Javed Akhtar, a renowned and award-winning veteran Bollywood lyricist, screenwriter, and poet, has hogged the limelight at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, with his recent bold statement on the commercial success of Animal, and how its success is dangerous for Indian society at large. Without explicitly calling out Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the director of Animal, or Ranbir Kapoor, or anyone associated with the film, Javed Akhtar expressed his concern about how “problematic” films such as Animal, disguised as “entertaining” films, are being “glorified” and “celebrated”.
Javed Akhtar remarked that there is this film in which the lead actor asks the actress, whose body he has used, to lick his shoe in order to prove her love for him, when she tells him that she loves him. He said that the film further glorifies and normalises slapping a woman or touching a woman wherever a man wants, to show or prove his love for her. Is licking your lover’s shoe the newest way of expressing your love to your partner? Is physically abusing your female companion, or touching her anywhere, or cheating on her and then asking for forgiveness, the latest trend?
Unfortunately, many clips and scenes from the film Animal have been trending on reels and videos on social media platforms since the time of its release. Content creators have been using themes from the film like “licking your lover’s shoe” or “casually cheating on your partner” to create reels. Why are influencers and content creators coming up with such videos for the sake of “content”? Because they know that this kind of content will attract viewership. And that is what they create for.
Sadly, these videos are going viral on social media. They are trending. Why are they trending? Because more and more people are consuming such content, and engaging with such content. As we engage, we tend to replicate what we consume; we tend to implement what we watch on our screens. And that’s when things turn wrong and sorry.
Despite being an excessively and unnecessarily violent, barbaric, misogynistic, and sexist film, Animal has outperformed all other Bollywood films that were released in 2023, except Jawan, at the global box-office. Javed Akhtar remarked that if a film which is so problematic does wonders at the box-office, we might need to rethink what kind of films are working, and what kind are not. We need to question the filmmakers’ choices of creating films, and we also need to question the viewers’ choices of consuming films.
Javed Akhtar further added that any song is composed and created by only a few people. There is a composer, there is a lyricist, there is a sound engineer, there are singers. There are a few actors who dance to the song, there is a choreographer, there is a camera-person. Only eight to ten people create a song. If a vulgar song is created, and is loved and accepted by the listeners, it implies that such songs are the kind of songs that the listeners want to hear. Such songs, if created, will earn massive numbers, and perform well.
Similarly, a film, problematic or not, is created by only a few individuals, but is consumed by millions. The crew and the cast of the film create the film. It then depends on the audience whether they wish to accept the film and celebrate it, or whether they wish to reject the film and not promote it. Consume what is correct, and discard what is wrong – is what Javed Akhtar wants the Indian audience to do. Tell the filmmakers what films they should create. But to what extent is this feasible? Can all Indian viewers use their discretion the way he wants?
Javed Akhtar boldly added that the onus now lies more on the audience than on the filmmakers. It is the responsibility of the consumers to consume the good stuff, and discard the bad stuff. He said that what kind of values and morals should be shown in our films, ought to be decided by the audience now. The filmmakers will make what the viewers accept and want to watch. But is this entirely possible? I don’t think so.
Remember that artists are themselves confused about what to make, and what will work, and what will not. They are constantly trying to understand the preferences of the audience, and the ever-varying tastes and trends; and create accordingly, for the purpose of maximising their profit margin. Art is business. Cinema is business. Cinema has been commercialised since its inception in the Hindi film industry. It is all about minting money now. Hence, only that will be made which will work.
Personally, I did enjoy watching Animal on the big screen, but only as an artform. The film is cinematically and audio-visually brilliant. However, Animal is so outrightly wrong and disturbing that every section of the audience will not be able to segregate the plus points of the film from the minus points. And there are too many minus points. (You can read my review of the most controversial film of 2023 here.)
“More than the filmmaker, the onus lies with the audience today. You take responsibility too for the kind of films you watch. That’s what decides what kind of films will be made. You decide what’s made and what should be rejected. The values and moralities shown in our films lie in your hands.” This translates what Javed Akhtar originally said at the film festival, in Hindi, to English.
