In a blog published in The News Minute, Ramanathan argues that the attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali comes from the Hindu Right Wing’s frustration over having failed to use Bollywood as a tool.
He goes on to point out that ‘no art is apolitical’ and that the Hindu right wing is frustrated about not even being able to use pop cinema which he characterises as ‘elitist or nationalist, is most definitely casteist and patriarchal’ to carry the message of Hindutva, even in regional languages.
He isn't entirely wrong.
To be sure, I'm entirely unconcerned about the Rajput Karni Sena’s incident with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Just as Bhansali uses the excuse of creative freedom to sanitise the actions of a paedophile genocidal islamic invader Alauddin Khilji, some can characterise it as a body massage gone wrong. I don't necessarily agree, but the point remains that such creative characterisations are possible.
We need to ensure that such creativity in society remains on the high pedestal constructed by Pandit Nehru via the First Amendment to the constitution, a document we just finished celebrating.
The point that Ramanathan makes about us having failed to use Bollywood as a medium to carry the message of Hindutva is true. We cannot match the sexual and social degeneracy of the left dominated Bollywood. We just cannot.
Any attempts to convey our message without the usual Bollywood elements of vulgar dancing, drug themed rap, sanitisation of sexual degeneracy and more would be futile. The left has, through its usual tactic of platform capture, managed to make the above mentioned key ‘elements’, the industry standard.
The above is not yet the case with regional cinema. In regional cinema, we still have a chance. In regional cinema, we still have quite a few actors, directors and producers brought up in functional, rooted families who have inherited or have at least a modicum of respect for the values and traditions of their forefathers.
Regional cinema’s audience looks down upon the ‘muh life muh choice’ narratives put out by Bollywoodiyas because, to us, spouses cheating on each other is just not done. It is near impossible for many of us to understand Bollywood’s glorification of parents who sacrifice the chance to have a family at the altar of progress.
To those of us not in liberal la la land, ‘intersectional’ feminism resembles a mental disorder. We are not the rootless wonders which the Bollywood elite caters to. Hopefully, we never will be.
I admit, the Right Wing’s failure to use Bollywood as a propaganda tool is apparent. This is because the kind of ‘propaganda’ that Ramanathan mentions is born out of the Left’s desire to alter the natural tragic state of things by making something unnatural seem achievable, by spreading disorder where order exists.
The Right Wing’s ideology - tradition, hard work and a strong value system - is a result of accepting what is natural and the need to work under it. The left’s kind of propaganda isn't something we specialise in. We have a respect and reverence for order. Due to the enormous and unfortunate success of the left, the need for us to specialise in debunking leftist propaganda has risen.
I’m hopeful that the engineers and other professional degree holders (the people whose incomes the left lives on) that Ramanathan and the left looks down at with contempt, will rise to the occasion and specialise in the same.
Lastly, one point made by Ramanathan struck me as unusual. He writes, “To produce great art, one needs talent and the audacity to question established narratives.”
While no one can disagree with the point that one needs talent to produce great art, I’m doubtful about the ‘audacity to question established narratives’. This point might have come from his understanding of ‘modern art’ and its endless cycle of ‘questioning established narratives’.
To anyone who has had the good fortune of seeing Hoysala architecture or the massive temple complexes of Khajuraho, this endless cycle appears to be entirely unnecessary. Great art requires the artist to not only have great talent but also understand the historical evolution of the art form and reasons for such a path.
What cinematic art needs in India is for rooted artists and producers to re-establish normalcy. We have already suffered from continued exposure to the abnormalcy that the left advocates.
With inputs from @HinduSarvin and @yenkak.
Note: Views expressed are the personal opinions of the author.