Columnists
Winds of Change in Bollywood?
by I.J. SINGH & RAVINDER SINGH TANEJA
It isn't necessarily the taming of Bollywood but it is a metamorphosis, nevertheless.
Bollywood has been the epicenter of the Indian film industry since 1913 when the first Hindi movie, Raja Harishchandra, was made. Since then, it has blossomed into a presence on the world stage with Bollywood stars enjoying a global following. New releases now routinely open in New York and London and Indian film makers keep one eye firmly fixed on the Indian Diaspora.
The industry has always had a strong Punjabi (including Sikh) presence: actors like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Kabir Bedi, Simi Grewal, Neetu Singh, Poonam Dhillon and now Kirron Kher, Mandira Bedi, Gul (Kirat) Panag, Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor; singers like Mohammad Rafi, Mahender Kapoor, Jagjit Singh and writers like Rajender Singh Bedi and Gulzar.
Despite a strong Punjabi presence, Sikhs were never portrayed in a lead role - until now. A string of recent movies like Singh is Kinng, Love Aaj Aur Kal and the current Rocket Singh appear to be breaking new ground.
For much of Bollywood's history, especially since 1984, Sikhs have rued the caricature of Sikhs that Bollywood has polished to a fine art. Few Sikh characters were portrayed, and then usually in marginal roles. Fewer still - rarer than hen's teeth - were portrayals that didn't show Sikhs as buffoons - loud, boisterous, uncultured and in love with the bottle.
We can count on our fingertips the rare exceptions to this monotonic image of Sikhs. Over three decades ago, there was a brief respite in Bollywood's caricature of the Sikhs - the result of Sikh gallantry that protected India and its territorial integrity in the wars with China and Pakistan. But that did not last.
Change may be in the air. It may be something that we need to monitor and perhaps celebrate. Singh is Kinng - or so it seems.
We saw two movies back to back - 3 Idiots and Rocket Singh.
3 Idiots has turned out to be a blockbuster. Although it did not have any major Sikh characters, the few walk-ons were not placed in the scene to be the butt of the quick and easy joke or of banal laughter. They were a dignified part of the scene. We were pleasantly surprised. What a relief!
Just tells you how sensitive we have become to being reduced to a caricature.
The name Rocket Singh had us wondering, but the watching experience dispelled any misgivings we may have had. The movie has a Sikh, played by Ranbir Kapoor, as the hero - not a sidekick or joker. He looked like an authentic Sikh: the beard looked real, not pasted on; in fact, we are told that he actually grew it over a period of time. The turban was wrapped with care and lent dignity, as it well should. Perhaps having a Sikh mother had something to do with the extra care Ranbir gave to the physical appearance of the character.
Apart from a flattering image, the young Sikh character is urbane, well adjusted, restrained and purpose driven - in stark contrast to the bucolic, hard drinking, boisterous, joke cracking and violence prone caricature of Sikhs we have become accustomed to viewing. Ranbir Kapoor does it justice.
At times, the character might appear a bit too bright, somewhat ritzy - as many young people are - but with strong fundamentals and roots derived from Sikhi. In one scene, when he is down on his luck, a non-Sikh extends a helping hand with the comment that he had never seen a Sikh who was a thief and so the hero could be trusted. There wasn't a single joke at the expense of Sikhs and Sikhi.
Many Sikh friends would feel uncomfortable with the scene showing the hero and his grandfather praying to a picture of Guru Nanak. We, too, would wish it out of the movie if we could. But we also note that such practices are not uncommon in our community in India and the scene only reflects the reality around us.
Despite this false note, given Bollywood's track record, this movie was like a breath of fresh air.
We are also old enough to be cynical - so the natural question was: why the change in Bollywood and will it last? Is this a new direction or a flash in the pan? Is it just a passing fad?
Perhaps we should cautiously consider these as the first hesitant steps of someone learning to walk and reflect on some possible triggers for this change.
Money talks and, as always, appears to be the big game-changer here.
