To start the initiative, ‘Mard Bachao’…
No, we are just joking! But look at this picture, isn’t this what it looks like?
No, they went there so that they can convince the PM to help them save more money! Why not just make the big stars lower their exorbitant fees?
A delegation representing the film and entertainment industry called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday. The delegation comprising Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Rakesh Roshan, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, film producers Karan Johar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Siddhartha Roy Kapur pitched for lower and uniform rates of GST for the entertainment industry in India.
You know during the #MeToo movement, the PM didn’t utter a word about it. Some female leaders even wanted to meet him up to discuss this issue, but they couldn’t. And these men could?
What they supposedly discussed is not as interesting as checking who is in the picture! Look at who is sitting next to the PM? It is like he went there to ask for discounts for his next tow big budget films. Or maybe went for the purpose of Star Kids ko bachao! #NepotismZindabad
Then, we have Mr.Canada Kumar/Bhatia. Speaking of Mr. CreepyBones, we heard last week how he paid off at least 3 publications to not publish their #MeToo discovery about him. Other than the victim, he has also paid the media to keep quiet. We are thinking about this because Mumbai Mirror’s ‘Tailpiece’ disappeared since last week. We are hoping to see it back, but that part disappeared but the column is still being posted every day. We are asking around to see what’s the real reason for that. For now, it looks really fishy.
Right in front of the PM is another creep Mr. Devgan, who looks like he is giving the “I am watching you” sign to the PM. How did they get both Kumar and Devgan to appear in the same room together? These two can’t stand each other! Well, when it is about saving money and making more money, all egos drop!
When this picture was shared, presumably by Akshay Kumar, everyone (well, most women) online started noticing how not a single lady was included. Other than producers, the meeting also included actors and a self-proclaimed fashionista so why exclude women?
It is probably a sign that the industry will not change its ways. On the face of it, they pretend to change but they are still the same. After all, how do you make change happen in an environment that has been a particular way for decades?
This room looks like a really big and spacious room. Can everyone besides KJo and Akshay hear what the PM is saying? Just wondering!
This isn’t a delegation, Chamchon ki Fauj hai yeh….ek se badhkar ek chaaploos….Akshay, Ajay, Rakesh, Prasoon….all of them…Akshay ki toh Fati padi hai…u can see it in his body.language..Me Too se uski pol na khul jaye Kahi…
p.s.: admin, this is my 5th attempt at commenting…any issues with it??
BTW, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, and Smriti Irani are publicly elected representatives who happen to be actresses. So basically, the public of India thinks they are good enough to represent them, but this malegation couldn’t find anyone to represent their industry. Just saying.
Sun,
“Women have to fight their own battle.”
Do you know what happened in the Dileep case? The actress was kidnapped, molested and the incident taped for future blackmailing purpose. The men of Kollywood protected Dileep to the end, and it took a whole lot of public backlash to even get him ousted by the Actors Association. But the female actresses/directors etc did fight back.
Do you know what Alok Nath and Sajid Khan did to the women who stood up to them? Brutally raped and mentally abused them. These victims are fighting back too.
Do you know what happened to Tanushree, Sayali Bhagat etc who did speak up? Political goons were hired to threaten them, and their acting careers were killed. They spoke up, haven’t they?
Very easy for you to say that “Nothing is more important than one’s safety and dignity.” But if the consequences are rape, abuse, harassment of family, and complete loss of financial safety net – what are they supposed to do? Has justice been served in any of these cases?
“Female actress have a mileage because they have money, resources and they will be heard unlike their lesser known female colleagues.” The renumeration and access of all the actresses you mentioned really depends on the male actors support, or support of their families. None of them have any independent power within the Bollywood structure.
“You remember that these women are educated, free. I have seen uneducated vegetable women vendors, fight for the right price for their vegetables.” Sorry, you are comparing institutionalized sexism to incidents of price haggling. When women are damned if they do, damned if they don’t – the hell yes, its institutionalized sexism, and mere education doesn’t free you from it. Bollywood’s institutionalized sexism is akin to caste discrimination and feudal exploitation, and please do remember that the latter lasted thousands of years, and was economically successful. “Bollywood is an old industry. They would have not sustained so long and made wonderful work, if did not have professionalism or integrity.” Like I said, feudal and casteist India also has very old and long lasting rules – but their success came at the cost of exploitation of others. All those beautiful palaces, bedecked elephants/horses, luxurious lifestyles, and gorgeous jewelry? That was backed by blatant discrimination.
