One step forward but 10 steps back — that's Indian television for you. And the latest show to join the bandwagon (unsurprisingly, in many ways) is reality show 'Bigg Boss season 8'. The incident occurred when contestant Ali Quli Mirza allegedly touched Sonali Raut inappropriately before being told off by her, and others joining in protest resulting in his nomination for eviction.
Read more about the incident here: Bigg Boss 8: Ali Quli Mirza inappropriately touches Sonali Raut, gets punished by Bigg Boss
The debate around a woman's right to her body has been an ongoing one, but Bigg Boss season 8 brings the hypocrisy to the forefront. The issue was pretty clear: when contestant Upen Patel was seen cosying up with Sonali Raut under a blanket, Ali Quli Mirza decided to join in and put his hand under the blanket too. Sonali Raut protested against this and rightly so. The issue of 'consent' was completely thrown out of the window which the feminists have been fighting for and Sonali managed to bring the issue of alleged misconduct to the forefront.
What the creative team of Bigg Boss season 8 did was sickeningly alarming and the team of Kill Dil joining the prank just demeaned the way the team had set an example just a day before by standing up with Sonali Raut and admonishing Ali Quli Mirza for his alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Here's a two case scenario:
First stance: If you judge Sonali for her alleged proximity to Upen Patel then you are completely wrong. It is her choice and personal decision to decide what she wants. It is basic human and women's rights to be able to decide what to wear, decide what to do without anyone's intervention and if someone is dictating otherwise, it is violation of rights.
But, as usual, patriarchy runs deep in India and Ali took advantage of the situation. The general notion that runs mostly in this country is that if she is okay being intimate with him then as patriarchial norms dictate, she must be a woman of bad character. Hence, I have the right to treat her the way I want to without caring for what her rights are.
The second stance: A woman has the right to do what she wants with consent but a man cannot take advantage of the fact. NO means NO and just that.
What happened on day one was heartening. While Ali laughed and followed this up with denial before finally being nominated for eviction. Even other housemates who did not support Raut earlier due to tiffs stood by her when the whole issue played out.
So, the reason for writing this piece is pretty clear — what little positive action Bigg Boss contestants took against Ali lost its steam when Parineeti Chopra entered the Bigg Boss house and played a prank that belittled action taken by Sonali Raut.
So much for movie promotions?
Parineeti Chopra, Ali Zafar and Ranveer Singh entered the house in a rickshaw to promote their upcoming film Kill Dil. The creative team decided to play a prank and use Parineeti's presence in the house to teach (maybe) Ali a lesson. The Kill Dil team decided to play a game with the contestants after which Parineeti told Ali off for touching her inappropriately.
This was followed by Parineeti storming out of the house rather angry and hurt and Salman Khan admonishing Ali for his behaviour. While all the inmates attacked Ali for this second attempt of alleged misconduct after his altercation with Sonali Raut, the whole Parineeti issue turned out to be a hoax. While Salman Khan laughed it off, Parineeti said that the incident was staged. So much for movie promotions? The biggest question arising now is: Where is the Parineeti who spoke about women rights, dignity and the right to consent. Not long ago, she had lashed out at a journalist for asking bad questions and showing women in bad light.
Watch the video below:
That Parineeti who has chosen roles with careful scrutiny — be it Ishaqzaade where she played a feisty Zoya who followed her heart or Hasee toh Phasee and Shuddh Desi Romance. Well, all of that fizzled out with this incident when Parineeti agreed to be a part of the prank.
Once bitten, twice shy is not the adage that may work for Ali. When our movies show a hero literally stalking his muse till she gives in and falls head-or-heels in love with him, a majority of Indians believe that to be love. So, when Ali was reprimanded once and nominated for evictions, that was a clear message that this sort of behaviour would not be acceptable within the house, thereby setting an example of sorts for the general masses in public who religiously follow the show. A much needed lesson that could set a trend and debated upon. But, with Parineeti's act, the whole impact has been diluted and we are back to square one.
Do the math:
And here are the statistics. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 93 women are raped in the country every day.The report further adds that there is a gradual increase in the number of rapes reported in India - from 24,923 in 2012 to 33,707 in 2013. And these crimes start out as eve-teasing, stereotypes being re-enforced etc. And take the debate centerstage if you wish to, but Bollywood and TV do impact the way people and their behaviour gets shaped on a daily basis. Hence, a show like Bigg Boss, a superstar like Salman Khan and a talented actress like Parineeti just made the biggest mockery possible. And no, the joke is not on public this time. It's on you for backtracking the developments and treating the issue like a mere joke.
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