Why #Padmavati deserves a walk of dignity

There has been a huge hue and cry over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest magnum opus, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor. Those who follow Bollywood news will realise that this is not the first time we are witnessing a brouhaha over a film and its content. Let us believe for once, that the fringe groups that are protesting and crying hoarse over the film’s subject and treatment have a decent idea over the authenticity of the historical characters that are being essayed in the film. Now let us suppose that Bhansali has read his history lessons wrong and thus has taken the liberty to turn the film upside down as per his whims and fancies. In this case, the rabble rousers would be justified in nursing a grouse and even taking certain measures to make sure that the wrongdoers are not allowed to malign a much-venerated historical personality’s name. 

There are several problems with these two premises in themselves. Firstly, nobody knows what SLB has made. Nobody who is protesting at least, unless they have been offered a special dekko of the film before its release or were part of the script reading sessions with the cast or were given a special preview of the story by the makers of the film. So now that we don’t know what the film is depicting and how, how do we assume it is distorting content? Now we come to content itself, how are those claiming to know their history so sure that they have researched and got to the bottom of what these characters were doing in a previous century only available to us through documented records? Who is to claim the authenticity of those writers? How do we know whether Padmavati was indeed a reigning  queen of her time or a figment of someone’s active imagination? How well have historians been able to understand the period she was living in, how engaged were they in the daily events that were unfolding in that era and do we have enough substantial proof to support different points of views of historians during that time to be able to distinguish fact from fiction, fable from reality and creative liberty from a more pragmatic approach?

And yet, there has been a horde of people trolling the release of the film. I am surprised at how many educated people are part of this, not driven by any political agenda or personal malice against the makers of the film. What triggers so many very sensible people otherwise to launch a tirade against an entity they barely know? How many of us were reading chapters on Padmavati in school? Whose reality are we basing our viewpoint on? And how practical is it for us to be raging against a popular piece of art, that is a mere perspective of its maker, who has amply claimed it to have no foundation on actual events that might have happened? Unless we can swear that we have read every piece of material that exists on the saga of Padmavati, we cannot even start calling someone else’s fraud as what we may be doing is equally heinous- throwing up our own intentional ire on forces that run parallel to our highly averse and poorly formed judgement.

I do not wish to defend any filmmaker or film or writer who wishes to give history its own spin, with a deliberate attempt to damage someone’s reputation (may it be a living or dead person). I also do not wish to say we are wrong in questioning the right of such individuals who choose to challenge socio-cultural beliefs around a certain public figure. However, let’s also understand that when one tends to eulogise about a real-life person on screen, lauding his/her work and putting him/her up there on a pedestal, we are still not mirroring reality but presenting our version of facts, a mere essay that projects our point-of-view on others. Be it criticism or praise, when we choose to take a side as a maker potraying a real-life personality, how much objectivity can we claim to achieve allowing different points of view about the same person? For example,  Mahatma Gandhi remains a world-renowned freedom fighter with plenty of those who worship him and those who do not hesitate to be harsh in their review of his political stance, his decision-making as a statesman and an ambassador of satyagraha. While there are some who will vouch for Indira Gandhi’s leadership prowess, they are others who shun her divisive policies and inability to rise above nepotism. There are other public figures who are clearly contentious in character- Vijay Mallya, Hugh Hefner, Michael Jackson…all of them inarguably hold powerful positions in people’s minds: as those who should be looked up to as role models and equally derided by others as people who misused their power for their own selfish motives.

It is extremely detrimental to take sides without knowing the truth. What sets the educated class from the ignorant or the easily gullible is that we are bestowed the power to be able to acquire knowledge, analyse, reason out and then make our estimations about the world around us. Let us not be misled by miscreants to assume a falsified stand. As someone who loves cinema and has enjoyed watching the SLB brand of filmmaking for its sheer grandeur and dramatic gratification, I would like to respect the makers’ need to tell this story. How relevant it may be or how twisted in its tale is best known only to them and will unravel only after watching it. If after watching the film, people still surmise that its content is sullied/malignant/defamatory, they can voice their protest by seeking legal aid. Until then, let us lift our finger from our keypad and recognise the true meaning of the words ‘silence is golden’. 

When beauty has millions of beholders

It has been ages since I wrote a celebrity-driven blog and there have been a number of reasons why I have refrained from writing about films or filmi personalities for some time now. Anything about Kangana Ranaut seems stale the next day as she has already said something new to add to the burgeoning controversy that has become her life. I have nothing new to write about people like Aamir Khan who continue to hold up the baton of ‘good content can make good cinema’ in an otherwise heavily commercialised (read formulaic) world of Bollywood. And no new stars have particularly piqued my curiosity to make interesting observations about them after say my last post on Vikrant Massey. 

So I am myself a bit amused writing this post today about a Bollywood diva who I am not even personally a fan of! I have been following her journey in glamour from the time she won the Miss India first runner up crown only to win the country its much-coveted spot under the sun as Miss World in 1994. With beauty pageants being the rage at that time and none so venerated as the Miss Universe and Miss World titles, the 22 year old Aishwarya Rai let none of the glory that Sushmita Sen won with the Miss Universe crown faze her own victory the same year. She was toasted as the new ambassador of the nation while her beauty was extolled with copious amounts of newspaper and magazine odes dedicated to her mersmerising green-grey eyes, her boundless grace and elegance and a cultivated smile that she knew when to flash and at whom.

