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From indolent Nawabs chewing betel nuts to regular denizens
going about their day-to-day life even as they surmount subtle
signs of marginalisation and alienation, the caricature of Indian
Muslims on Indian celluloid has undergone many changes. The just
released "Dhokha", revolves around a Muslim police officer in
Mumbai who finds nothing in common with suicide bombers from his
own community but is faced by the same questions that bog many in
the minority community in India.
The Pooja Bhatt film questions why Muslims are viewed
suspiciously when there is a bomb blast, what makes some youths
take to terrorism and the increasing communalization of law
enforcers. The film comes on the heels of "Chak De! India" in which
the protagonist had to clear unfair prejudices levelled against
him.
Though the "M" word was not used, but the dilemma of a Muslim in
today's India coursed through the narrative as Shah Rukh Khan
essayed the role of a former hockey captain redeeming himself of
the traitor's blot that was imposed on him after his team lost a
match to Pakistan.
Both the films bring out the predicament of a majority of Indian
Muslims who have to clarify their position vis-а-vis the
partition, Pakistan and terrorist attacks.
Muslim characters in Bollywood movies have witnessed a sanguine
change over time. The movies in 50s and 60s portrayed Muslim
characters mostly as well-cultured feudal lords.
In 70s, a distinct change in characterization of the Muslims
started emerging in the Bollywood films, says commentator Syed Ali
Mujtaba. The indolent Nawabs chewing betel nuts and splurging their
money on the nautch girls ("Mere Huzoor", "Pakeezah", "Umrao Jaan")
characterized Bollywood Muslims.
During this genre, Muslim men were shown wearing Aligarh cut
sherwani and reciting Iqbal or Ghalib's poetry at the drop of
their cap. At the same time, Hindu films projected a world without
communal or caste tensions.
In the 1960s, a Muslim hero Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar) sang
devotional songs in temples. Lyricists Shakeel Badayuni or Sahir
Ludhianvi wrote the songs, the music was given by Naushad Ali and
sung by Mohamad Rafi, says trade watcher V. Gangadhar.
For the Hindi film industry the world was devoid of caste or
communal divisions. The war films of that era like Chetan Anand's
"Haqeeqat" showed Hindu and Muslims soldiers fighting the common
enemy, the Chinese and sharing the common grief. Villains in Hindi
films were not identified with Muslims.
They bore exotic names like "Tiger", "Scorpion" or more recently
"Mogambo."
So Bollywood had Amar, Akbar and Anthony swearing undying affection
and Muslim friends accepted prasad from the Hindu hero's mother
and allowed their sisters to tie rakhis on their wrists, Gangadhar
adds.
Mani Ratnam's "Bombay", released in 1995, redefined the contours
of characterization of Muslims in Bollywood films. Set in the
backdrop of 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, this movie had a strong
message for communal harmony even as it showed the protagonist
(Manisha Koirala), a Muslim girl, eloping with a Hindu boy (Arvind
Swami). This was a watershed of sorts as it also depicts the
changing face of the Indian society.
Films like "Roja" began to bring out the ideological conflict
between the nationalist victim and the jehadi terrorist. Films like
"Sarfarosh', "Maa Tujhe Salaam", "Pukar", "Gadar - Ek Prem Katha",
"Fiza", "Mission Kashmir", "Border", "LOC" and the latest "Fanaa"
all form the long list of such Bollywood potpourris.
These films would make it a point to have at least one Indian
Muslim who would go to extreme measures to prove his loyalty to
India.
Indian Muslims are as much part of the mainstream Indian society as
anyone else. Their religious identity is only a part of their
consciousness that others come across only by their names. Their
aspirations are the same as any average Indian, says Mujtaba.
Going by "Chak De! India" and "Dhokha", it seems Bollywood is
waking up to the fact that Indian Muslims lead routine lives.
Critics moan the sermonizing in Pooja Bhatt's film that released
Friday but her attempt to give a face and a voice to the majority
moderate Muslims in India is worthy of praise.
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London bombing-inspired "Dhokha" started out as the least favoured
film to hit the marquees but following good word of mouth publicity
that the film has generated, it is expected to rake in the moolah
in the multiplexes.
Surprisingly, "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" that released amidst much
media blitz did not even manage a good opening. The film, which is
not said to be a "representation" of the cult movie "Sholay", was
expected to fetch an 80 percent start, especially at single screens
and in certain circuits where action films work, but its 15 to 20
percent start came as a shocker, according to a trade weekly.
The not-so-rosy viewers' response will add to the filmmaker's
woes.
The other remake of Bollywood classic - "Victoria No. 203" also
started on a poor note. Seems like the coast is clear for "Dhokha"
to emerge as the dark horse in spite of formidable competition from
the industry's greatest.
By Priyanka Khanna
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