SUPERSTAR RAJNIKANT AND THE BIG FAT PUNJABI WEDDING In a much awaited move by the regulator of advertisements in India [ ASCI] it is expected that there would be a ban on advertisements that seek to convey the impression that ‘fair skin’ is the detrimental to acceptability in jobs and life! This moves comes not a day soon. But more remains to be done as may be evident in the following piece. I was once facilitating a Creativity session for one of India;s biggest FMCG major .The topic—Whay is a certain soap product of this companya distant second the category leader that was made by an IT major!? The discussion was rolled out by a Product manager who said ‘We all know that this failed product is largely aimed at south India.We also know that south Indians are conservative’. I interjected to ask what her definition of ‘ conservative ‘ was. For a full three minutes I waited for some clarification from the assembled MBA’s and other highly qualified and paid notables. My eait was in vain. Sensing the difficulty that the group of top managers had in responding to my question I could not resist offering my comments. I suggested that it may have been precisely this kind of stereotyping that could have been a misstep in marketing the product to the southern market that they said was the main market for that soap. I tried to be helpful by suggesting that maybe they might change their opinion if they realised how it was the south that had led India’s march to international respectability and export success in the IT industry . Last evening I received a text message from a very dear friend who is a Bollywood scriptwriter . [ She was merely forwarding the message] It contained a plethora of a jokes centred on superstar Rajnikant . I got the impression that Rajni was considered by the originators of the jokes as just another of the ‘ madrassi’ characters occasionally seen in Bollywood who are dark skinned objects of caricature even as the fair skinned Punjabi hero walks away with the beautiful equally fair skinned damsel . I shot back and asked her if the fact that Rajni was dark skinned and therefore offensive of some sensibilities had anything to do with this genre of jokes.. I may add that the very term Bollywood has come to represent the whole of Indian cinema .This is another indication of the scant regard many people have for Indian cinema outside Bollywood. The recently held IIFA award is strictly confined to Bollywood but calls itself an ‘India International award’! Now comes the Indie film TITLI that made waves at the Cannes and other international film festivals, This movie [ I have only read about it and await its theater release] seeks to destroy another stereotype that Bollywood has fostered –that Delhi is synonymous with the big fat Pujabi wedding. Incidentally master film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan commented sardonically that Bollywood celebs and wannabies are known for being mere showoffs at Cannes and have precious little to contribute other than display their dress on the red carpet, reducing an intellectual atmosphere into mere glamour exhibition and narcissm. Nothing concludes my contention better than what I saw last night in the Star TV Parivaar awards ceremony. Apart from the fact that these awards may be one of a kind giving away prizes to the best actor in various roles—son, daughter, mother In law, cousin, bhabhi et al—two incidents stood out. When the prize for a particular role went to a Tamilian actress the anchor could not resist shouting ‘ Idli sambhar’. The actress so dishonoured, offered a weak smile. Thereafter actor Talpade was called on stage .This fine actor confined to bit roles despite his formidable talents had last week stated that Bollywood was mostly about form and was weak in content.Stereotypes are a short cut to generating content. K.R.RAVI WWW.KRRAVI.COM
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:26:18 +0000
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