Sensuality Misinterpreted ?
February 2nd, 2007
Q1. What the hell is wrong with the world ?
Q2. Why are people like Mallika Sherawat, Koena Mitra and Rakhi Sawant still alive ?
Q3. What right do they have to be so damn stupid ?
I was just watching this KBC episode on youtube when my room-mate happened to click on Mallika's new year stage performance. Just as I was watching her shameless antics, I realized that we as a society might be closer to chimpanzees than we think (or perhaps Jellyfishes or donkeys). Nevertheless, I couldn't figure out how on earth could it be broadcasted on national television. I mean, where has all the decency gone ? For god's sake, freedom of expression is one thing and jiggling your undraped body over national television (NEWS!) for the viewing pleasure (or displeasure) of general public including children, parents and elderly is an altogether different ball game. Last time I heard, sensuality was supposed to be expressed more in subtlety than in crassness. When did they change that ? When did the general public lose all its taste for quality ? I would like to answer some of the general arguments in support of such shows that we face :
1. Its a feminist revolution.
Argument: No kidding. Seriously ? Lets just ask Rakhi Sawant what she understands by feminism some day. I have a pretty good idea about her IQ (after reading those interviews) and I can safely say that she won't score better than a mentally retarded earthworm who has had 3 tequila shots. The problem lies in the fact that too many ladies today are ready to climb up the ladder by selling their bodies and are too ashamed to admit it and would rather attribute their behaviour to some screwed up notion of feminism. They have no idea what injustices the feminist movement struggled against but are all too ready to take the shelter of 'feminism' when asked uncomfortable questions like 'Was it so necessary to take your clothes off for an action sequence ?". Why won't they just stand for their beliefs and principles. I guess they don't have any.
2. Its a matter of personal choice. Don't watch it if you don't like.
Argument: First of all, I can safely say that such an argument would either come from one of those metropolitant youths who have far too much money to have any rationality left in their heads or those college kids who, I am sorry to say, have only a preliminary idea of reality because, lets face it, between all their breakups and romances and classes and picnics and parties and discos, they hardly have any time left for rational inquiry (I was not very different so I don't blame them). Nevertheless, do I mind ? Hell yes I do. It would have been fine if Mallika had done an X-rated video and sold her CDs but who gives her the right to come dancing in my living room in all her transparent glory, completely uninvited ? Personal choice, my foot. The next person who tries to be diplomatic and "open-minded" and tries to teach me that I am one of those few orthodox fools who have been left behind in all this modernistic wave will have his hair pulled off and his foot in his mouth.
3. Have it. Flaunt it. (Mallika said this once I guess)
Argument: Agreed. But I am sure you have more. Why not flaunt that. Or am I crossing a sacrosanct territory ? Why this hypocrisy ? Why don't you flaunt it in every possible scene or party or movie ? Because somewhere down below you want to be seen as a serious actress, right ? Well get this, you are not. You probably possess as much acting talent as a charred log of wood. Only you are more annoying.
4. The scene (situation) demands it
Argument: Boy I have heard drivel. High quality insanity. But this line takes the cake. Who are they trying to fool. Agreed that as a society, we have failed miserably but still the average IQ of the nation would be atleast 20 points higher than any of those random actresses. Your veil is as transparent as your dress, missy.
I yearn for those days when sensuality and sexuality were implied. It doesn't have to be gross and visible to leave an impact. Too much detail kills the feel and the emotion of a situation and renders it disgusting. So while I understand that crass sexuality is a reality I have to live with, there is an easy solution which could remedy the situation. Instead of using garbage for making landfills, we could as well dump immoral hacks like Koena Mitra, Neha Dhupia etc. there. Although our environment would start smelling foul with all the garbage around, I for one is ready to live with that. Besides, I am sure that howsoever worthless the lives of such people are, they will atleast make usable manure.
If the world were to be so Utopian as you envisaged it to be then yes sensuality would have been better interpreted.
But I for one always believe that like beauty; obsceneity too lies in the eye of the beholder. For a puritan even a hint would be sacrilege not so for others.
And hey .... I believe you were among the first people in Mysore to watch "Julie" 🙂 🙂 at its time, now don't tell me you went there to preach a sermon on the misinterpretation of Sensuality !!!!
Why should people do according to what you think is right or appropriate?
Who are you to decide what right to freedom should mean to everyone else in the world? Do you think Michael Angelo committed a sacrilege when he crafted the naked statue of David because according to you that would be indecent.. right? So should that statue be dismantled and similarly many paintings which exists should be burnt?
Granted you have a right to criticize everything that you deem fit to be criticized but do not take it too far. Right to freedom to criticize others also should also give you a respect for the freedom of others to express themselves in whatever manner they deem fit. If you think that what or how they are doing is absurd then you can always choose not to watch that event, be it on tv or on youtube.
