Before Khushboo can accuse us of being one of those uber-liberal-types who use the ‘freedom of expression’ clause to support anything and everything appearing in the media, let us state that she is well within her right to be furious with the lad mag, Maxim. The inaugural issue of the magazine had published a morphed image, superimposing the actress’s head on to a bikini-clad body that accompanied a rather tasteless caption. Thus, Maxim had committed the error, not of carrying ‘smut’ (after all, the magazine isn’t Reader’s Digest), but of carrying ‘non-consensual smut’. On her part, it would have been better if the actress had accepted the apology that Maxim offered subsequently. But, once again, she had the right to demand that a punishment be meted out to act as a deterrent for similar editorial lapses in the future.
But instead of slapping a defamation case against Maxim and let the matter stop there, she seems to have upped the stakes and filed a complaint with the Chennai police, who in turn have apparently charged the magazine’s editor with ‘eve-teasing’ — a non-bailable offence. With this episode being played out in Chennai under the ever-watchful eyes of a chief minister like Jayalalithaa, the police have pounced on the ‘complaint’ that makes the incident appear to be in the league of a terrorist conspiracy. What could have been cleared up by seeking damages and/or a restraint order against the particular issue has now become a clamour for blood. Angered as she is by her ‘immodest’ depiction in the magazine, the Tamil Nadu police need not play the defenders of modesty with such ‘pro-active’ gusto.
The police have already busied themselves by scurrying around Chennai town seizing copies of Maxim. So does that mean the next time someone is offended by any media depiction — and getting offended is getting easier by the day — she can bypass the avenue of libel or defamation and demand the ‘errant’ editor be guillotined? Considering the support she got from most liberal quarters during her inquisition on the ‘pre-marital sex’ issue, surely Khushboo could refrain from straining the quality of mercy? As for Maxim, an advice from, admittedly, a family newspaper: stick to models who have agreed to pose for you.
{{/usCountry}}The police have already busied themselves by scurrying around Chennai town seizing copies of Maxim. So does that mean the next time someone is offended by any media depiction — and getting offended is getting easier by the day — she can bypass the avenue of libel or defamation and demand the ‘errant’ editor be guillotined? Considering the support she got from most liberal quarters during her inquisition on the ‘pre-marital sex’ issue, surely Khushboo could refrain from straining the quality of mercy? As for Maxim, an advice from, admittedly, a family newspaper: stick to models who have agreed to pose for you.
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