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Instead of waiting for the latest controversy to subside, we need to take steps to create a more equal and fair workplace
year 2012, priyanka chopraOne of Bollywood’s top female actors has released the music video “In My City” as part of her album. For kids in the 2010sChopra was clearly trying too hard, not being a rock star singer. But as an actor, she easily takes on a variety of roles. It is a model (fashion(7 Coon Murph) in the case of an unfavorable marriage, the husband, or anyone who doesn’t bat an eyelid before hitting seven. It begs the question of why a successful Bollywood star of 18 years flew to Hollywood to find his feet as a singer.
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This question was finally addressed by Chopra, now Chopra Jonas himself, in a recent interview with Dax Shepard on the podcast Armchair Expert. Midway through the conversation, she revealed that years ago she was “hunted down” in the Bollywood industry because “she felt safe.” She wasn’t cast because “she ate beef with people.” She talked about everything from posh clubs and cliques within the industry to “nepo her baby.”
Her revelation has re-docked Bollywood, which has yet to recover from the events following actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide in 2020. Allegations of ill-treatment against (both were) are not new. But mainstream Bollywood heroines who have achieved some success rarely speak up. If top actresses can be kicked out after 10+ years of success and critical acclaim, what chance do newcomers have?
Bollywood has always been a men’s club. Female actors are paid only a fraction of what their male co-stars command, bank film star careers are short-lived, and many are believed to be well past the “sell-out” age of under 30. . Even songs, a mainstay of Hindi cinema, rarely have a female perspective. The odds are heavily stacked against them.If they rub someone the wrong way or get into an argument, whether they made it or not, they may say goodbye to their careers, or at least to a coveted role. No. Case in point: Aishwarya Rai fired from film Charte Charte, apparently because her abusive ex-boyfriend caused a ruckus on the movie set. No other workplace can pull off something so unprofessional and insensitive.
No industry can claim to be completely fair in its treatment of women, but Bollywood has a particularly troubling history of showing women “their rightful place”. Borrowing from the title, it says “satkoon maaf” (All sins are forgiven).
Chopra Jonas’ accusations have never come at such an inconvenient time for Bollywood. With censorship and boycott calls, and the OTT boom, even big stars like Akshay Kumar are going through a string of box office failures. No one wants another blow to a beleaguered industry when it’s guaranteed.
But instead of waiting for this latest controversy to blow away, Bollywood would be better off using criticism from one of India’s biggest and most internationally recognized stars as an opportunity to look inside. The industry needs to reflect on how to create a fair and just workplace. And most importantly, how can accountability be fixed?
Despite its flaws, the Hindi film industry offers hope in the worst of times. Three hours alone sells a dream that helps viewers forget reality and invest in the fictional lives of fictional people.In an increasingly polarized world, it remains a bastion of secularism. And despite all of nepotism’s claims, its biggest stars are still outsiders and members of religious minorities. came. The road is long and difficult, but worth every effort.
deepika.singh@expressindia.com
© Indian Express (P) Ltd
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