Movies depict both reality and fiction. They do not have to be completely real as long as we can differentiate the real from fiction. You can make films like, Back to the Future knowing very well, that it is a fiction. If you show something in movies repeatedly, then it should have at least some element of reality to it. Overall trend in the Indian movies has changed in the past, people have started to experiment with different and bolder subjects, which is good and healthy for the movie industry. It has also become very common to have sexual innuendos in songs and dialogs and to show actresses in skimpy clothes, especially when it not required at all. Not sure if that is really healthy.
I have no objection whatsoever about all that, my objection is, the way actresses are shown in Tamil movies versus the reality there is, in the society. My point is not to censor movies, rather to be an open society so things do not seem unreal. Tamilnadu, though a giant in many respects, is very conservative when it comes to dressing (especially women) or issues related to sex. Dress, which would be very common in any western society or even in some Indian cities like Delhi or Mumbai, would be a no-no in Tamilnadu. I do not know if it is a coincidence, but most of the actresses in Tamil movie these days are from northern India. It could be because they have no reservations doing such roles. Hindi movie actresses dressing up in bold attire does not look that artificial because it is not uncommon for affluent people in northern India (including Mumbai) to wear such dresses.
Few days back there was a big hue and cry about the way one of the actresses dressed, in a 2007 top grosser. It was wrong to single out one actress when the whole industry is doing the same thing. Another yesteryear lead actress Khushboo, was in trouble when she spoke her mind about premarital sex. There is nothing wrong in showing sensuality or sexuality if the film demands it. It should not look forced upon or unnecessary (this is actually true for Indian movies overall). Do not show it just to titillate the audience. Why shun something in real life when it is shown as part of the culture in every movie. Either make believable movies or be an open society. Don't have double standards about it. We got to be more open about things, if we want to move forward.
Is there really a bias against southern India, while dishing out the padma awards. I thought about this, when a few days back I got to know that one of the greatest actresses of the Indian cinema, who is also a Guinness world record holder for the maximum number of movies, and to my knowledge the only real female comedienne in Indian cinema, Ms. Manorama (Tamil Actress) was awarded a Padmashri only in 2002. This is, after working in 1,500 movies for almost 50 years. It is a shame that she has been recognized after such a long time where as Madhuri Dixit gets an award after may be 20 years of work. It is not that Madhuri Dixit's body of work is far better than that of Manorama. Do not mistake me, I am a big fan of Madhuri Dixit. I am just not comfortable with the unfair treatment meted out.
On further digging I found that Ilayaraja, the maestro in music, has still not been awarded a single Padma award, it is a shame for the country. Ilayaraja has been recognized internationally. How can I forget our very own Rajinikant, even he has not been awarded any Padma award yet. Shahrukh Khan has already received one. What is the criteria that Shahrukh Khan satisfied but Rajinikant did not? I feel it is just because of the larger audience and a greater exposure for Hindi movies and the marketing that is done for such movies. If iconic status was the reason, then Rajini had it before Shahrukh and still continues to have it. Do you see a pattern emerging here.
Similarly, Mani Ratnam, Semmengudi Srinivas Iyer, S.P.Balasubramaniam had been ignored for a long time before they got their Padma Shri awards a few years ago. All these people I mentioned are stalwarts and are not in any ways dependent on any of these awards, but this definitely points out a flaw in the way the awards are decided. These artists are and would remain great forever, irrespective of the awards. I am glad that at least artists like KamalHassan, A.R.Rehman were felicitated, at the right time, and not ignored.
I know some artists have vented out their anger at the system in the past and have in fact returned the awards back to the government of India for not recognizing their talent when it should have been. I think this is a part of a bigger problem, of not recognizing our talent in due time. It took a G.H Hardy, a great mathematician, a British, to recognize Ramanujam's mathematical genius. I hope we learn from our mistakes and are balanced in our treatment towards anyone and everyone.
Movies depict both reality and fiction. They do not have to be completely real as long as we can differentiate the real from fiction. You can make films like, Back to the Future knowing very well, that it is a fiction. If you show something in movies repeatedly, then it should have at least some element of reality to it. Overall trend in the Indian movies has changed in the past, people have started to experiment with different and bolder subjects, which is good and healthy for the movie industry. It has also become very common to have sexual innuendos in songs and dialogs and to show actresses in skimpy clothes, especially when it not required at all. Not sure if that is really healthy.
