There are people around who say that it’s only the Kerala film industry which is speaking out against harassment, abuse and the casting ‘ouch’! But, reporting as I am from Mumbai, let me assure you that’s not true. Bollywood is not sitting idle, waiting for the storm to pass – in fact, it is speaking through its cinema.
RRR
Bollywood has borrowed this masterpiece – RRR - from Telugu films. Standing for Rowdies Rule Roost, it caught the imagination of the public because it faithfully described how the power families of the industry determine the starlets who need to be placed on a pedestal and those whose career needs to be nipped in the bud. When you have a lot to say but don’t know how, you sing. Their song has become an anthem for the movement: ‘Me too, me to, me-eee to’. The song went on to win an Oscar, in recognition no doubt of the actors risking life and limb – specifically sprained ankles and dislocated joints in enacting it
Thinking Woman, Missing Men
She is the thinking women’s director and known to push the envelope farther than any in her tribe. Taking one look at the prevailing situation, she turned the spotlight on the case of the missing men folk. Where have they all the guys gone? To the Gulf, as most decent Malayalis do? Or, have they taken impromptu retirement? Actually, when the going got tough, the men did what they used to do when they were children – they hid behind AMMA. The troubled tale was told with trademark wit and humour and became one of the most talked about movies of the year – Laapata Lads.
Follywood Files
Move over Kerala Files, it’s time for the more creepy Follywood Files. This time it’s not about young women losing their way and landing up in Afghanistan. It’s about complaints of sexual harassment losing their way and finding themselves in the dustbin. You could be out on a shoot and hear the late night knock on your door.
‘Knock, knock!’
‘Who’s there?
‘A re-take.’
‘Re-take of what?’
‘The casting couch.’
Whom do you complain to? There’s no point complaining to the director for there is a good chance that he is doing the knocking. There’s no point lodging an FIR because you will only be adding fodder to the Follywood Files.
Blind Bahubalis
The Bahubali band of 10 to 15 men are incredibly muscled. They are so powerful that when they walk, theatres and TV monitors tremble under their feet. But the Bahubalis of Mollywood have one fatal flaw - they are blind. They don’t see the thugs of filmistan going about their business. They can’t see a senior actor staging an abduction and assault on a co-star who spilt the beans. They can’t see the male chauvinism that is all over. They are bhakts of Gandhiji’s monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, and all we can do is wait for eventual liberty.
First AMMA, now ACHAMMA
What’s the point, people ask, of the office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) resigning at this stage. It may make for good theatre but little else. It does not seem to make much difference if they are in office or outside. But, I think we are being unfair. Resigning from the august body gives our top artistes a good reason to put on the expression of injured innocence that they have adopted as a default feature ever since the Justice Hema Committee Report came out. Now that everyone knows AMMA is a paper tiger, I hope we have better luck with ACHAMMA - Arranging Covert Hits Against Mafia of Movie Artistes.
Kalki Cleansing
Everything so far has been depressing news, but all is not lost. There are more pages of the Hema Committee report still to be revealed to the world. There is also a movie which should inspire us - Kalki. It is an epic set in the future where good and evil battle with each other, and after three engrossing hours, good emerges victorious. We are sure that eventually Malayalam film industry will emerge cleansed. Only thing, you will need to wait 874 odd years for it to happen because it is Kalki 2898.