Miss Rai carried the pride of being the new representative of India’s bountiful beauty and intelligence as a 21^st century woman with aplomb. She soon became the idol every teenager wanted to grow up to emulate and parents were suddenly naming their daughters Aishwarya after her, so that they might inherit some amount of the fame she claimed. Solidifying the trend of beauty pageant winners going on to become Hindi film actors, Aishwarya soon set a fine foot in to the industry in the year 1997 with the much-hyped Aur Pyar Ho Gaya opposite an equally fresh off the oven Bobby Deol who had made his debut with the forgettable Barsaat two years before her. It probably helped that Gupt that till date remains one of his biggest hits released in the same year as Aishwarya’s debut film but it didn’t help Aur Pyar Ho Gaya from sinking without a trace at the box office. The film may have not won her any great acting plaudits but it got her registered as someone who was here to make a mark. Pity that the film was a weak canvas for a competent actor who could have done well under a more capable filmmaker- as evident in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar which released the same year but had a small audience thanks to its regional flavour.

Since then, in a career rich with as many hits as misses, Aishwarya has often earned herself rave reviews as well as blistering brickbats as both critics and audience have taken turns to applaud or pan her depending on each of her performances. Even after establishing herself as someone who can hold her own against reigning superstars like Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in films like Devdas and Jodha Akbar respectively, there have been people who questioned her presence on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival every year and chose to instead deride her fashion sense with every appearance on the red carpet. In fact, to summarise Aishwarya’s journey under the spotlight so far, her enamouring appeal has brought her down as much as it has catapulted her standing as a hot-selling star. It has made her constant fodder for those who choose to never look beyond the external lure of her face. Her flawless appearance has overshadowed the efforts to come across as a serious actor, as a skilled diplomat when it comes to international affairs and as a smart and savvy celebrity woman who has known how to balance her professional and personal life pretty stably, in spite of a highly torrid affair with a superstar before marriage and her subsequent entry in a renowned A list sasuraal. 

So on her 44^th birthday, I choose to be nice and trace how the very essence of her popularity- her looks have gone a long way in making some of her films memorable so far. Instead of the flaky veneer we assume make up and styling to be, in Aishwarya’s case it has gone on to add oodles of oomph to her personality and the character she essayed in each of these films, proving that the grooming of a star often has a great impact on her overall appeal among the masses.

In order of release then, here’s a list of five films that have made the alluring Aishwarya’s star quotient scale heights few have been able to measure up to so far:

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)- Still raw and hungry for recognition as a full-fledged actor, Aishwarya discovered a new school of acting under Sanjay Leela Bhansali and so beautiful was the transformation in to her role as Nandini that we were forced to nod in approval. The plunging necklines, the backless cholis, the ethnic jewellery and the very Indian make up were carefully drawn up to bring alive a sprightly and gorgeous Gujarati belle who knew her mind. The voluminous ghagras were replaced by body-hugging sarees in the second half of the film, draped to show off a mannequin-like fragility under the cold demeanour of a woman married off against her wishes. Minimal jewellery accessorised her person in the latter half as she pined for her lover and struggled to understand the motivations of her husband and yet the intricate detailing with a juda pin or the sole focus on her mangal sutra acted as part of the endearing character that she played.

Devdas (2002)- Her next outing with Maverick Bhansali showed a natural progression in confidence. Although trolled for not being able to bring out the simplicity of a Bengali lass in a British era-based Kolkata, Aishwarya infused her own delicate vulnerability to the role of Paro as she essayed the complex transition of being a humble, passionate lover to a wealthy, married landlady. Considering nothing in an SLB film is short of grand, she managed to outshine the classic and more glamourous appearance of Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi with her swan-like stance, matching steps with the senior and more talented actor literally and figuratively. She managed to not get buried under the weight of the heavy zaree-laid sarees while nursing a broken heart and voicing her pain at her lover’s tumultuous destruction.

Dhoom 2 (2006)- Giving her traditional couture some rest, Ash got in to urban street style mode with this Indian spin off on an Amreekan flavoured cop-crook drama. She had the overtly sexy Bipasha

Basu to contend with for top honours but even with her apparently demure personality, she managed to steal the attention of the audience with her leggy footwork, flirting with dramatically revealing bikini tops and mini skirts. With a wardrobe flavoured with a spicy Latino lilt, she managed to shed the ‘desi’ avatar and don a more millennial-worthy western chic look, complete with an Angelina Jolie style pout and (ahem) lip lock with the equally sizzling Hrithik Roshan.

Jodha Akbar (2008)- Two years later, she was letting Dhoom 2 become history for her fans with her complete U-turn as Jodha opposite Hrithik as the formidable Akbar Badshah. In a role

where she was to look as breath-taking as she was to seem bold, this Rajput princess convinced us how the mighty Mughal emperor may have fallen for her. With costumes that could suit royalty and jewellery that flaunted old world charm, she looked as comfortable as Jodha as she had as the city-bred Sunehri in Dhoom 2.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)- And just when we were beginning to write off her sojourn as an actor to look out for after motherhood, she came out all guns blazing with her turn out as Saba, an Urdu shayari spewing poetess settled in Vienna. With her flowy trench coats and slinky gowns, she rocked the role of an older but heart-wrenchingly attractive lover who could reign in the lost and lonely Ayan Sanger. Her exclusive shoot with Ranbir for the film where the two seem comfortably intimate with each other may have set tongues wagging in a country unfamiliar with married, older female actors oozing so much raw sexuality, but fans weren’t complaining. The film was a hit, everyone who had anything to do with it went home happy and Aishwarya managed to even win the critics with most adjudging her the most palatable part of the film.

Considering her years in tinseltown, Aishwarya is now familiar with what efforts must be endured in the green room to look like a peacock every time she struts out, and I am sure she is not done reinventing herself yet. At 44, that is more than you can say for most actors her age so here’s toasting a new era for Indian women beyond 40, stay haughty or get naughty but never let the curtains roll down for a time of rediscovery has just begun!