If caste barriers broke down in India, it was because affirmative action helped bring about structural changes. It wasn’t just because, they fought for it. So now that the women in Bollywood are fighting, why not call out the men for their double standards? After all, if the topic of discussion was tax breaks for agricultural industry, and the only ones at the table were large, powerful landowners, you wouldn’t say – well the small, marginalized farmers need to work hard, earn more and then they will be at the table, would you?
meghna gulzar, zoya akhtar, gauri shinde, alankrita shrivastava, ashwini iyer tiwari have all directed critically acclaimed hits in recent years. anushka and priyanka have produced multiple films. Just this year – nandita das’s directorial debut premiered at cannes, india’s oscar entry was written, edited, produced, directed by a woman, deepika made more money than ajay devgan by a decent margin. even sonam who someone here dissed, yes she has privilege, but she has been part of two female-centric hit films – a long-overdue trend in bollywood. its easy to criticise but given the rampant sexism/misogyny we’re used to seeing on-screen, the harassment and abuse on-set, the brutally short shelf-lives assigned to women by indian audiences, these are not small achievements. and to the person accusing women of putting family before career first – how many indian men will agree to taking a cut in working hours to take care of kids after school, how many indian in-laws will allow a woman to travel freely for work, come back late at night no questions asked. maybe women should just stop having kids and bring the human race to a halt hm??
I’ll just like to point out that the actresses who earned more than the actors are as a result of modelling and endorsement earnings, not movies. Deepika might have earned more than Ajay Devgn in terms of annual earnings but is she earning higher in terms of earnings for acting? A larger percentage of her earnings is from endorsements and magazine covers.
Also, can you say Deepika is more powerful than Ajay Devgn in Bollywood because she earned more? Money doesn’t equal power e.g. SRK is currently the richest actor but Salman is definitely more powerful. If i were in Bollywood, i’ll be more afraid of Salman than SRK.
Whether we admit it or not, Deepika’s success in Bollywood is still heavily dependent in one way or another on male producers and directors. If SLB stops using her and producers continue to choose to go for other actresses rather than pay her the amount she wants, she’ll be affected. Unless she becomes a producer AND her films remain as successful as they have been. Kareena also still depends on friendships with male co-stars and producer/directors to get her films.
Also, who were the producers behind the female-centric films? A greater percentage are the men. Dear Zindagi and Raazi for example had a female protagonist and director. But who took the highest earnings from those films? Men. Rhea and Ekta Kapoor’s source of wealth comes from men; their fathers.
Even Tabu as talented as she is i hear still relies on her friendships with male co-stars and producers to get good films. Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan can choose great scripts and act in them thanks to their producer husbands. Kajol can still get lead roles thanks to SRK and Ajay Devgn. I didn’t include KJo as he’s focused on Kareena and Alia whose recent films have been successful. Anuskha and Priyanka have become producers in recent times but how well did the films fare? Where they up to the top ten most successful films? No.
Kangana is trying to break the rules especially as she has started kissing up to the PM but if her film becomes successful, her producer (male) will get the highest earnings. And frankly, most Bollywood people don’t respect her.
My point is, women in Bollywood are not the big players (yet).
@Hmm, the point I was trying to make was there are many talented, driven women in the industry who are trying to break the mould and are gaining recognition not just in this country but internationally. Did none of them merit a seat in this delegation? Yes of course power and money is concentrated in the hands of a few male hands, in Bollywood – as is the case in most industries and sectors in most parts of the world. But of all years, this year, when there has been so much written about the toxic and predatory working environment in the industry for women, when so many women have bravely come forward about being abused, harassed and raped by producers, casting directors, talent managers, actors – did this not merit even a minute or two of public discourse at a forum such as this?
ajay and akshay and salman were not so powerful in their 20s and 30s were they? they were fortunate that indian audiences will watch a 40-50 year old man romance a woman half his age and beat up a dozen goons with one hand, but will shun a gorgeous talented 30 something woman the minute she gets married because they cant project their sick fantasies upon her.
And sure dear zindagi and raazi and english vinglish and lipstick under my burkha may have had male producers but women were the creative force behind them. and i think each one of these movies is a million times more worth watching than a golmaal or a singham. but yes of course that is just my opinion and clearly not shared by the masses. money talks and we are a long way away from women controlling the purse strings and wielding real power in Bollywood. but that will only happen when there are more inclusive conversations, maybe even affirmative action initiatives like the diversity clauses some hollywood stars are championing, stronger mechanisms to investigate and punish abuse of power…all of which begins with a seat for women at the table.
The reason there are no women in panel is because there are no major women-players (except for Ekta Kapoor,Pooja Bhat or very few woman producers) in Bollywood. Bollywood (or Hollywood) is run by men with power.
There is no point having a woman in panel for the namesake. Until women ups the game, take key roles in decision making and call the shots, no-one is going to notice them. I see very few woman (likes of Kangana Ranaut,PC) walking the talk.
The rest are busy discussing about ‘item-songs-objectfying’ issues or their pay checks issues. Pay checks will improve when you add value. Half of the leading ladies in Bollywood cannot act to save themselves and the other half survive only on glamour, sucking up to their male superstars.When and from where will the change come?
Bollywood is a bad example for women empowerment.
If someone strongly feels for any cause, they need to fight for it. Not mere ‘tweet’, ‘rant’ or ‘feel’ bad about it. It will be a long struggle and may take generations.
People like Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar (whatever may be their personal biases or characters) are great actors, businessmen, producers who have spent many years honing their craft. Their success is hard earned.
The greatest disservice someone can do to the cause of feminism is fighting for equality without actually working for it! Women need to push themselves, reach there and help other women reach there.
