In a column written by Pooja Bedi, Times of India, this morning, put up a meek defence against controversy surrounding their post on Deepika Padukone's "cleavage". It is funny that she claims, "Of course, to us, our point of view is absolutely valid and correct; else we wouldn't be so vehement about it." This after actually pulling down the piece following outrage.
One of the first things that struck me while listening to Padukone's interview on NDTV was that the picture was not from any recent event. It was a year old, at the least. What is the logic then of putting up such a post? Clearly, the online media is increasingly worried about what is trending on Google. And with Deepika Padukone being one of the most popular stars today, and with a big film launch on the line, any post on her would bring readership to your site. So it does not matter if it is an old picture, and that they had already published it once before; republishing won't hurt anyone. Just that Deepika decided to take a stand this time. She tweeted, "Yes, I'm a woman & I've cleavage, do you have any problem."
It was a matter of time before almost the whole of Bollywood stood by her side, and rightly so.
TOI made their case worse by saying it was meant to be a compliment for her, for everyone to know how beautiful she looked, only after they had pulled down the video that showcased her "beauty".
Pooja Bedi in TOI, disgustingly writes, "How fair is it to say, I will dress to tantalise publicly, but you have to look the other way? In your homes, you dress keeping in mind the reactions you will receive from your family, in-laws, husband and neighbours."
Haven't we heard this so many times before? Even when a woman is raped, the first questions that come out are what time of the day or night it was, where the rape had happened and what the woman was wearing. In a similar vein of the TOI piece, women have been told again and again, if you dress "to tantalise", you deserve to raped (or in this case, treated like a sexual object).
I will leave aside the question whether she was flaunting her assets like TOI claims, or they have taken pains to take a photograph from an angle that could make the photograph "sensational", because then we might have to ask ourselves, if she or any other actress wore a really revealing dress and went out in the public, would it have been equally wrong to put out a picture and discuss her assets?
But there is a sadder part to the story which everyone prefers to be silent about. TOI is merely reflecting how the society thinks and conducts itself. And here, it is not just them but every media house that must hold themselves responsible. The first stories about any film is the supposed romance between actors, or the number of kisses or the awkwardness of shooting intimate scenes. And by media, it would also include the PR firms and the whole machinery that is working behind serving, what they assume, people are interested in.
Not a single media house will shy away from carrying news that would violate the privacy of an individual when it gets them traffic. Why otherwise did all media houses carry the name of the actress caught in sex traffic just a week back?
It is a number game, where every news item is meant to take you to the next level of readership or advertisement targets. I know, every media house will jump at the opportunity to blast TOI, without conceding to the fact that each of us are playing by the same rules.
The final point is of course about Bollywood itself. It is funny and almost heartening to see the support of the Twitter world, and this is not to critique Deepika's courage to stand up against TOI. She has been bold and her move is worth supporting. But the same filmmakers and stars who are standing up for her, participate in the process of objectifying women and using her as a sexual object in hope of better box office records.
So while Priyanka convinces us, "pinky belongs to the one who has money" (Pinky hai paise walle ki), Shahid Kapoor dares the heroine not to stop him even if he is stalking her (Khali peeli khali peeli rokne ka nai,Tera peecha karun toh tokne ka nai). Farah Khan told us in 'Tees Maar Khan' that Tawaif ki looti izzat bachana aur tees maar khan ko qaid karna donon bekaar hai (it is useless to imprison Tees Maar Khan as much as it is useless to attempt to restore the lost honour of a prostitute).
Sadly actors and film makers in mainstream cinema put out films regularly which objectify women to the point that it does not even feel like a violation anymore. The question of choice is often raised, saying that an actress is doing an item number by choice, in which case she calls upon herself the objectification she is subjected to.
The media has done exactly what the Bollywood has: given what they assumed the society wants. By doing so, they not only reflect the society but shape it in turn as well. Cinema or journalism by merely reflecting what is the prevalent truth, shy away from shaping how they want the society to look like in future.
It is easier to stand up and criticise a single media house, especially when it is a competition. What is difficult is to realise or rather accept, that we are all on the same boat: selling what sells.