"Main toh tandoori murgi ho yaar, gatkaale saiyya alcohol se.
Laundiya patayenge miss-call se."
These are the lyrics of a song that topped all charts in 2012. On the other hand, by the end of December, Indians stood up against the "Rape culture" prevalent in our society. Let's take another example from another Blockbuster movie "Wanted". After watching Ayesha Takia work out in yoga-pants, Salman Khan (A hero for the masses) says "ladkiya yeh sab kyu karti hai? Taaki ladke unko dekhe aur unhe bhaav de." The movie was a huge success and none of the girls were offended by this.
To understand the issue of this face-off between feminism and movies, we must understand what movies are all about? A movie is meant for entertainment. It is a mirror for our society, nothing else. We have crowds who cheer everytime they see their "Heroes" beat the crap out of the villains. Everything the protagonist does, becomes a benchmark for the millions of fans. But by the end of the day, it is all about business. It is all about the money you garner from these "projects".
The "Item-songs" have been taking a lot of heat recently because apparently, they objectify women. What are "item-songs"? Just because a scantily clad woman is dancing among men (Or a group of ill-fed malnutrition-ed women), does she become an "item-girl". Item girl is nothing but a tag or a role. We have had "Heroes", "Heroines", "Vamps" and "Villains". Now, we have our "item-girls". Mostly, it's the "older" section of our society who are against these "songs". They don't let their daughters dance to these songs, whereas the sons are allowed to do anything they want. Isn't this patriarchy? If there's anything cheap about item-songs, it's the male gaze. Stop your sons from listening to such songs, don't stop your daughters.
The second thing that comes to mind is the completely pathetic lyrics used. Yo Yo Honey Singh has emerged as youth icon with his famous "Aaja teri ch**t maru" song. What does that say about the youth? Is it the same youth that is standing tall against Patriarchy?
The case of preposterous lyrics goes back into history. The so-called "Moral Police" of India didn't like the idea of two women dancing to the beats to "Choli ke peechhe kya hai". Why? Did they find the lyrics demeaning? Maybe. But the song went on to be a huge hit. The success of the song then paved way for the "item-song" trend.
Some women have often questioned the nudity in movies. Simi Garewal bared it all in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Mandakini did the unthinkable in "Ram teri ganga maili". Today, we haven't had a single topless scene in mainstream cinema where breasts have been revealed. Why? Because we are fucked up about our sexuality. Any attack on our conservative society has been dealt with. A movie like "Love, Sex aur Dhokha" is hardy appreciated. On the other hand, a movie like "Barfi!" that endorses "Pedophilia" is nominated for Oscars. Why? Because we are a part of a society that has no tolerance for things that threaten our pre-existing sexual norms.
Girls have often asked me, "Why just show Breasts and Booty? Can't Men think of anything else?". Well, I partly agree with the point. Breasts are probably the best thing God has ever created. EVER! What's wrong if a Director wants to focus on the beautiful part? Many artists have done it in the past. Be it M.F. Hussain sahab or John William Godward, many great artists have been doing that. It's the audience who is the culprit. If "Men" get aroused by watching women dance, tell them to control their gonads. Tell them to keep their penises in their pants. It's the audience who are at fault here.
Everybody wants to look sexy and wants to be desired. Our actors do the same.When girls watch John Abraham flaunt his abs, they go bananas over his physique. The same thing applies to men as well.
The man problem has been the differentiation made between the "sati-savitries" and the "urban" whores. India, being a colonial country, has been hating the western cultures. This was the main reason why our "vamps" have always been so modern in their attires. We need to have the "modern" women in our movies. We are still stuck up with the stereotype "Ideal Bahu" image.
The "Lyrics" have had a negative impact on our society. We hardly pay attention to the words used in our songs. Sri Sri 108 Yo Yo Honey Singh ji maharaj says, "If I don't rape you, I am not a son of a Jatt." These lines may seem offensive for women but most of the guys who listen to it have no issues with it. Half of his fan-base thinks that it is a normal thing to say and it's ok to valorise rape. Thankfully, India is changing now. A select few have stood up against this pathetic brand of music. One of his shows had to be cancelled because of these protests.
How do change these trends in movies? How do we make an impact on Bollywood? The answer is as simple as it gets. Stop watching these stupid movies. A movie that says the "Laundiya patayenge miss call se" is going strong an looks set to do a business of over 200 crores. What does that say about our society? We sure as hell can criticise the goverment or Bollywood for the "rape culture" but the fact of the matter is that we love this "rape culture". We love watching girls being harassed or stalked by our Hero. We are double-faced hypocrites.
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