The evolving culture in India stems less from its deeply rooted tradition and more from the global connectivity of the youth. North Indians - particularly Punjabis and Sikhs - form a major part of the Indian Diaspora that wishes to remain connected to India, but not the India they left behind - with all its idiotic superstitions, biases and prejudices.
These young Indians - and Sikhs - are not afraid to put their money where their mouth is. They celebrate movies like Water and even Slum Dog Millionaire which many traditionalists view as insults to Indian culture. Diaspora youth also rejects the formula movies of 20 songs and dances with no connection to reality and not a grain of thought underlying the plot.
We hope that this segment of
Indians may have forced Bollywood into making more meaningful movies.
Sikhs in the Diaspora are seen to actively promote movies of Harbhajan Singh Mann, for instance. The popularity of Punjabi film makers like Gurinder Chadha (Bend It like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice), Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) and Deepa Mehta in the West speaks volumes. Look at how Sikhs and non-Sikhs react to shorts like "The Widow Colony," "Amu," "Kambdi Kalai", and the many Sikh Film Festivals that have sprung up in the diaspora.
Compared to Bollywood extravaganzas, they may not have the fan following, but they try to address in a serious and dignified fashion the matters that affect us.
Nor are Sikhs in the diaspora afraid to boycott or protest movies and political shenanigans that diminish them. Sikh groups have lobbied against the Sikh stereotype in movies and successfully lobbied against the appointment of Jagdish Tytler as Minister for Non-Resident Indians a few years ago.
Bollywood obviously sees no profit in angering an affluent set of expatriate Sikhs. The revenue stream follows east from North America and Europe to India. Bollywood businessmen are savvy enough not to close down the spigot. This is where the money is.
Another reason, and this is strictly theoretical with little evidence to back it, is that the positive trend might be a reaction - stemming from a covert realization - to the grave injustices meted out to the Sikhs, particularly in the past 25 years and longer, in post-independence India. The Indian government had defined a culture of ridiculing and demeaning Sikhs and manipulating them politically. The results were disastrous both for India and the Sikhs.
But governments all over the world are similar. They are most reluctant to acknowledge errors and, when they do, the admissions are both niggardly and late. Before apology and redress, the ground has to be prepared by incremental steps that are not seen as an about-face. Witness the fact that the admission of wrongs done to Japanese-Americans in the United States during the Second World War officially came about 60 years later. But in the interim, all discriminatory symbols and laws were rescinded; policies and practices were changed, and Japanese-Americans rose in government, and even got elected to Congress.
We see in similar terms the appointment of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. It so happens that he is also the ablest and has carved out a unique place for himself in India and the world. And don't forget another Sikh at the helm of the Planning Commission, overseeing India's growing economic muscle - Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
In recent years, the appointment of the first Sikh, General J.J. Singh, as Army Chief is a similar reminder - since 1947, the officer corps of the Indian army was dominated by Sikhs, but outstanding Generals like Harbaksh Singh or Jagjit Singh Aurora never made the cut.
Success has also been visible in showbiz as the recent second-place finish in the Mr. India contest of Jaspal Singh Sehgal, the Voice of India - Ishmeet Singh (who died young) - not to mention the self promoting Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Great Indian Laughter.
These are small but significant steps that deserve to be noted and even celebrated.
Even if Bollywood's motivation is the almighty Ruppai-yah (or is it $$$s?) - and we know Bollywood Moguls are shrewd businessmen with an eye for profit - it is a fantastic opportunity to help demolish a stereotype and shape a more positive portrayal of Sikhs - at least one that is closer to reality.
We confess that in a piece we jointly wrote not long ago, we lamented the fact that Bollywood was dumbing down Sikh culture and practices and complained that Sikhs, (even if unconsciously) contributed to that watering down by swallowing Bollywood's message - hook, line and sinker.
Our bias is unmistakable - we are not fond of Bollywood's Sikh stereotype. But if these two movies were eye-openers and anything to go by, we have our respective wives nudging us - oh! not so gently - to give Bollywood another chance.
Be patient if Bollywood and the Indian cultural stream take ever so long to turn. These are like ocean liners, not speed boats.