...and this is what I call as a scathing comment. 😀
@Anurup: and I said (in the post) that I was like that hence I do not blame them, did I not? I do not run from reality and accept where I was wrong but does that mean that I cannot mature as an individual in views and outlook ? And I don't think its obscenity as long as I have the choice of not watching it (or watching it). I don't think all those nude scenes in english movies are obscenities because those have been rated for audiences. Who decides what is forced down the throats of Indian television viewers ? Violence, sex, immorality ? Don't tell me that you are comfortable watching all of that with your family, because I am not. And this is precisely the reason why I have all the reason in the world to crib about this.
@Amit: The right to freedom and expression crap again! So you are one of those open minded guys. Get ready to have all your hair pulled off your head my friend. I am sorry to say but our friendship will not stop me from doing what is absolutely necessary :-)...
Seriously speaking, I do not expect people to do what I say and I have no right to decide whats right for others but you contradict yourself when you say that while on one hand I should respect others' freedoms, on the other, I should not use my freedom as I deem fit ("take it too far" ?)? On one hand you say that I should respect others' freedoms while on the other, you are criticizing my opinions left right and center with your 'scathing' comments. What kind of justice is that ?
Did I ever mention even once that I expected people to take to the streets and protest after reading this ? AN EMPHATIC NO! And even if I did, it would just have been my opinion, right ? Its just a blog. People hardly read it. So don't get all cranky over it. If you don't like it, give me a call and kick my ass :-).
so right hope someone sees this befor its to late
Here, I just would like to add one more arguement.
6. People love it, so we make it.
Dont forget that such movies become a great success in rural areas. ( even if they are the most pungent fucking peice of cheap sexsuality shit ever).
Arguement : Yes, people like it coz these days , the only watchers are the kids and possibly the village DUDES who have nothing to lose other than the marks in their exams. Ankit,you really said well that such youths doesnt have any rationality left in them. They just watch such movies 18, 20 and possibly 100 times and DUDE, our distributers count only the tickets sold, not the count of discrete people who watched it. Secondly, today people want something more than than a sex in their dark rooms with none other than their only wives.HAHAHA. They need to eat outside or even just sniff unwanting to eat what they will get at home. This pleasure they can get only in the form of sex goddesses who perform LIVE on cinemas. But I ask, what is the percentage of such fucking nasty shit peice of people. What about those people who are just happy with their fammilies. Why they have to change the channel in front iof their kids and wives when a miniscule store of people love it. I say,degrade such shows to B and make ana nother channel which broadcast only Mallika category of people so that the happy lives can be saved.
@Anurup: I was looking at my reply to you and it sounded a bit rude. If it did to you too, I am really sorry. You know I cannot be rude, atleast not to you 🙂
@Devendra: In so many words, I guess you are right. But no one goes scot free in my justice system :-). Not even the urban youths.
Yo! (I hope you all get that I was KIDDING in the last sentence!!!!!!.). See this is what I have been reduced to. People have stopped getting when I am joking and when I am serious. I have to explain my jokes now :-(...
Hey of course i took offense !!
Imagine the amount of revenue loss that YOU would be doing to my fave Bollywood !! Not to mention the irreparable damage to the careers of Neha, Mallika, Koen , Celina and ilk.. 🙂
But yes.."You know I cannot be rude......", now that would be so difficult for me to digest !! I am sure the HR of infy can stand testimony to tat 😉
Would I be wrong if I compare your article to blaming the prositute but not the society? I think Mallika Sherawat is merely a representative of our society as it is now. In any society, changes have to come from the ground-level. Like that logo of Apple, it's the forbidden fruit that every one wants: if not the fruit, something similar in disguise, and it is this artificiality that is vulgar.
hey raghav..i disagree with u here...Mallika is not a rep of our society....and if she is, must be of the western utopia as it is now....remember our ancestors wrote Kamastura but dint flaunt its glamour as she does it..
@Anurup: Thats why I added, "atleast not to you" :)... I remember, HR Infy would have something to say on this...
@Gunti: hmmm... you mean there are inherent flaws and people like Mallika are just fallouts of that. I guess I agree. I guess nothing can be done now except crib. I am not even sure if anything should be done since society is taking a natural course and soon a viewpoint like mine may easily get marginalized. Just like the debate "terrorist or a freedom fighter". As you also know, books are always written by the victorious :-)...
@Devendra: but flaunting is a present trait of the society, isn't it? What was considered unethical (flaunting) 50 years back is a living reality now.
@ankit, but still there are some ways to flaunt it..if u have seen Mallika's Cannes appearence, that was severly critized coz of unneeded show off of her body which looked vulgar instead of sexy. And take Shilpa here, if u look through her pic of portfolio for Big Brother , she looked awsome even in short clothes.
May be ,it depends upon person to person whether it suits to them or not, for Shilpa , it did and for our sex bomb , it was a miss. Then KILL MALLIKA 🙂 why she's syill alive. ( thats ur enigma 🙂 )
@Devendra
My intent was to point out that Mallika Sherawat (and others like her) prove that a portion of our society has degenerated to levels that we do not like, I did not mean that all of our society is to be blamed.
I think its time to bury this discussion atleast. The comment section has become bigger than the article itself 🙂