Uruguayan film director Fede Alvarez, whose film Don’t Breathe releases in India soon spoke about Indian movies, saying that he loved Bollywood films and his fascinated by how there can be a three hour long love story without any kisses. On the other hand veteran Indian actor Victor Banerjee recently spoke about how our films often have ‘filthy’ content. According to him, foreign viewers often describe some of the content as ‘soft porn’ wondering how kids are allowed to watch the movies, particularly the exceedingly raunchy song sequences with suggestive and often offensive lyrics.
There is heaving and thrusting, there are suggesting gestures and actually offensive lyrics. But no one wants to object?
It is unspeakable what misogyny, crudeness and crassness passes for ‘adult comedy’ in Bollywood. This poster is seen by kids and everyone else and there is no objection save the nudge-nudge, wink-wink kind of salacious response.
Offensive lyrics, gyrating and crude vulgarity is not deemed objectionable, but a kiss? Shocking!
The way that young couples looking for a bit of privacy being hounded by police and self appointed upholders of public morality; and the general public disapproval they attract points to the fact that Indians are just uncomfortable with public display of affection; especially of the romantic kind.
If a young couple is seen to be kissing or hugging in one corner of a park, the general attitude is: how can you do this in public where there are kids around. However, those same kids may be watching TV unsupervised, including viewing the most suggestive and raunchy of Hindi film numbers and the parents think nothing of it. Parents will also try and sneak kids into movies classified as adult if it’s convenient for them; the double standards and hypocrisy are obvious to see.
If the leading pair is going to kiss on screen, this still makes news. There are several actors who refuse to kiss on screen. The kisses become the USP of a movie; in the film there is a big lead-up to the kissing scene and during the scene there is music and dramatic camera angles to signify importance of the event. Kisses are counted, view, reviewed and get more attention than the rest of the movie.
Alas for Bollywood, it also has to toe the line of the censor board Board of Film Certification and the sensibilities of whoever is currently in charge of that rather archaic and prudish organisation. So if Pahlaj Nihalani says this kiss is too long or if he says that some other content is unsuitable, it pretty much is! And so it is that we are destined to view at least some ‘filth’ in times to come while eyebrows will continue to be raised at the merest brush of the lips.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
