Peek-a-boo- The story of cleavage and butt cheeks.

Yes you read it right. The headline screams something that you would naturally not like talking about in the public platform but something which forms part of your jokes with your gang. But of late, this has been a major issue doing the rounds. A certain media group is under a lot of flak for the blatant objectification of a particular female cine star’s body part for the mere purpose of more viewership, which equals more money. What is astonishing is that this particular media group is not new found, but one with a lot of reputation and most certainly does not need to resort to such vile means of publicity for more viewership/readership. It perhaps makes more money than any other leading daily of the nation with a combined earnings from its daily papers, e-paper and apps. In fact let alone others, I myself have the app of this newspaper group installed in my cell phone because till yesterday it was a respectable news provider, a firm believer in the concept of no nonsense, non- “sansanikhes” news. But what has been done has been done and the lows to which this particular media group has stooped cannot be undone.

But what is more interesting than the degradation of news quality of this media group is the retaliation of that particular cine star who was in the eye of the storm. She has rightly condemned such a “cheap” act of publicity and has been lauded by many, her co-stars, industry insiders and the common public alike, for her stand against such nonsense. A micro blogging site is abuzz these past few days with how brave she has been to stand up against such mindlessness which demeans the status of women and how utterly pathetic it is on the part of the newspaper to be a part of that hypocrisy which shouts slogans on women empowerment by the day and leech at the same women by the night. I have been a silent spectator to these events.

Why silence you may ask. To be honest I have just been observing. Observing at how even the cine star in her own ways is a contributor to that same hypocrisy. Don’t judge me as yet, but do you not think that at a very rudimentary level the cinema industry, the Hindi cinema industry to be precise, due to its wider reach and very high popularity among the masses, is one of the biggest patrons of such distasteful objectification of women in our glorious nation? There is such a directly proportional relation between skin show and box office records in most of the cases in our country that I do not need to be a mathematician to figure it out.  To be sexy, to be bold and beautiful is a completely different concept. In this case the person knows how one is carrying oneself in full sanity of mind. But how do you justify the repulsive portrayal of women in those very famous “Item songs”? Lead actresses do not mind lip syncing to lines like “Mein toh tandoori murgi hu yaar, gaatkale saiyyan alcohol se”, or shake those assets in full public galore to songs whose lyrics if read out without any tune sound exactly like, “I attend nature’s call every morning”. 

But they are actors you say. They are just acting. Does not mean that is their ideology. Agreed completely. But remember that epic Batman quote, “It is not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you”? No, I did not for once say that nudity in art is objectionable. No. But disrespect of art is. The biggest mindless crore grosser in the box office often defies what we can call logic. It has all the elements to make sure that at every single second that it runs, good cinema takes a blow and the soul of art dies. Cinema that runs solely on the size of a woman’s bust and bottoms is not cinema. It is a cringe worthy buffoonery thrust into the face of the public. And with the state of education that this country is in,how can you expect every person in this country to differentiate and take educated decisions and dismiss such media as nothing but a light investment with absolutely no return?

I am glad that the actress has spoken against what is indeed a breach of ethical conduct. A human body is one of nature’s finest creations. It is to be loved and adored, not leeched and lusted upon. It is no material to be sold in the gory market of leering eyes. But the paradox that this lady has got herself into is something which can only be solved by the corrective thinking of the mass and the media makers. Today she is famous and has the ability to let her voice be heard loud and clear across the length and breadth of the country and beyond, but the industry she is in and contributing to, has the effect of its distasteful portrayal of women resonating across the country and may be allowing some unnamed descendant of Eve to bear the brunt of it, whose story we may never hear. It is not until you learn that the medicine you or your folks are serving is bitter that you start complaining.