Some millennials have called out Javed Akhtar for his statements by labelling him as old-fashioned, old-school, orthodox, and conservative. However, their thinking is wrong, in my opinion. What Akhtar has pointed out is absolutely valid. His concern is genuine, but his reason is not. It is not a generational gap, it is only a steady degradation or decline of moral ethics and values.
The Film Team of Animal has slyly responded to Javed Akhtar’s comment by calling his artform “false”, and by disrespecting him and his vast body of work. Is that not outrageously ridiculous? You know that you have made a problematic and morally incorrect film when you have to respond to every criticism, and defend yourself to seek approval and validation every now and then. And it also bears testimony to the fact that the film is immensely toxic and societally harmful and destructive. Just look at their audacity!
Partially, I do agree with Javed Akhtar’s statement. What do the filmmakers do? They make films. What do the viewers do? They consume the films. Why do the filmmakers make these films? They make them so that the “aam jantaa” watches them. And when we watch these films, the filmmakers earn and make money. We are the ones who are paying them.
In 2019, Shah Rukh Khan had remarked on a talk-show that he is an “employee” of the “myth” of Shah Rukh Khan. So, he works for that myth. “I always tell everyone; I am an employee of the myth of Shah Rukh Khan. So I work for that myth.”
What Shah Rukh Khan meant is that he is employed by his “legacy”, and his legacy exists because of all the love that his fans have showered on him for all these years. He is employed by his fans. A star is nothing without his fans. A star is a “star” because of his fans. Hence, the fans have the capacity to help retain or overthrow the status of “stardom” that a star holds.
For as long as we fans are entertained by certain kinds of films, or by certain filmmakers or actors, they shall thrive, and their business will thrive. If we do not support them and their work, they shall fail to thrive. So, in that way, the audience does have the capacity to decide what kind of films will work, and what kind of films ought to be made.
If the audience does not support a particular film, it will not substantially earn huge numerical figures. If it does not work at the box-office, the filmmakers will not make such films. If the audience supports a particular film and it performs well at the box-office, more films of that kind will be made. Hence, the audience’s capacity to reject or boycott a particular film of a particular kind is bound to affect what the filmmakers will create and produce. It will determine the sort of films that are made, henceforth.
However, it is noteworthy that the average Indian viewer is immature, unsophisticated, and lacks the right taste or preference. Though these terms are relative, the Indian audience is backward and unwise in general. Satyajit Ray pointed this out many years ago. Hence, the onus cannot be placed entirely on the audience’s shoulders. That is just unfair and impractical. I can’t agree more when I see comments on posts on social media saying that films like Animal are ruining Indian cinema and Indian culture, and are nastily corrupting the mentalities of the youth.
The filmmakers, as well as the Censor Board, have an equally important role to play in the approval and acceptance of films like Animal. Films like Animal, which are so diligently invested in portraying violence, misogyny, patriarchy, and sexuality, are bound to affect and influence the mentalities of the consumers. Films do shape opinions, mindsets, and ideologies. Hence, the filmmakers do have a moral responsibility or obligation, at least to a certain extent, to not show such abhorrent or despicable things on the screen that might prove to be destructive or harmful towards society.
We can ask many questions with reference to this. Should problematic and sexist films be banned? Should Vanga be debarred from making films? Should the Censor Board be more vigilant? (Note that Animal is an A-rated movie.) Does anyone have the right to decide what is good and what is bad, or what is right and what is wrong for society? Does anyone have the right to suppress an artform of any kind? All these issues can spark subjective debates, but there is no definite solution or answer to any of these.
What or who creates an all-encompassing society that boasts of great culture? Though the concept of a “sound society” is ideal and utopian and unachievable, every citizen counts. Every citizen’s opinion counts. Every citizen’s deeds count. Our culture must not be degraded by value erosion. Together, all of us can create an ideal society, provided that we all work towards being morally correct and just individuals. We individuals constitute our society. Hence, if we maintain our virtues and stick to our values, our society will thrive. And that will directly reflect in our culture and tradition.