By Srishti Chauhan:
A lot of raised eyebrows may already have been set at place. A few frowns may also have surfaced upon reading the title of the article. Bollywood hypocrisy – what exactly does that mean? And blind acceptance – who are we talking about here?
Well, simply put, Bollywood hypocrisy is how the various members of the film fraternity choose to project themselves at different times in their lives – simply to suit the need of the hour.
Recently, a newcomer to the film industry –Yuvraj Parashar had alleged that film-maker Onir Anirban had molested him. This, coming just before the release of the film, is rather sardonic and implausible. Does the actor in question expect us to believe that he had been molested, completed the film and then realized that he had been wronged? Did he not choose to sell a piece of his morality and being for a break in the film-industry? Suddenly before the film release, the decision to file a complaint only to withdraw all the charges later on is derisive to say the least.
What, if not hypocrisy, is this? Similar allegations have been repeatedly set and removed later on by Mallika Sherawat and the not-very-known actor Bhavana Rao. The general public, however, seems to believe all that the actors say – even if it involves absolute denial of what they had said just moments ago.
Salman Khan, with his ‘Dus ka Dum’, ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabang’, has since long ruled the hearts of millions of people. However, amongst us are a few who haven’t forgotten the incident of the killing people sleeping on the pavement when Khan was returning from Marriot Hotel in Juhu. Refusing reports that claimed that the actor was indeed driving the vehicle that ran over the homeless, the actor said his driver was the culprit behind this act of negligence. A court case followed and, not surprisingly, the blind veneration that the actor receives was much stronger than anything else… even the judicial system. Protest following the arrest of Salman Khan caused huge furor and disrupted a lot many proceedings of the court as well as general day-to-day activities.
In a country where emotions play a stronger role in deciding the right or wrong, the love for celebrities often leads to turning of a blind eye to their vices. After being under trial for shooting two rare black buck deer and being in constant limelight for misbehavior with media reporters, Salman Khan’s notion of “being human” stands ironical.
However, he is not the only one. After Sanjay Dutt’s trial for possession of weapons and his subsequent conviction of being held guilty, his arrest caused massive protests all over the country. Not realizing that on-screen image portrayal is different from off-screen real persona, the populace burnt effigies and disrupted the functioning of the legal as well as the administrative system.
How difficult is it for people to see through the mask that nearly all actors wear? Are they so naïve that what they see and hear is what they believe? Is it true that Indians are guided more by sentiments than the truth that stares them in the eye?
When the Bhojpuri actor, Manoj Tiwari was evicted from the popular show, Bigg Boss, protests were on in all of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Similarly, when actors Govinda, Hema Malini and Dharmendra entered politics, they cashed in on their status of popular actors and the image of ‘good’ they often represented in movies. Yet, none of these actors delivered even as much as is expected from an ordinary member of the lawmaking structure. In fact, many of the actors-turned-politicians were charged guilty of frequent absenteeism from the meeting.
The actors who play mythological characters too have a huge fan following. There are many actors who are referred by their on-screen names, especially those who play the famous Ram, Sita and Krishna in mythological soaps.
With all these barefaced examples of how the actors use their celebrity status to influence the public as per their personal desires or conveniences, it’s piteous how the public is by and large effortlessly misled.