Sushant Singh Rajput: An Inspiration and a Legend!

It has been 42 days since Sushant Singh Rajput left for his heavenly abode on the 14th of June, 2020. In this write-up, The Bollywood Elephant pays a heartfelt tribute to the late Sushant Singh Rajput. May he find semblance in his mother's arms up there.

Sushant carved your own niche in the galaxy far away yet near. We hope that we could bring him back using quantum physics by igniting chemistry. His dreams and passion are embedded in our hearts and become an immortal source of motivation. His death makes me realize the uncertainty and fear of life. His uncertain exit from our galaxy was unsettling but opened a chapter about life consumed by depression. I recall how he always wanted to be an astronaut and in one of his interviews, he said, "Let's be an actor and let's be everything" with the same energy and gusto as a naive and a simple guy with Bollywood dreams! Thereafter, he unravelled his dreams through cinema and stuck to what he believed! When I first read about Sushant, I read that an 'AIEEE AIR 7' guy is debuting in cinema with 'Kai Po Che' and when I saw you onscreen it was really hard to believe that a science guy could pull off such a phenomenal act! And that was where our horizons met and led to your discovery!

                       

Sarfaraz, Raghu, Ishaan, Byomkesh, Dhoni, Anni, Samar, Mansoor, Jilaan, Shiv and now Manny. There was not a single character that he played; he lived them! Be it Dhoni, Ishaan from 'Kai Po Che' or his small yet effective Sarfaraz from PK, Sushant infused each character as his own and his versatility and a testament to his talent came out in 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', where it was really hard to distinguish between the reel and the real sportsman. Sushant's filmy career was perhaps a really short one. In a matter of 8 years, Sushant did 11 movies which were either critical success (Sonchiriya, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy) or commercial success (MS Dhoni, PK, SDR) or both (Chhichore, Kedarnath). Sushant and his love for the craft were always so evident that it makes me wonder 'what if you can pursue what you desire, will you achieve it?'. The answer to this query was resolved when in one of his interviews, he said, " I am a noun in your life but a verb in mine." which was the star's signal to everyone who desired whatever they wanted and the fact that only they themselves can make things work and nobody else. His movie choices, his encouragement to new talent, and most importantly his passion and hard work for the craft he adored will always be missed. 

                                         

Sushant's bereavement has made him a deserving role model. His death has instead immortalized forever. He gave the small guys with Bollywood Dreams an example. An example which will now allow the small guys to flock to the city with the hopes of getting into this difficult and gruesome industry. His smile and his will to constantly be better than what he was will be celebrated more than the gloom his death/ the thought of his death creates. We shall celebrate and talk more about the success stories of his life in this industry. An industry that can provide work for millions and create dreams and inspirations whilst taking care of not getting lost in the abyss. 

                                    

Your movie, 'Dil Bechara' is unfortunately out on a streaming platform which by the first looks, was a Hollywood adaptation with pretty people (standard idea for a remake in Bollywood: the world where a lot of people desire to get into!) Maybe Sushant did as well. But what has followed after the movie is a number of memes and fan-made videos of the endearing Sushant Singh Rajput, which I wish was the love and recognition he could get when he was alive. Whenever I think about Sushant, I feel all the more his life has become immortal. He is just like James Dean; an actor who just did 3 movies but is still an icon. His memory will always be etched in my heart and life because when a star dies, it creates a nebula around which millions of stars will be born and I hope, remember the star that allowed them to dream and achieve!

                               

To conclude, I would just like to say a few lines from the poem 'Abhineta' which go as follows:

"Seekha Hoon Apne Tajurbe se,

Aise kisi ko bhaashan deta nahin,

Kyuki main koi neta nahi.

Jo bhi aaya dil main,

daal diya tik-tok pe,

Aisa Main Abhineta Nahin!"

We shall meet in the next life again on the big screen Seri, Sushant Singh Rajput?

                                             

Yours Lovingly,

The Bollywood Elephant!

                             

Qissa Controversy Ka: Patriarchy in Cinema!

