor in particular, used it effectively in his films.
That powerhouse of showbiz was a natural actor who exuded Indian-ness, and thus his believability. He was a dashing Clarke Gable, serious Charlie Chaplin, and playful Krishna all rolled into one. And he was also a credible dancer, a prolific producer, and better successful at personal romance too until Nargis, his Radha, dumped him.
He dealt with difficult social themes as social inequities and love across class lines. Where he could have done more is to reach out to Pakistan.
In contrast, Lollywood has always portrayed a positive image of India and Indians. Show me one Bollywood movie that gives a realistic view of Pakistan or Muslims compared with the endearing image of Hindus and Sikhs in the 1960 classic Kartar Singh made in Lahore?
I rather have people emulating movies like Lage Raho Munnabhai than Rang De Basanti.
Its nice to protest, but never to kill, even if they are Politicians. After all they are elected by us.
“The movies” are America’s art form. Why not India?
i have a table in my house in Goa, its my great great great grandfaters, its solid wood very simple and basic, and noone has the heart to throwit out, its lying in the storeroom since ages, we always talk abot it saying probably our ancestor wedding cake was cut on it, or birthdae cake ect as in olden days wedding reception were in held in front of the house in the yard
now comming to the point this table is more then 300 years old, older then the country called United States Of America
so america need to create art form and culture as it does not have any, but india is acient country its has different art and culture in different district all over india, it does not need to create art
so movies are just entertainment as it was meant to be when cinema was first started, 3 hours of fantasy
Not true.
Indian movies more represent Indian Culture than American movies do American.
An Indian movie combines theater with songs, dance, mythology, history, reality, dreams, fantasy, and aspirations all in one.
An American deals with a specific theme. Every movie does not have Jazz, Hip-Hop, history, American worldview.
lets concentrate on Indian movies which are watched by billions of people.they are mostly made for the masses who want more and more excitement and violence .the women dance and show their bodies and do suggestive acts,there so many scenes of rape or almost rape, what do you think will happen to the society?. it is desensitized , every act of debauchery is no big deal.thus rape, alcoholism, cocaine use are no big deal.some thing must change for the sake of our sisters there.i wish them success in their fight to change the attitudes there.
Very well put. Thanks.