I am still reeling from the hangover of #SushantSinghRajput’s demise. Not that I knew him, but as an ardent movie goer, I have enjoyed watching him on screen. In the last couple of days, I watched Raabta and some of his previous interviews. I think what is getting to me or gnawing me is that a handsome looking, famous, rich person decides to end his life. Like a lot of people I cannot stop myself from thinking why? I am not attempting to probe his thoughts before he did what he did but the hypocrisy of the Hindi film industry has bared its soul once again. When eminent persons like #SekharKapur and #FarhanAkhtar point fingers at the industry itself, one tends to think, there is some truth to this. So this is my take.

I have watched #KoffeewithKaran, almost all seasons and I am embarrassed to admit that I have enjoyed the ticklish gossip that #karanjohar makes such a big deal of on the show. His rapid fire questions of rate these actors in order of potential, or looks, sex appeal, whom would you kill, marry or hookup are so biased. It seems to me that all he wants to do is to create gossip. Look at some of the interviews in the Tamil industry or Malayalam industry, they are so innocent and focus on the craft and the person. The games are simple, the questions are meant for fun, not to put anyone down. I don’t think I’ve seen any show as derogatory as #KoffeewithKaran.

The second ridiculous practice is movie reviews and ratings before people watch it. Self proclaimed stalwarts like #rajeevmasand and #anupamachopra to name a few, give one star or two stars based on what they feel about the movie. A large population looks at this and does not go to the theatre and support the movie. This review comes out the day of the release. When movies are made for the audience what right do these people have to call it good or bad on day 1. Who has authorized these people as the collective conscience of the audience who go to the theaters to watch movies? I support #banmovieratings.

The third one is the lowly and shameful #awardshows. Any TV channel or media house that has money can host these award shows. Actors pay these media outlets to get an award. Media outlet is happy, the winner is happy, but they don’t see the dreams of really talented people being crushed. In the Malayalam movie industry, recent trend has proven that you don’t need to be a Mamootty or Mohanlal to draw audiences to the theatres. If one can portray their characters with sincerity then the audience will flock the theatres. Why isn’t this followed everywhere? Why isn’t there space for everyone to carve their niche. #banmediaawards

Fourth, is the #croreclubs. The producers made money, does that mean the actors did a good job? Definitely not. Is the success of movies like Mr and Mrs Iyer, Taare Zameen Par, Iruvar, Kireedom measured by the crores they made? No!! Their success is measured by brilliant performances. Acting is an art, and the only yardstick to measure it should be the performance, not the moolah the producer makes. He made money, good for him. What we want to see is better performances not richer producers.

Yes, I am passionate about movies. I have experienced a lot of emotions watching movies, it has picked me up from my routine and mundane life and placed me in a world of make belief for those few hours where I can drift away from reality. So make it worth our while and let everyone carve their own space based on their ability and not stupid practices.

#sushantsinghrajput #reformhindimovieindustry #everyactormatters