"You break it, you own it" goes the slogan in a gift shop.
In a society where an actor playing God Ram in a TV serial almost expects being worshipped in real life is no big deal, a movie grandiosely depicting mass suicide in the name of honour definitely wouldn’t break anything now would it ? Of course it will be consumed and then casually pass by as just another work of fiction - without any damage to the nation's collective intellect.
Sure, I believe you – voice of liberal Indians. Particularly when in recent times there is no evidence of a work of fiction, e.g. a poem, causing any complications to people confusing real lives and values with a poet's imaginary account.
I did consider watching the movie and I would have taken my daughter along. (After all it is certified 12A ) I could have even pointed at Deepika’s character (one that shall not be named for fear of a certain be-karani sena) and did the thing that parents do – offer to her a larger than life role model.
“Be brave like her” I could have said, based on reviews, "be the best version of yourself", stealing a line from Lady Bug, “ be a good daughter, a good wife, a good …..''
"Be a good wife to a husband who picked me on the basis of my looks and was already married anyway, Dad?" - is the question she wouldn’t have asked because she is too young for that.
And of-course, there's the whole part about the movie being aptly ‘disclaimed’ as a word of fiction. (definition - to deny or repudiate interest in or connection with; disavow; disown i.e. not the maker’s responsibility if you want to believe it ).
So, don’t worry , no real people were harmed in the making, distribution or the release of this movie.
Of Course, she would have understood that! After all every one in India understands and believes and honours the written word – just as long as you know how to make it go viral on WhatsApp or facebook or twitter or behind a truck
("Horn Please" – so everyone does just that,
" OK'' - everything is always ok in India - as long as it doesn’t affect you,
"Tata'' - bye-bye, in case you are lying on the road and happen to have fought your rapists). People read, believe and follow every word, as long as its not something boring like the law.
At the end of the fictional tale then, if at all my daughter was to ask why all the women were eager to surrender themselves to the fire? Well I would have to bring out my master argument about the context then, wouldn't I?
“That's what the women then used to do, dear daughter - gave up on life for the sake of their men who, by the way, themselves weren't too keen on living and dying for one woman.”
I would have counted on her young age to not ask follow up questions like :
why did those women still bother to train themselves in warfare, archery etc as shown in the movie (once again, relying on some reviews here), like their men ?
Nor would she ask If mere expendable women of yore, did really make those bold claims of Rajput bravado as a proud race or even just strength of character as women.
More importantly, I hope she wouldn’t have questioned the basis of Padmaavati’s supposedly strong character if she never intended to use her skills or said strong character ? Where was her well rounded character when adversity struck and the time really came for putting mind over matter, brains over bodily disgust, survival over societal expectations ?
I’m pretty sure, she wouldn't have asked any of that. After all no one has and the movie has already earned crores of rupees and millions of pounds. Surely a major heap of this mountain of moolah must be coming from progressive women in India & abroad – and their educated husbands. If adult women & men can't make that connection between crowd pleasing tactics and unrelated, useless historical (sic) accuracy to flock (definition : a number of animals of one kind, especially sheep) to theatres, why would my young daughter have pondered about that?
I think Mr Bhansali as an esteemed producer, director of such great movies as Black and Guzaarish etc had a choice and he used it, rather shrewdly, to make a movie almost counting on the controversy to make it a hit. Even Deepika had choices and she clearly stated these in a very progressive advertisement a few years back. (No Ranveer didn’t have a choice, he pretty much has to do what Mr Bhansali tells him to otherwise we all know he can’t claim to be a serious actor. )
But even viewers have a choice – to prove themselves as shameless sheep, senselessly going for inferior cinema and hypocritically going on questioning gender inequalities on social media. Or the choice of thwarting propagation of a regressive narrative, one thats not at all contributing to a useful dialogue in society at large.
Last weekend, I used my choice of ignoring the so-so Padmaavat and instead watched a much better movie called Paddington with my daughter.
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