Amid all the hype around International Women’s Day, there was a small news item in a section that is not usually taken seriously – movie news – about actress Kangana Ranaut having said that she does not need to work with any of the Khans to succeed.
Now, to a really objective reader, this was merely a statement of fact. Kangana is among the most successful actresses in Hindi cinema today, and she has not yet been ‘paired’ in any movie with Salman, Shahrukh or Aamir Khan. You don’t have to do a ton of research to piece these simple facts together. Yet, the media reportage of Kangana’s statement gives one the impression that the sky has fallen. How can Kangana, being a girl, even say such a thing? And about the Khans too, who are all big boys!! If she had said this about one of her female compatriots in the industry, then it would merely be a juicy cat-fight: kinda cute and great material for the tabloids. But how ill-mannered of her to say this about the big boys! Ok so she’s got a bit of talent, but now she’s rather getting above herself isn’t she? That’s been the tone of all the reports I’ve had the misfortune to read.
And then my memory is cruel enough to bring up the reporting of all the lovely ‘support’ that the Khans so kindly showed towards Sunny Leone, saying they wouldn’t mind working with her even though she used to be a porn star. How conveniently sweet! I mean, if I were a male actor I wouldn’t need much prodding to work with a good-looking porn star who’s already been positioned as ‘mainstream-ised’, Siddhivinayak-worshipping, female lead-material. And if I stood to earn brownie points by making public my wish to work with said porn star, then sone pe suhaaga! How kind of the big boys to be so considerate of the poor girl who had to make a living peddling her body to voyeurs, and to ‘allow’ her to work with them! Acting talent? Who said anything about acting? Don’t you know that ‘working’ in Bollywood – especially for a girl – means positioning, politicking, item-dancing and God knows what else…but certainly not acting. Oh yes, if the girl can act then that’s a bonus.
Both Kangana and Sunny are outsiders, i.e. they have no family background in the film industry. But, Sunny Leone is playing her cards right; she’s milking her porn background to maximum advantage while acting innocently blasé about it, and being nice to all the right people. Whereas Kangana is horrid enough to make an honest statement about her current position, without even considering how the big boys might feel about being told they are not essential to everyone’s success in Bollywood. How utterly rude! She ought to have the decency to defer to their influence in the industry, and show some regard for the consequences it might have for her career if she pissed off the people in power; shouldn’t she?! Doesn’t she know what happened to the talented Mr. Oberoi after he got on the wrong side of Salman Khan? With her honesty, her immense talent, her high standards and her dedication to her work, Kangana is utterly wrong for this industry. Heck, she hasn’t even done an item number yet! How dare an actress think of getting by merely on acting talent and, God forbid, truth!
Sunny Leone is what this industry, and this country, wants, and bloody well deserves.
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