Women not being at the top of the ladder is found in other industries across India. Its like they are there in middle level and lower level but never working as say VP’s or Directors etc. Just some regular associates. This is because after they start working they do not focus on career at all. It is all about having a family life and doing sacrifices to keep it together. In doing so they lose their identity. Look at top actresses like Ash, Kajol, Madhuri etc. They were at top but once married it was all about keeping their husbands and children happy. Sad that they do not think about themselves and their careers beyond the scope of family. Unless women rethink about career the situation will not change. They will only be there for glamour and no substance.
These are two different issues. Other industries are more structured. Women can take maternity leave and get back to her job. And more women are getting into decision making roles and are competitive.
Bollywood works on different model. Ladies needs to start early and retire early and have shorter shelf life. With biological clock ticking, there is an immense pressure to have family and settle down. Our patriarchal society cannot accept an older woman as ‘Heroine’ and career ends. So, all those statements that they took a break to raise a family is BS.
They have fewer opportunities and not all are capable of tapping those opportunities. (except few like Sridevi or Vidya Balan).
With so much resources, networking and accessibility these women can diversify their interests and work on other areas of film making.(Ekta Kapoor, Pooja Bhatt, Madhuri Dixit) They can empower themselves.
Oh, but, thats lot of work! Its lot easier to put on make up, be a socialite or trophy wife and tweet on how regressive and backward our culture is and be a torch bearer for feminism on twitter.
Feminism is a marketing tool for Bollywood. They are everything other than feminists. And it wrong to accept anything like this from them.
So all those big mouths, take a step back and do what you do best. Wear good clothes and get clicked. Leave Feminism alone.
Sun,
In the last Indian Olympics women brought home more medals then men. There are as many accomplished IAS/IPS/IFS officers that are female who are chief secretaries and serve in dangerous terrorist ridden areas and missions. The youngest girl to climb the Everest is Indian. So was the first woman to ever head the UN General assembly. Indian women are heading, managing, forging ahead in the armed forces and potentially dangerous fields of work such as off-shore drilling (I personally know of many Indian girls in Schlumberger) and deep earth mining. They head complete continental operations. They are at the top rungs in Technology and Banking Sectors. Indra Nooyi heads all of the Coca Cola Corporation. Then there are the scientists (think Mars Mission), eminent doctors, writers, editors, classical arts proponents, Jurists and Advocates in Supreme Court, our Home Minister and our Foreign Minister.
How come Bollywood is the only industry right now, that is so lacking in female leadership and success??!!
Please don’t insult us Desi women with your ‘work hard and earn it speech’. These men have benefited from an extremely unfair advantage they gained by institutional harassment of women. Its no different from fuedal villages, where men subdue women culturally and through fear.
That picture is a reflection on the prevalent sexism in Bollywood, NOT the hard work of women.
@Tina, You answered your own questions in your answers. You went about listing all the achievements of Indian women. Be it rural cooperative agencies, Diary industry or Tech industry, its women who have worked for their own betterment. Women take the lead, fight for their rights and equal wages.
And thats the exact reason why Bollywood still stinks of sexism, misogyny and women are still subdued. Because they think, like Disney movies, there is a prince charming who will come on white horse to save them. No-one is coming. Women have to fight their own battle. Be it actress or female editor or female technician.
Female actress have a mileage because they have money, resources and they will be heard unlike their lesser known female colleagues. But all they do is talk, talk and talk and not walk the talk. So, likes of Sonams, Kareenas, Katrinas either shutup and continue what you are doing.
If all women are so harassed in this industry as you put it, then I think they must stand up for it. Nothing is more important than one’s safety and dignity. We are not living in Taliban state. Bollywood is an old industry. They would have not sustained so long and made wonderful work, if did not have professionalism or integrity. I don’t think its as bad you have put it or sensationalized it. Or if its really that bad, then women should speak up.
“…they gained by institutional harassment …” – OMG, Thats a strong statement. You remember that these women are educated, free.I have seen uneducated vegetable women vendors, fight for the right price for their vegetables. I would say these women are more empowered.
“Other industries are more structured.” Exactly! So why is this group of Bollywood Men not putting in place the processes and the self-regulation that would make their industry better structured? How is it, that they are asking for lower GST (taxes) and more SOPS as an industry, but not working to ensure their industry is on par with the rest in regards to gender parity? Why ask for privileges when you don’t show any responsibility?
Also, why is your focus completely on actresses? What makes you think there are no women wanting to be Film Editors, Producers, Directors, Camera-persons etc? What is with the assumption that they are not willing to work for it? You do realize that they are heavily patronized and harassed? There are terrible blinds about how these male actors/producers/directors etc harass women on sets. From makeup artists to assistant directors – no one is spared. Its almost like Bollywood’s patriarchy is acceptable to you, and somehow the women are to blame for it!
You know, one of ideas behind the American war of Independence from Britain was that of “No Taxation without Representation”. The same principle should apply here. When 50% of this country does not have a safe work environment and are not represented in this field,then they (Bollywood) don’t deserve the status of an “Industry” or the tax breaks that go with it.
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