By GIRIJA SHIVAKUMAR
Javed Akhtar, noted lyricist and Member of Parliament, speaks his mind not just on cinema but also politics in an interview to The Citizen where he answers an expanse of questions from the Muzaffarnagar violence in Uttar Pradesh to gay rights and women empowerment. Excerpts:
What do you think of the portrayal of Muslims in Hindi cinema? Has there been any conscious effort to promote secular values?
Yes of course, if you see films from the 60’s and 70’s there were Muslims characters in many films like Amar Akbar Anthony. The Muslim character would usually be a good friend, compassionate uncle, loving old woman or someone who will give away his life to save a Hindu friend. It was theatrical and melodramatic.
Hindi Cinema has stereotyped minorities and Muslims for a very long time. For reasons unknown to me films with Muslim protagonists was called “Muslim socials”, these films always had either a nawab or a poet.
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The heroine was either a tabaif singing Gazals on a kotha or an extremely good looking nawab’s daughter. These were “good” Muslims. Much later, bad Muslims were introduced on screens as terrorists. While many scripts were careful to point out that they were Pakistani sometimes this definition was unclear.
However, as new cinema is emerging these things are part of the past especially the “exceptional glorification” or the demonizing of the minorities. Now it feels nice when I watch movies like Dor and Iqbal. In fact, even in Zindagi Na Mile Doobara there are three friends, one was Muslim but nobody underlined that fact. This is healthier.
As far as secular values are concerned whether they were theatrical, dramatic, overdone or now more realistic Hindi cinema has always been very secular especially since it needs to reach everybody. They need patronage from all. Ultimately, any person who is truly concerned about everyone simply cannot be communal. After 1947, the first film with a Muslim protagonist was only in 1960 in a film called Chaudhvin Ka Chand.
Strangely, till today there is no film on Partition. The partition not only created two new independent nations, India and Pakistan, but also resulted in deaths, displacement and one of the greatest forced migrations in human history. Perhaps, Indian cinema does not have the metaphor to deal with this.
Do you think the film industry should take a position on social issues including gender rights, LGBT rights, women empowerment? If indeed, the film industry is taking a position, do you think it is the right position?
Films and society have a strange relationship. It is very difficult to decide whether society influences cinema more or vice versa. Personally, I believe society influences cinema more. Cinema however, dramatic and exaggerated reflects contemporary social values. That is why you see certain changes in cinema. Cinema is ultimately a part of society. Therefore, whatever values are accepted or projected by society are reflected in Hindi Cinema.
Many years ago, there was a hit film called “Main Chup Rahungi” about a woman played by Meena Kumari who suffers yet keeps quiet and that is a considered a virtue. Today, you see there are different images. The heroine or female protagonist is much more demanding, she takes an equal status for granted and is not inhibited even about her physical desires. Things are changing.
Look at films like Highway or even in Zindagi Na Mile Doobara, the girl goes on a motor bike, stops the boy, kisses him and admits that she wouldn’t be happy not acknowledging her emotions. This was obviously unimaginable in the 50’s. Today, you don’t see sacrificing, moaning and sobbing women anymore.
LGBT rights have also come in a subtle manner. Perhaps they have been treated in a funny and comic manner but this too was unimaginable earlier. These things are creeping in slowly but surely. Just like in society.
Here is a society where you have section 377 but no political party has the guts to stand up and say it should be removed. This lack of courage is reflected in cinema as well.
However, cinema at least somehow is trying to whisper and give signals.
The production of Hindi films was at one stage primarily financed by black money. Has this changed in recent years and what does it reflect?
I must point out that this notion is highly exaggerated. However, if black money is flowing around in a society it is bound to reach everywhere. It is not that only cinema was being financed by black money, what about real estate and political parties? Now elections are the last parking spots for black money. Thankfully, a small section that was feeding on black money in the film industry is now entirely eliminated. In addition, there was a recognition and declaration of the ‘film industry’ that helped. Today, banks and different corporations have come forward and put their money on various films. It has become much more streamlined and corporatized. Now there is hardly any black money in the industry. All the people I know receive and give all their money through banks.
Who do you blame for the Muzaffarnagar riots? Do you think the state and central Governments have done enough to remedy the situation?
I was listening to Ved Marwah, one of the most respected Police officers who said that any riot that goes beyond 12 hours is the responsibility of the administration. A riot can start anywhere or anytime but if it is not stopped within 12 hours there is some sort of collusion. It is a shame that in independent India, from 1959 onwards every year we have had nearly 1000 riots.