Like Rip van Winkle, Bollywood appears to be tossing and turning, preparing to wake up to Sikh reality. It is about time.
January 20, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Ramanjot Singh Anand (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), January 20, 2010, 9:33 AM.
I have always loved reading Dr. I.J. Singh's writings for the past 6-7 years. Loved this one too. It's true that Bollywood is changing its attitude towards Sikhs and Sikhi and I wish that this welcome change is here to stay.
2: Sandeep Singh Brar (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), January 20, 2010, 9:37 AM.
Better gulp that 'breath of fresh air' while you can as a film tsunami is approaching that should set the Sikh public image back a couple of decades at least. If you remember the Indian government funded, 8-Academy Award winner propaganda film 'Gandhi', that elevated Gandhi to near Jesus Christ status ... we ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait till we see the $65 million dollar funded Bollywood & Hollywood major two-part epic film about Indira Gandhi that's underway. To quote an article: "Tom Hanks and Tommy Lee Jones are being lined up to play Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. British actress Emily Watson has been chosen to play Margaret Thatcher, while Albert Finney is expected to take the role of Peter Ustinov, who was in New Delhi waiting to meet the Indian leader when she was killed. The "Queen of Bollywood", Madhuri Dixit, has been picked to play the title role in Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story. Krishna Shah, the director, told The Daily Telegraph :"This is the project of my life, both in its scale and the subject. I have been working on the script for over two decades and it is simply a story that has to be told. It took me years to find a way into her story, but I found it with her role as a mother, both to her family and to a nation with its teeming millions. Indira was India." Forget about Sikh grievences like torture, killings, Operation Blue Star, etc., this film should elevate Indira to Joan of Arc status while justifying her criminal actions.
3: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), January 20, 2010, 5:53 PM.
Sandeep, you bring us very disturbing information. I heard about this project only yesterday fromm Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta). I look at history - movies like Amu, Machhis and The Widow Colony could not be legally viewed in India. This tells me that the opposite point of view that this new planned movie will present, should be equally banned, not encouraged or allowed by the Indian government if it has any inkling of what justice and transparency mean. The question, of course, remains: How should Sikhs react to such a movie on Indira Gandhi, that is in the works?
4: Kiranjeet Kaur Dhillon (Shah Alam, Malaysia), January 20, 2010, 9:15 PM.
Interesting article about the portrayal of Sikhs in Bollywood. It's good to read that Sikhs are now being given due recognition to the world via Bollywood movies although we are a miority group in India. Hopefully this portrayal will benefit the community positively.
5: Harpreet (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.), January 20, 2010, 10:17 PM.
Apart from 'Rocket Singh', other movies with Sikh protagonists are dud in portraying Sikh characters. They did nothing more than making a Sikh as 'Hero' of the plot. They portrayed Sikhs as usual - product of jokes and enthusiastic entertainment.
6: Jasbir Kaur (Canada), January 20, 2010, 10:54 PM.
What a tragedy that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale will continue to be vilified in the same way Mohammed Ali Jinnah was in the movie "Gandhi"! What a shame!
7: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), January 20, 2010, 11:02 PM.
I agree with Sandeep and Dr I.J. Singh. Unless Sikh masses and Sikh leadership come out of their comfort zone, the true history of Sikhs will not come out. Some directors did try to present a true and real picture of the events, but they were all banned in India, so that the truth never comes out. We have already seen in the Indian-government financed movie, 'Gandhi', where the Sikh role as freedom fighters for India was reduced to almost none!
8: Harinder (Bangalore, India), January 21, 2010, 10:23 AM.
For a proud race like ours, it is best to develop a "Sikh cinema" to the point that we need not have to turn to Bollywood for entertainment. The Sikh cinema should then reflect our ethos, values and dreams rather than begging the Khans and Kapoors to show us in good and accurate light. A Sikh never begs. A vibrant global Sikh community of around 30-35 million souls can easily substain the commercial part of such a genre of movies.
9: Gurmit Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), January 21, 2010, 9:57 PM.
