Skip to main content

‘Harmful for society’: When a cruel, sadistic Hindi movie character turns attractive

By Bharat Dogra, Madhu Dogra 

Bharat Dogra and Madhu Dogra on their recently published book Hindi “Cinema and Society” (Saptarishi, pages 234, Paperback)...
Hindi cinema has an overwhelming presence in Indian society. Whether it is a young man humming a romantic song constantly, or a girl trying to dress up like her favorite film star, these are only the more obvious signs of the presence of popular films in our life. Much more important are the many important ways in which films impact several important social trends in society, intentionally or unintentionally, visibly or implicitly.
When an important film maker like Hrishikesh Mukherjee raises a strong voice against the rampant corruption and decline of ethical values in a film like Satyakam, this of course influences sensitive minds in important ways. However in a different film like Anand the same film-maker simply tells a great story in a great way, without really trying to convey any special message, yet the film is so well-made that it enhances the sensitivity of viewers in very important ways and hence contributes to creating a better world. Over 50 years after this film was made, it still continues to contribute with its abiding impact.
Some viewers may see Bimal Roy’s Bandini as simply a great story of immortal love, but there will be other viewers, more conscious of human rights issues, who will never forget the images and songs of women prisoners in this film. There is much fun in a film like 3 Idiots, but the more discerning viewers will no doubt also reflect on its message of reforming higher education.
Similarly while a film like PK is attractive for its romance, songs and superb acting, many viewers will find in the film a lot of thoughts on how to distinguish real spirituality from hypocrisy that is being inflicted quite frequently these days in the name of spirituality.
Quite apart from the contribution of specific films, what is perhaps even more important from a social point of view is the overall impact of the imaginary film world which most of the masala films create. There may be attempts with varying degree of success to make the routine commercial films appear more realistic and authentic, and yet in many ways the filmi duniya they create may be far from real life.
However because of the important presence of these films in society and their association with big film stars who have millions and millions of fans and followers, even very unrealistic film situations which are seen again and again for their entertainment value have a very real impact on society.
This can be for good or bad, or in ways that cannot be easily categorized as good or bad. However the possibility of adverse social impacts instead of being brushed aside should be considered in rational and evidence-based ways. Unless there is such consideration, how can we move forward to reduce the possibilities of adverse impacts? 
Some of the adverse impacts may be unintentional, but from the perspective of social good, these cannot be ignored just because of this. The focus should not be so much on condemning or criticizing anyone, but more on identifying adverse impacts so that efforts to minimize these can be initiated.
Take the character of Gabbar created in that smash hit film Sholay. This became almost a household word in India following the huge box-office success of the film. This is a strange case of an exceptionally cruel and sadistic character being somehow made attractive for imitation by clever use of dialogue and style. The actor, dialogue writers, film-makers are professionally very capable persons and do not have any intention of harming society; they are merely pursuing the objective of attracting more viewers to their film.
Yet by not being very conscious towards the possibility of harm, and ironically because they are so skilled in a narrow professional sense, they have ended up making a very cruel and sadistic character also a very attractive character for many people, a character whose voice, style and dialogue are repeatedly imitated by a large number of people. This is clearly harmful for society, as this leads to celebration of someone recognized as cruel and sadistic. This is serious social harm that is caused unintentionally but should not be ignored.
What is important from a social point of view is the overall impact of the imaginary film world which most of the masala films create
While there are many good books by very competent writers on the many-sided, very colorful journey of Hindi films, nevertheless a need has been felt for a book on Hindi cinema which is written more from the perspective of its social impact. In our just published book ‘Hindi Cinema and Society’ (Saptarishi, Delhi, 234 pages) we have tried to fill this gap.
As some of the related issues have been studied in greater detail abroad but are also relevant in the context of this subject, we have not hesitated to refer to some of these studies as well, particularly in the section where impact of depiction of violence and crime in cinema is discussed. In many studies impact of cinema, TV and videos is considered together, realistically so as it is not possible to draw a wall when overall impact is being studied. This book has also looked at this combined impact in some chapters.
There is increasing concern relating to understanding the impact of cinema, TV and videos on issues like violence against women and on several problems experienced by children, and we have tried to make this book helpful in this context too.
In the middle of such concerns, we have tried to remain close to one of our basic aims of highlighting several outstanding Hindi films and the work of some of the greatest film makers. About 100 such films are mentioned in this book with small notes on each one of them. Great songs have been generally an integral part of such films and this book has an entire section on Hindi film songs and their important social role.
Hence we hope that this book will fulfill an important need of a book on many-sided social impacts of Hindi cinema and at the same time also delight readers with a journey down memory lane of many remarkable and outstanding films as well as many melodious and unforgettable songs.