The responsibility lies with political parties and the administration. When you look around there is no political party in the country that you won’t find standing in the docs except for Communist parties. I must clarify that I am not entirely happy with the Communist parties for other reasons but for this we will have to give them credit. It must be noted that under their regime or rule we have not seen such communal riots. However, that does not mean that this is enough or that they have done a good job. In West Bengal even after 37 years of the Communist Party the Muslim community’s social, political or even educational conditions remained abysmal.
All the political parties and administrations are equally responsible whether Congress, BJP or SP.
Many commentators say that if the SP and Congress, who both claim the support of the Muslims, display such apathy for the Muslim victims, then why should Muslims vote for either of them in 2014?
This question is based on an assumption that Muslims vote and block. This is not true. It is important to identify which Muslims we are talking about. There are Muslims all over the country and this question relates particularly to the western UP. This whole idea that Muslims of India are one vote bank is entirely baseless and wrong. If you trace their history, in 1952 Congress was voted in with a majority, there too Muslims must have voted the Congress. This continued for a very long time. In West Bengal when the Communist Party came to power then Muslims voted for them as well. That’s why they were winning. Later, in 1977 post emergency, most people did not vote Congress and neither did the Muslims.
Historically, the Communist and Socialist parties and the Congress all have a sizeable number of Muslims candidates except for the BJP. Therefore, this obviously implies different people back different political parties- just like all citizens. To believe that Muslims are one vote bank is wrong. There can be extreme circumstances when Muslims will obviously not vote for a party which is overtly not only acting but also is ideologically against them. Why would they vote for them?
If at all they become a vote bank in any particular constituency, it is because there is a party that definitely has strong political and social reservations against them. In that case, Muslims will obviously not vote for them. In the absence of that party, if there are three parties that at least claim secularism, the votes will go to three places.
What happened in Muzaffarnagar was obviously ugly and undesirable. The responsibility has to be shared by the administration, present government and by those so called nonpolitical cultural organizations who generally do not like Muslims. It is not that I give a clean chit to the Muslim right wing. They are as bad and the Hindu right wing.
If an average Muslim disgusted by the administration will ensure that those political parties do not come to power who are known to give more space and freedom to such anti minority cultural organizations, it is not politics of vote bank but a matter of survival.
Do you feel that AAP represents a viable alternative to BJP and Cong in 2014?
I think it’s a bit too soon to judge. AAP has come on the scene with some very genuine and pertinent questions. They have taken a very strong stand with a clear conscience on certain matters. This is highly appreciable. They have definitely influenced the National debate.
AAP does not approve of corruption just like any decent citizen but that is not enough. We need to know a lot more about their policies on many other matters. Yes, we support a corruption free India but after that what? There are so many things that one would like to know about them including their economic and foreign policies, stand on communalism and sectarianism and women’s rights. I am afraid they haven’t come out strongly enough on these matters. They talk of corruption yet at the same time for minorities especially; communalism is no less of a problem.
Corruption is a malice that everyone suffers from. However, with regard to communalism the greater brunt is taken by the minorities. Are they bothered about it? They have to take a clear cut stand on this too. I am very impressed that they can take the name of an industrialist but are they that upfront about the Khaps? The answer is no. They beat behind the bush.
I am not rejecting them. However, they are still growing and many aspects of AAP are still behind some sort of a fog. Only after they grow and spread will we know the contours of their ideology better.
Do you think the general electorate is so fed up that they are willing to sacrifice secularism for better governance under the BJP?
I can see some truth in this because corruption has become the topic of the day. To some extent, the present government is responsible for it. However, the media too has chosen to bring these issues to forefront. I do not think the media has spent as much energy, time and research on communalism. Ultimately, corruption means depriving many people of their rights and entitlements but communalism is depriving many people of their basic security and their lives. This problem has not been treated by the media with such resilience and persistence.
Now certain opposition parties for obvious reasons better known to them talk of corruption but not of communal riots. I am not saying it is an either or but communalism is also a very serious issue that has been neglected and ignored. Innocent people get killed and instead of justice they are generally given Commissions. I believe if there is a will there is a way and if there is no will there is a Commission.
However, at the moment it does not suit BJP to talk about communalism so they are talking about other things including development. I am not very sure whose development it is and at whose cost?
We talk of development and economic growth but I have seen that in the last 15 years the gap between the haves and haves not has been steadily increasing and not decreasing.
I am told that that pie has to be bigger so everyone can get a share. The pie is definitely getting bigger but I don’t see people getting their share. Social injustice is on the increase and communalism too is a social injustice. People don’t talk about communalism as much as they ought too. It is not possible to have a healthy body with one unhealthy limb. It is illogical but somehow many people don’t understand this.
source URL: http://thecitizen.in/city/indian-muslims-are-not-one-vote-bank-javed-akhtar/
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