Bollywood and Gender Equality

Oye Veh!

What a totally ridiculous article!!!

The author running amok with Deconstructionist literary criticism!

There is one highest paid female executive in Pakistan and everything is right with all other Pakistani women!

The Pakistani woman from a remote village in Punjab was not abused by elders; Sweetie, She was GANG RAPED!!!! Lets get our terminology right!

Where have the decision makers on either side of the border promised to treat males and females as equals?

South Asian culture is based on the premise that men and women are not equal.

Since when did it become Bollywood`s job to be the moral conscience of the South Asian populace?

I thought the purpose of Bollywood was to provide cheap garish entertainment using actors with caucasian looks in skimpy western clothing driving sports cars in foreign lands singing, dancing, all in love. Is the lower middle class populace of India that does watch Bollywood movies really educated and ready to confront serious issues of morality, gender equality, sexual abuse, alternate sexual orientation, etc?

Its funny, Dear Author! Do you think that Hollywood provides the moral compass for the American populace? Perhaps if you could answer that, you would see how totally ludicrous this ``SO INTELLIGENT SOUNDING`` and ``FLOWERY`` article of yours really is!

Hey, whatever may be the subject, I like your discussion of it for the entity that I am fond of promoting: South Asia. Would n`t it be nice to India, Pakistan, Burma and Si Lanka to form a viable confederation?!

No doubt Bollywood is a make believe world but it provide jobs to thousands of people. Of those people there are lot of women on the screen and behind the screen. It would be great achievement if it can treat women with respect, dignity and equality. It should not be too much to ask.

Author, your basic premise appears to be off-mark since Bollywood or any other movie industry is not about changing the society. It is about making a commercial success, mainly through entertainment, and with luck, about creating a bit of art along the way. In most respects, movies simply portray contemporary realities – avoiding the hard ones as much as possible.

Saad Khan
Rudaali was not a blockbuster. I doubt it it made enough money to break even. Sumita Chakravarty is no doubt writing for publication in some academic journal in the first world and has to put forth some ideas on the role of women in third world cinema. Have you seen the movie? I hope so because your review doesn`t suggest that you have. Rudaali is a strong women`s film. And it is made in Bollywood which seemingly contradicts your article.

I suggest you also see, Astitva, Satta, Hu tu tu etc. to get a different perspective.

Don`t get too serious about Bollywood. It`s entertainment. Like ``American Pie`` it`s intellectual reach is a little limited. It`s certainly no Amrita Shergill painting.

I hope you have your tongue firmly in your cheek when you say that Bollywood actors are the elite of Indian society.

Reading this article makes me believe that Pakistanis take Bollywood far more seriously than Indians.

bollywood has no effect on daily lives. if it were, pakistanis would be wearign bindis and keeping karwa chowth rasm

Re: # 2
You forget to realize how life imitates mass media and vice versa.

Bollywood or any form of strong mass media is part of each and everyone of us. It effects our daily lives directly and with a huge impact as well.

speaking of mass media: has anyone seen `Good night and good luck`?

Laura Mulvey (1975) argues that women have been used by the movie makers as an object of desire for the audience.

She argues???? ...dude, that`s a stated fact. Who wants to watch women protagonists...we see that at home every day.

Bollywood is a make-believe world, a dreamland. It does not interact with the main world. Let the main-world also spare it. Let it remain what it is.

Excellent article Saad. About time we started looking at Bollywood this way. Cheers.