Comments

TRENDING

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler*  In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). 

EVMs: Govt must prove beyond reasonable doubt it's upholding mandate for free, fair polls

By Jerald D’souza  With the growth of India’s population, concerns about electoral fraud associated with ballot papers, also began to escalate. In 1989, the People’s Representation Act was amended to enable EVMs to prevent electoral fraud. In 1998, EVMs made their debut during legislative assembly elections and for the first time for general elections in 2004. However, criticisms against the EVMs and questions about their integrity have been raised by political parties, civil society and the general population. On 2 February 2024, there was a noteworthy demonstration of dissent where numerous individuals, including Ambedkarite advocates, legal professionals, and other members of civil society  convened at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the prohibition of EVMs. In 2024, the Supreme court had slapped down a petition to return to paper ballots on the basis that machines give “absolutely accurate results” unless human bias maligns them. The court stated that it was open to testi...

This Indian British Marxist blamed USSR's collapse in 1991 on Khrushchev's 'revisionism'

By Harsh Thakor*  Harpal Singh Brar, British Indian Marxist scholar and communist leader, has passed away in Chandigarh. He was 85. He was a lifelong supporter of socialism, Marxism, and the working class. He will be remembered among British Communists.

Chalapathi's death in encounter suggests Maoists' inability to establish broader mass support

By Harsh Thakor* The Maoist movement experienced a significant loss during the Ramagudem encounter on January 21, with the death of Chalapathi (Pratap), a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). His death, along with 15 others, marks a major setback for the movement. Reports suggest that his location was revealed to security forces through a selfie with his wife.

Why do we mostly resist and refrain from communicating on sanitation topic?

By Nikhil Kumar, Mansee Bal Bhargava* According to UN SDG Progress report (2022), at the present moment no targets for SDG 6 are expected to be met by 2030. In 2022, 2.2 billion people had no access to safe drinking water and 3.5 million lacked safe sanitation. Approximately 50% of the world’s population was reported to have been under resourced in enough water for part of the year and a quarter of that population was living under “extremely high” water stress. Add to it, droughts have affected over 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021.

Govt of India asked to work for release of 217 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan since 2021

By A Representative  Members of the fishing communities from Gujarat and Diu, Union Territory, held a press conference in Ahmedabad, urging the Union Government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Indian fishermen currently detained in Pakistan. Presently, 217 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and Diu, are held in Pakistan’s Malir Jail. Of these, 53 have been incarcerated since 2021 and 130 since 2022.

34 Dalit families in IIT Kanpur without toilets in Open Defecation Free India

By Sandeep Pandey   When Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur was set up in 1959, two villages were uprooted. The farmers were given meagre compensation for the standing crop. No compensation was given for the land to build this institute of national importance. Each family was promised a job but what was not told to them was that one would require specialised skills to get a job at IIT. Some members of these families were, of course, absorbed for menial work. Some washerfolk families were also invited from outside to live on campus to take care of the laundry needs of students, staff and faculty members. One of these men was cajoled by IIT authorities then to forego a regular employment at IIT and instead take up clothes washing work.

अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट निराशाजनक: 19.3% अल्पसंख्यकों के लिए मात्र 0.0661% ठोस आवंटन

- मुजाहिद नफ़ीस*   1-2-2025 को भारत सरकार द्वारा संसद में वर्ष 2025-26 का बजट वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण जी ने पेश किया| इस वर्ष का बजट 5065345 करोड़ है जो कि पिछले साल के संशोधित अनुमान से लगभग 7.39% की बढ़ोतरी हुई है| वहीं अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट मात्र 3350.00 करोड़ है जो कि कुल बजट का 0.0661% लगभग है|  पिछले साल 2024-25 में 3183.24 करोड़ था|