Sitting here on a flight where my mind could finally relax a little, I am thinking of my industry and job, which have given me a reason to get up every day with a smile on my face and fire in my heart to pump up the adrenaline.
I can’t help but think of how it is to be a woman in cinema who has been told that she is not allowed to think of anything non-righteous in a holy place, a woman who is threatened with rape just because she anyway is getting paid to become a source of entertainment for men, a woman who is being told that she will be beaten until the last ounce of passion towards her job is pushed out of her.
Welcome to the perception of women in cinema of 2018 in India. People of cinema have always regarded audience as gods but it seems like these gods have overtaken Thanos in knowing what is right and wrong, and taking the liberty of washing out each and every avenger, guardian or superhero of cinema, who we actually should be proud of.
Before I am blamed for generalising, let me put one point across, those aren’t to be blamed who do the wrong, but it is us who are to be blamed for staying quiet and giving into their conditioning for years. By us, I mean all of us, you and I together. From what we wear, to what we speak, what we do to what we think is also governed by people who have become the self-proclaimed leaders of religion and nationalism in our country.
{{/usCountry}}Before I am blamed for generalising, let me put one point across, those aren’t to be blamed who do the wrong, but it is us who are to be blamed for staying quiet and giving into their conditioning for years. By us, I mean all of us, you and I together. From what we wear, to what we speak, what we do to what we think is also governed by people who have become the self-proclaimed leaders of religion and nationalism in our country.
{{/usCountry}}Time and again, we are told our medium is dying because the West has taken over with content thanks to platforms such as Netflix and Amazon. Even the theatrical releases of the western world get bigger openings than our movies. We are told and made to realise that we are not as good, or rarely so. The content there in the West is far more challenging and relatable than the aspirational world we create and sell here in India. But I beg to differ.
Yes, we do create content that reflects our society, the society which is so unique and special, which has its own shortcomings but knows a beautiful art to coexist, a society that is so colourful amid the grey shades of people, a society where variety can put any spice to shame. But here we are, letting our ideas and thoughts get censored and tampered with while we choose to sit and see the slaughterhouse celebrate.
I refuse to believe that we, as creators and consumers, are brain dead to not see or approve of all this, but yes we are to be blamed. We are letting this slow poison ruin the fabric of our lives and cinema, which is so acidic that no amount of plastic surgery will help it recover once taken too far.
Are we so fragile as a society or is our morality worse than sugar glass that a film or its depiction can ruin its mere existence or is it the existence of an opinion that threatens the self-created power play of few?
I want to reimagine cinema in India where a filmmaker doesn’t have to bow down and apologise for showing reality on screen, where an actor need not feel sorry while portraying a flawed character, where a writer doesn’t need to apologise for being a woman with an opinion contradictory to that of the masses, where a producer isn’t bullied to tamper with his product against his will, where an exhibitor isn’t threatened against safety of his property, a cinema where a movie will not be held ransom to against conditions satisfying the fanatics of sorts.
Then, surely we can get the youth back into theatres proud of the content we create and probably telling the West how it is really done.
The author is an acclaimed young actor who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films