Intolerable Stupidity

Tolerating stupidity is an art that gets finer with each passing day. It's not an easy task to be ignorant and yet be attentive enough not to spurn an idiot off. This is something that we Indians need to become good at. I can successfully compare the impending greatness of this nation to the level of ignorance and intolerance towards stupidity. Call it co-existence of ideas or whatever you may, the fact remains that if you can adjust to stupidity there is no way in hell you can become great.

In India it's fashionable to react. By react I don't mean saying something to the effect like, "Uh..yeah OK I hear you....hmm fine.." No Sir. In India reaction ain't reaction till it becomes news. But we won't stop at that for why chose mere news over breaking news! If someone shows a character in a TV show who suggests condom for safer sex then people will gang up in front of the channels office and pelt stones. Now that's reaction. And the bigger the mob gets the better. In all fairness the founding fathers of this nation had no clue that simple things as freedom to speak one's mind would swing in such polar directions. Patience and intolerance died some time ago. Now days these are things lovingly and nostalgically used to describe Mahatma Gandhi's approach towards life.

Reactions are a good thing. They make others aware that you are indeed alive and kicking. But this new found intolerance in Indians is beyond simple comprehension. Simply put, people are no longer patient. I have no problem with that but one needs to figure out what's worthy of a reaction. Take this for instance. Stand up guy Russell Peters performs in India and says something that almost every NRI feels about Hindi cinema. He called them stupid and something where one succeeds primarily on the basis of looks. Well nothing wrong in that. He went on to add that Aishwarya Rai is the most beautiful one around but a non-actor. What the hell is so wrong with what he said? He might not have seen films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal wherein Ms. Rai Bachchan managed to perform. In any case what Peters offers is an opinion and no one should make too much of it. But no. trust Indians to react. The next day papers carried a story as to how this act of his had offended Ms. Rai Bachchan's friends and fans!!!!

I think more than anything people are bored and hence they want things to react at. What was the big deal about Adam Gilchrist talking non-sense about Sachin Tendulkar? What was the need for an entire nation to come to grinding halt and REACT? And people are so used to people reacting that some times people force people to react. Every time a politician is arrested or pulled up his supporters go in a frenzy. Of course the politicians call this an equal and opposite reaction!

Now consider this. Ketan Mehta's latest film Rang Rasiya is about Raja Ravi Verma's life. Now if it's about a painter there will be paintings and if the painter happens to be someone who has created magnificent portraits then there are bound to be scenes that recreate some masterpieces. Now if some actor portrays the artist then logically someone will portray the model. It so happens that in the film Nandana Sen is the lady who poses for Verma's Lakshmi. Taking artistic liberties the filmmaker has got reproductions where Ms. Sen's face is prominently featured as goddess Lakshmi. It's a simple thing in a 'smallish' film that might not be so noticeable but all leading dailies have been repeatedly running stories with crazy headlines such as "Nandana Sen's face superimposed on Goddess Lakshmi, is it a controversy in the making?" I have seen this article three times in different forms. Even if there were no danger these papers would create a scenario where things could get out of hand.

Wow!

This really worked. Maybe Ketan Mehta's publicity team should be congratulated for it already got me to react!

We could all get together and no react to stupidity but…look at me and the way I realized and reacted. It was so much fun. Here I was getting all agitated at people's reaction to all things stupid. And I got carried away and now I can't come back!

Now I know why reaction is better. Much better than mere action!

Image Courtesy: www.hindugujarati.org

Lights, Camera...so what about some Action!

Of late a lot of Indian actors are landing up with meaty roles in international films. This is a good thing as most of them have decided to partake on non-sense of an international level rather than being happy at home. I wonder what is the real good thing about it anyway? Celina Jaitley has just signed her second international project. Of course she couldn’t be a part of The Pink Panther sequel as that role is now a part of Aishwarya Rai’s resume. Celina went to town saying that ‘some people’ get their agents to comment that no one was offered the role but their client. Why is she so pissed about? The producer of The Quest of Sheherzade, her second international production, claims that he is aware of her work and possesses the sensitivities that are necessary for the project. Well if films like Jaansheen, Tom, Dick, and Harry, Shaka Laka Boom Boom can get her work then god save us. Celina now wants to do a German film, as she is very fluent in the language. Is that right Ms. Jaitley? Well fear not for your first English film, ‘Love Has No Language’, a joint New Zealand-Australian venture, seems to take care of that problem.

The other custodian of Indian culture is perhaps too busy representing India at a global level and when she isn’t caught up with that she is busy accepting honorary doctorates. Shilpa Shetty hasn’t signed a single ‘foreign’ film but thanks to her newly found status as Bollywood is doing a stupid musical called something like Bollywood Nights or Days or Afternoons. She was talking about it as if it were the most important event to unfold; she assured the Indian news channel interviewing her that though the West knew about the kind of films we made (is the cat finally out of the bag!?) she would ensure that they get a first hand experience of the song-dance routine of ‘Bollywood’. Way to go Ms. Shetty! Keep up the good work and someone might just recommend your name for the Rajya Sabha.

Queen bee Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has done a few ‘International’ projects in the past though the validity of a film like Provoked in terms of being an international film is doubtful. She is, as Julia Roberts feels, the most beautiful woman in the world and yet manages only second-rate Hollywood films like The Last Legion. The Michael Douglas film about diamond traders is still to take off; the rumors of how she was supposed to play the female lead in Hitch are still doing the rounds and there is no news about the film with Meryl Streep. One thing is for sure (as sure as it get in films) she is finally going to play Mumtaz Mahal. Ever since she started acting Aishwarya was poised to portray the Mughal queen on numerous occasions- an abandoned Bharat Bala version, one version called Journey Through India and a Shekhar Kapur version; there is always a Shekhar Kapur version of every exotic Indian subject! This time around Sir Ben Kingsley will play Shah Jahan to her Mumtaz.

Aishwarya Rai, Celina Jaitley, Lara Dutta, Shilpa Shetty and Bipasha Basu have all been taking about how their looks can pass them off as Latinas or Spaniards. Well looks are one thing and the intention is another. All these actors just refuse to behave normally. Aishwarya won’t kiss on screen and she calls herself the next Penelope Cruz. Celina Jaitley might harbor intentions of being the new Salma Hayek but she won’t find that easy if she claims like a good Indian woman she won’t show skin on screen. Lara Dutta and Bipasha will do anything for Yashraj films but will think twice when it’s some international project.

I’m not saying go all out or female actors are only meant to show skin but let’s be practical here for once. Why is that every time they play a walk on part or get interviewed on Oprah Winfrey they think they are on national duty? Why is that every time Shilpa Shetty opens her mouth to speak it’s as if national policy was being discussed? There is nothing great in this trend of the West taking interest in us. If people like Shilpa Shetty think this is thanks to them then let me tell them that this has been the case ever since the West got a whiff of our spices! It’s pure economics and nothing else and one more example of the world really being flat!