This is a process that every marginalized group must evolve through. The blacks were typecast for decades as watermelon-eating, tap-dancing jokers - until Sidney Poitier brought them dignity. Waiting for our Sidney Poitier!
10: Jaswinder Singh (Edison, U.S.A.), January 22, 2010, 3:08 PM.
Gurjender Singh ji, I liked your first statement. I believe every Sikh needs to make it their life-motto. We are all born leaders as per our Gurus. We should know how to lead. But we all love our comfort zones and seldom go out of the way to make change. Our focus should not be limited to just gurdwaras or Sikh organizations. But we should spread out our wings and build roots all over the place. But the bottom line is ... let's get out of our comfort zone!! Because real change can only come if you are ready to sacrifice your comfort.
11: Raj (Canada), January 23, 2010, 11:35 PM.
Hmm ... developing our own Sikh cinema, nice thought. But the reality is something else. How many of you bought or saw a Sikh theme movie? I bet you didn't and there lies the problem. Only reason Bollywood makes these pseudo-Sikh movies is because there's a big population of Sikhs in the west. They pay in mighty dollars, not in the worthless rupee. A few years back, I went to a concert of two up-coming Sikh musicians in Calgary. Inspite of their immense talent, the hall was mostly empty. They performed their heart out for the few who came to see them. I remember an old Sikh gentleman was so moved by their performance, he had tears in his eyes. When I spoke to their father, he told me that the boys won't continue as musicians because there's no support from the community. The last I heard, they disappeared into acedemia and Sikhs lost future stars in show biz. Now, this is how we treat our talent and you expect them to bring accolades for the community?
12: Baljit Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), January 24, 2010, 11:35 AM.
I wonder why it is so difficult for Punjabi movie directors to portray a Sikh in a lead role, when most of the Sikh lead roles I see are coming from Bollywood?
13: Jaswinder Singh (Edison, U.S.A.), January 24, 2010, 3:12 PM.
Baljit Singh ji, you hit the mark point blank. Our Punjabi Cinema and musicians (most of them, the new breed) are in a way hypocrites. They portray an image of Sikhs which is against what you and I believe. Their publicity is working against all this effort numerous Sikh organizations are trying to defend. We ourselves are doing a tremendous job through negative portrayal of ourselves. We seriously have to fix the "internal" bias before we fix other things. Bollywood or Hollywood are all commercial Cinema. They bank on what sells and not on what is true. For truth, there are documentaries. What we have definitely done a good job on is our music. We have sold everyone on the richness of our culture, the open hearts, the courage ... But we have NEVER presented our true Image! So that is not in demand. So, you see the problem ...
14: Christine (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.), January 29, 2010, 2:22 PM.
Yes, its true ... Bollywood has been a bit kinder to the Sikh community, but just when I thought things were getting better, I was slapped in the face when I saw 'Dulha Mil Gaya'. At the beginning, they show this beautiful Sikh punjabi girl from the pind ... she comes for a very faithful Sikh family (even though the father's beard and mustache were so obviously pasted on) but near the middle they have to change her for stupid reasons. They change her completely by changing her attire and obviously at the end of the transformation, her beautiful long braid was gone. She had cut hair and she looked just like the rest of those fake women. I was so upset, I left right at intermission ... so the question is: Is bollywood really changing? Maybe the male roles are looking better but the females are still subject to stupidity ...
15: Mandy (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), September 25, 2014, 8:13 PM.
Don't understand the political agenda of directors like Kunal Kohli, Anand Rai of 'Teri Meri Kahani,' 'Ranjhana' to insult their so-called Sikh characters by calling them 'Hindu' in their films. Bollywood does have a hidden Hindu communal, fundamentalist agenda. They've been doing this since decades to malign Sikhs. Whosoever has objected to this and gone to court, mostly their cases have been dismissed. Don't dignify this nonsense by raising your voice as even the courts wont hear you out. Simply boycott their films, especially we who live in the dollar and pound minting nations. Bollywood's loss will ultimately bring about change. Spread the word: BOYCOTT!