'We need to create a continuous climate of secularism' -Rahul Bose

(The Times of India
2 Jun 2008, 0000 hrs IST)

Q&A: 'We need to create a continuous climate of secularism'

He has always been a committed actor. Recently, Rahul Bose galvanised his ideological attitude in cinema by doing Samar Khan's Shaurya. The film tackles the prickly question of the isolation of the Indian Muslim. Bose spoke with Subhash K Jha:

Q: Shaurya director Samar Khan says he has felt the isolation of the Indian Muslim first-hand.

For the second time in my career — after Mr & Mrs Iyer — i've done a film that touches on the communal issue. But if it was just a film about an issue without a powerful script i wouldn't have done it. The message isn't enough to make a memorable cinema. As far as the isolation of the Indian Muslim goes, one only has to read the Sachar report to realise there's inequality between Hindus and Muslims in the spheres of education, employment and other social opportunities.

Q: You've lived in Mumbai for a long time. Do you see its cosmo-politan facade crumbling?

I think the fact that the emperor has no clothes was made clear during the 1992 communal riots in Mumbai. Since then it's increasingly evident to all who care to look that the deepest communal division exists on every level in the city. In fact there will be increasing violence against women. We're entering an age when men feel more empowered to behave badly with women.

Q: What do you mean?

The indiscriminate flow of information from television and internet has lessened the level of self-shame among men. There's a growing aggressive sexual intent among the male which is legiti-mised by the increasingly macho images of celebrity men in endorsements, etc. Today, the only unified force in Mumbai is the passion to get ahead and make money.

That's actually a superficial unified force. Because the urge to get ahead actually creates divisions. Yes, there're ideas of homogeneity in the city. But we now have a certain caste of taxi drivers or a certain religious group living together because they've been forced to come together.

Q: What prevents the tackling of the issue headlong?

To talk about secularism first you've to address communalism. People from the army told me they were very uncomfortable watching Kay Kay Menon as an armyman spewing venom against Muslims in Shaurya . My answer is, to admit to the violence is the first step towards curing it. The idea of cinema as a tool of social change has lessened in the last 50 years. Change and reform have to come from cinema, home, the school curriculum and the environment. Teach your Hindu child to celebrate Eid. Teach your Muslim child to celebrate Diwali. It doesn't help the cause of reform if we've video games, comic books and Hollywood films with Muslim terrorists as villains. We need to create a continuous climate of secularism. The concept is completely eroded in India.