any rediculing remarks against the disabled which hurt the feelings of these
persons should be vehimently opposed by all who- so-ever makes such remarks.
Mittal.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nilesh Singit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 12:18 AM
Subject: [AI] Open letter to SRK on OSo
Shahrukh Khan / Gauri Khan
Mannat
B Jairam Marg,
Bandra Bandstine,
Mumbai-50
28th November, 2007
We demand an unconditional apology from Shahrukh khan
for ridiculing the
disabled and deletion of the offensive item number in
OSO
The hype surrounding Om Shanti Om [OSO] made me
curious enough to see
the film. On the surface, it seems to be a harmless
burlesque attempt in
creating the seventies magic of Bollywood movies that
has been the
staple diet of all moviegoers especially my
generation.
OSO reminds me of Kushwant Singh's series of articles
under the banner
"Malice towards one and All'. Though these articles
had its share of
gratuitous pictures and gossips about Bollywood and
political scandals
of its time, in some ways, they will be remembered as
the
personification of freedom of speech, a rare commodity
during the
emergency. In OSO, however, this refinement and
subtlety is missing. It
lacks sensitivity and is more about taking pot shots
at all and sundry.
At the risk of offending the sensibilities (even if we
don't have it, I
am sure they have) of the producer and the director,
the attempts at
taking pot shots in OSO seem to have gone out of
control due to the
distasteful arrogance, excessive self-conceit and
'below the belt'
wicked sense of humour of the producer and director.
I would like to bring to your notice one such episode
demeaning a
certain section of society in the movie. No this is
not about Mr. Manoj
Kumar. Mr. Manoj Kumar has the means to get himself
heard and seek
justice. I am referring to the 70 million disabled
people in India who
do not have the wherewithal to fight for justice.
There is a scene just before the song Dard-e-Disco
where the hero, who
is deaf, blind, mute, on a wheelchair and has no arms
and none of his
body parts seem to be "working", will do an item disco
number. He has
been portrayed as an object of ridicule. The hero,
Shahrukh khan, comes
up with a quick ruse of a disabled person in a dream
sequence with a
bunch of nubile chicks. In the item number, Shahrukh
Khan flaunts his
newly acquired six packs with abandon in contrast to
the decrepit and
deformed body of the hero. Obviously the intention is
to tickle the
senses of the front row ticket holders with crass
humor and roll in the
cash in the process. Bravo, Mr Shahrukh Khan.
We would not have expected someone with your standing
and repute to have
portrayed disabled person in such a manner. - "Haath
pav nahi jisco /
kaise karega woh disco" - Is this a responsible
statement? Isn't he
aware that Bollywood films go a long way in moulding
opinions and psyche
of the general Indian population and that his stature
ensures a lasting
impression of his dialogues on the Indian polity.
Films like Koshish, Sparsh, Iqbal, Black, Main Aisa
Kyon Houn, Khamoshi,
etc may have been commercial failures. What the film
producers and
director's of OSO fail to realise is that the
aforesaid films created
awareness that disabled individuals are sensitive and
the society should
strive to accept the disabled as normal and equal.
Black was a boon to
the deaf-blind of India, Michelle was Hellen-Keller
reborn.
The disabled have human rights established in law.
However, there is a
difference in theory and practice. Their rights are
violated in every
step and one of the biggest violators is Bollywood,
where characters
with deformities and disabilities are cast as either
crooks or clowns.
The underlining message - whatever the disability,
people with
disabilities are unfit to be included in society.
Films are not only entertainers but also a medium to
awaken social
consciousness and I regret to say that OSO fails this
test miserably.
A message to the OSO team: We are no longer as
un-empowered as we were
before. Stop humiliating us and treating us with
ridicule. We demand you
publicly apologise to the entire disabled community
and unconditionally
delete this objectionable scene before 3rd December
the International
Day of Disability.
We demand equality in every way, disability cannot be
the subject matter
of ridicule and mindless comic relief.
Yours truly,
Nilesh Singit
On behalf of
Disability Rights Initiative (India Centre for Human
Rights & Law)
National Association for the Blind
Disability Research & Design Foundation
Mansi Mehta, Fellowship of the Physically Handicapped
Blinds Unity for Self-Sufficiency
Rashtriya Drishtiheen Vikas Sangh
Blind Persons Association
Akther Trust for the Blind
CC:
Faraha Khan
Mannat
B Jairam Marg,
Bandra Bandstine,
CC : Som Shekhar Sunderesan,
J. Sagar & Associates,
18, SPROTT Road,
Ballard Estate,
Mumbai- 400 001.
(Advocate For Sharukh Khan)
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