The topic of Bollywood systematically tarnishing the image of the Army needs to be addressed by the defence authorities as a recent apology by Anil Kapoor in AK vs Ak, probably a Netflix series where he has been seen showing Airforce uniform in poor light. So, we need to make sure these Bollywood guys make sure that they take the permission of requisite defence organisation before the portrayal any Defence forces uniform in a bad light. The apology will not work as it is a design to get negative publicity which is good for them to get more eye balls.
Sandhya Suri, among the first women officers to serve on a warship, has strongly condemned the wrong portrayal of facts in the newly released flick “Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl” and said that the story has been distorted badly only to promote its actress Janhvi Kapoor and has nothing to do with the real character of Gunjan Kapoor.
“As an officer, I refused to watch the film because its initial portrayal in the trailer was wrong as they projected Gunjan to be the first woman officer to fly in the Air Force, which is a wrong fact. Next, the way she has been shown ragged and abused projects the armed forces in a bad light. It never happens the way it has been shown,” the ex-officer says.
Sandhya was the third batch woman officer who wanted to join the armed forces even before the induction of women came into force. “I wanted to do something worthy and was inspired by the uniform,” she said.
“In the forces, you have to work and prove that you don’t need protection and special treatment. The qualification and criteria remain the same if someone needs to be sent to the front,” she said, adding that this film, however, shows feminism, which is not okay. Sexist things have been shown in the film contrary to the real fact that the whole training is to enable you to lead your men, who are also in uniform, she said.
“We were two women and 250 men while serving onboard a warship. We all knew what it meant to be in uniform,” she said, adding: “The story it seems has been distorted to promote one person, who is none other than Janhvi Kapoor.”
Surprisingly, Gunjan has not spoken even once on this issue.
“The film shows the importance of Janhvi Kapoor; in fact, it’s all about Janhvi. Had she really wanted to do justice with the film, she should have sat with Gunjan and spoken to her to dig into her role. Had she done her homework, she could have known how the story is being overplayed, and then she could have put her foot down,” said Sandhya.
“For armed forces, it is a very wrong projection; I know some of these girls who were officers in the initial years in the Air Force. They also said it is the extreme which has been shown in the film,” she added.
From Dilip Kumar’s tough cop role in Shakti (1982) to Anil Kapoor’s corrupt inspector avatar in Lam Lakhan (1989) — several actors have donned the police’s uniform for Bollywood films.
As a result, both negative and positive portrayals of cops have been common. However, recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that Bollywood has been instrumental in creating a "very bad image" of the police in the minds of the common man, the comment didn’t go down too well with the film industry members.
Actor Arshad Warsi, who played a hardened cop in Sehar (2005), opens up, saying that he doesn’t see anything wrong in the portrayal of cops in Hindi films. "We have films where cops are shown as being larger than life and battling all odds; they are portrayed as our guardians. The audience doesn’t get swayed away so easily," he says.
Adding another perspective to the issue, Sushmita Sen, who essayed the role of a cop in Samay (2003), feels that while there are times that portrayals of cops have not been very positive, it won’t be correct to generalise. "I agree that not all films depict all aspects of professional endeavors in our country in the right manner. And yes, we try to depict what is real; sometimes, we overdo it, exaggerate too much, but that doesn’t mean that all of it is a lie," she said, at an event earlier this week.
On the other hand, some film-makers feel that they try to keep the characters as close to real-life as possible. Hence, at times, negative insights become part of the role. "I, for one, have always shown cops in good light, but even if film-makers portray our police in an absolutely clean and non-corrupt light, will they all become the same in real life?" asks director Sanjay Gupta.
Producer Mukesh Bhatt seconds his thoughts, saying, "Yes, we show some police officers in a bad light because that is how some of them are — corrupt — and even Mr Modi knows that. But then, we also show cops who are noble and sacrificing for the interest of the people; so, we show both sides."
Other directors such as Pradeep Sarkar and John Matthew Matthan say they have merely stuck to reality in their respective films while dealing with cop characters. "In Mardaani, we tried to present the police force in the right perspective and worked closely with the police for the film. Of late, many films have presented them well," says Sarkar.
Mattha, who directed Aamir Khan in Sarfarosh (1999), adds, "In my film, I showed the cops as they were. I did a lot of research for my film. If I showed honest cops, I also showed cops who were corrupt."