Recently, choreographer and director Ahmad Khan criticized the movie 'Thappad' saying that if he slaps his wife, his wife should slap him back and totally dissed the idea of the character Amrita leaving the house. He did go on to say that it is open to a person's interpretation but it cannot be ruled out that Bollywood for decades has been glorifying patriarchy. In Thappad, the protagonist realizes how her husband did not respect her and she gives it her all and loses her individuality in the process. The slap makes her realize what she has been missing and she seeks out to make her own identity. If we take Ahmad Khan's statement into consideration, a slap for a slap shall not change things and his act of hitting his wife shall be within the walls of the house. Little does he realize that 'keeping such an act within the walls' shall make the relationship worse, also make him realize that it such an act is not his 'right' and therefore reach no conclusion. Furthermore, the thought of being the 'man of the house' shall continue prevailing and after some time things might become toxic. But, from the director of outstandingly horrible and terrible movies like 'Baaghi 2', and 'Baaghi 3', we really can't expect more because females in these movies are nothing but dolls waiting to be rescued! His words and his movies reflect the impact of patriarchy from the cinema on an individual. Therefore, we review at instances which show how with subtlety Patriarchy in cinema has grown over the years with little to no change.

                                        

• Lipstick under my Burkha: Bollywood in 2017 went for a 'lady-oriented' movie 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' and like our patriarchal Bollywood has always been, it was impossible for the CBFC to allow it to release as it was too 'lady-oriented' (what does that even mean) and inappropriate (Really? Only men are allowed to have fantasies?). We never see it this way but maybe like the most of the audience today, it would have been difficult for the board to realize and accept that woman have their desires and are not only Goddesses but individuals fighting and struggling for their overdue respect and gratitude. 

                                                    

• Cinema of the 50s-80s: 'The angry young man' laid the foundation of how a man in Bollywood cinema is expected to be. It was this era that Amitabh Bachchan deemed this title after saving heroines and fighting villains which also created an everlasting impact on the minds of the people. Needless to say, being the man in cinema came with privileges which followed the suite. In the 1990s, movies like 'Biwi No.1' normalized extramarital romance by husband whereas stereotyped woman as a helpless woman and made them as individuals allowed to be mistreated. What was even more devastating was Karishma's character did a photoshoot and her husband went crazy over those photos and belittled her. Therefore, needless to say, that the movie became a massive hit and then on Patriarchy rose to the forefront in Bollywood.

                                                    

• Sharmila's statement: Furthermore, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore in an interview has stated that how a 'male gaze' has been playing a significant role in the development of female characters in cinema and how the 'sacrificing' female characters became popular whereas those who deemed were identified as 'selfish'. She also pointed out how the female characters today were liberal unlike back in her times which pretty much tells us that patriarchy in cinema lasts for decades. Furthermore, the veteran actress also mentioned how in movies during the 1960s-2000s, it was not deemed necessary to even mentioned the girl's profession in the movie as they were nothing but objects of desire!

                                                      

• Bollywood dialogues have a cult following: There are a lot of dialogues in Bollywood that smell of patriarchy if we interpret them in the truest sense. Dialogues like 'Tumhi Mere Mandir, Tumhi Meri Puja, Tumhi Devta Ho!' (Men = God. NO!), 'Akeli Ladki Khuli Hui Tijori ki Tarah hoti hai' (Same can be said for a guy), 'Agar Khoobsurat Ladki ko na chedo, toh who bhi uski bezzati hoti hai'(Trying to justify eve-teasing and shaming ugly girls), 'Itni moti hai yeh ki agar weighing scale pe khadi hui toh "To Be Continued" aaega' (Derogatory to both guys and girls), 'Tu Ladki Ke peeche bhaag, Ladki Paise Ke peeche bhaagegi. Tu paise ke peeche bhaag, ladki tere peeche bhaagegi' (Men also run after rich girls! Housefull 4 latest example).

                                                      

• CBFC Biased: The Central Board of Film Certification has been grossly manhandling female-oriented movies. The example of Lipstick Under My Burkha is still fresh. Furthermore, if the board objects scenes of women partially naked, the same should also apply to scenes of men showing off their body, after all, they are also partially naked! Furthermore, CBFC had stalled the release of Raveena Tandon's Maatr as it was 'derogatory' towards women. But how could a mother seeking revenge for her raped daughter be derogatory? This not only exposes the double standards of Bollywood but also show the gender-bias prevalent in the film society, which is a result of Patriarchy. The Gender Pay disparity in cinema is also attributed to the fact that cinema is patriarchal otherwise these situations would have not come to the forefront.

                                                   

Patriarchy goes back to deep roots in the Indian System. The Indian Film Industry is no exception! Patriarchy cannot be eradicated with one particular move, it needs to be done over time and is a relatively slow process. With movies like Piku, Thappad, English Vinglish Bollywood is trying to head in the right direction but the audience does not seem to lap such movies proving that even watching a movie for a middle-class family, Patriarchy decides what is to be watched and what is not supposed to! We can only expect things to better, when we lap such movies!