Protests and police complaints against Bollywood and television producer Ekta Kapoor by various right-wing organisations have been reported from different parts of the state over a recent web series launched by her, allegedly showing the Indian Army in poor light.
The ‘XXX-Uncensored’ adult web series produced by Ekta Kapoor’s venture, Alt Balaji, is available on mobile application.
On June 6, volunteers of Karni Sena took out a procession and burned the effigy of Ekta Kapoor in Ambaji of Banaskantha, demanding that the web series be taken down. “Ekta Kapoor has tried to malign the image of Indian Army through the web series. We took burnt her effigy in protest. We demand that this web series be taken off the internet immediately… Kapoor should issue a public apology to the army,” said Sandipsinh Rajput, Ambaji president of Karni Sena.
In Chhota Udepur, the Hindu Yuva Vahini has submitted a complaint to the district superintendent of police seeking action against Kapoor and her venture, Balaji Telefilms Limited.
“The scenes in the web series are unfortunate and shameful. In one of them, the uniform of Indian Army is being ripped by a character, which is an insult to our brave men who have been doing their duty at the border. We demand action by the police in the matter,” said Jitendra Patel, district president, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Chhota Udepur.
In Surat, the Bajrang Dal has also submitted a complaint to the police commissioner demanding action against Kapoor.
“For now, we have submitted a police complaint against Ekta Kapoor and her mother Shobha Kapoor with the Surat police commissioner. We demand that the mother-daughter duo issue a public apology or else we will try to register an FIR in the case,” said Ajay Sharma, vice-president, Bajrang Dal, Surat.
An RSS affiliate has also denounced web shows for “derogatory” depiction of Army personnel and their families, and urged the government to bring in stringent laws to curb such content that criminalise “Hindu dharma and values”.
The organisation, Sanskar Bharti, has also taken strong exception to the “scenes of openly hateful violence, sexuality and nudity, and dialogues” in web series.
This comes days after Ekta Kapoor’s web series ‘Triple X’ sparked a row over a controversial episode that “degrade the dignity of the Army uniform and their families”.
An FIR has been registered against Kapoor and two others on “charges of obscenity, hurting religious feelings, and improper use of national emblems” in the second season of their show ‘Triple X’.
The organisation’s all-India executive body, the Akhil Bharatiya Prabandh Karini (ABPK), passed a resolution on 7 June, stating under the “guise of freedom of expression” such programmes are being run.
“In the last few years, web series through the Internet has emerged as a major popular means of entertainment. After the closure of cinema halls etc., during the crisis of Covid 19, the demand for these web series has increased tremendously. These web series based mostly on criminal subjects are becoming especially popular among youth and women. In view of their growing trade and in the name of realistic artistry, these web series often feature scenes of openly hateful violence, sexuality and nudity, and dialogues abound,” it said.
It further said the Indian Army has been portrayed in bad light in some of these series.
“…. Along with this, scenes tarnishing Hindu Dharma and criminalising Hindu values are shown in plenty in these web series. Bharatiya Army and their families, which has a strong place of honour and respect in the minds of our citizens, is also shamelessly and recklessly portrayed as derogatory,” it said.
“ABPK truly appreciates the web series that provide clean entertainment, and urges such producers and directors to produce series that also show the uniqueness of Bharatiya culture and society.”
The organisation said it “strongly condemns the chaotic freedom that is flourishing under the guise of freedom of expression” and “expects art, literature, culture and followers of Bharat and Bharatiyata to boycott such free, vulgar works and acts”.
The organisation has asked the government to put in place a system to keep a check on such content.
“The ABPK also demands from the government that there should be an immediate system to enact stringent laws to curb such kinds of creations/productions, which hurt the delicate fabric of Bharatiya society and the nation as a whole,” according to the resolution.
The organisation further stated though they “support freedom of expression”, but only when “human sensibilities, traditional values and national identity are not hampered”.
It cited the example of natyashastra to point out that content should not be “disrespectful”.
“Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra, the oldest text of art in the world, which is also known as the Panchama Veda, states in its 114th Verse of the first chapter that the play song, in audio-visual form, as is preached by all sources, all expressions, all deeds and actions since the beginning of the time to shape, guide, educate and positively influence the society to be better,” the resolution said.
“The stories and plays are aimed to give relief to the tired, pained and those afflicted with fatigue grief. It is said in the 299th verse of the 22nd chapter of the Natyashastra that father, son, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law all sit together and watch the drama, so it should not display any disrespectful, embarrassing or shameful act,” it added.
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