Mockery of Religion in Films? DT Note: Pg10 (Page 5)

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visrom

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 12:30am | IP Logged

Movies have always taken examples from Mythology.

Now there's this Shree Ganesha song in Agneepath where we hear

Achyutam keshavam ramnarayanam
Krishanadamodaram vasudevam bhaje
Shridharam Madhavam gopikavallabham
Janaki nayakam ramchandram bhaje

and in this scene we see Hrithik Roshan brutally killing someone. From the time I saw the movie whenever I hear this verse the scene of murder and killing and bloodshed comes to my mind...they have ruined a beauftiful mantra for me.

The actor's religion has nothing to do with it. The trouble is no one complains about this...and it has become too common, so it has gone beyond repair.

Originally posted by .Vrish.

Can you imagine the firestorm that would break if any non-Muslim actor were to do something similar on Mohammed? That guy's ass would be tossed in jail, and you'd have the entire state in lockdown.

Ok the Character Dheela song was picturised on Salman...but it's not his own personal comment. There are a bunch of Hindus in the CV team of that movie like the lyrics writer Amitabh Bhattacharya( who I presume is a Hindu) and he had no problems writing it. Didn't he feel he shouldn't take a dig at Lord Krishna?

Edited by visrom - 14 September 2012 at 12:32am

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.Vrish.

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 1:05am | IP Logged

^^^ Agreed, but I think that in India, we should use the same definition of a person's religion as is used in the West, since traditional definitions are meaningless.

In the West, a person's religion is whatever s/he says it is. It doesn't matter what the parents were - if s/he claims to be an Atheist, that's what is taken @ face value. Like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kelly Preston are Scientologists, Steve Jobs was a Buddhist (not a Christian like Paul Jobs or a Muslim like Abdulfattah Jandali) and anyone else is whatever they claim they are. Similarly, if one is an Atheist or an Agnostic, one is counted that way, not as a Christian or Jew.

Same thing really applies to Indians - most of Bollywood actors are de facto either Atheists or Agnostics. Nothing wrong w/ that. But in which case, they should avoid making hit pieces on religious - namely Hindu - themes. If they were Hindus, they wouldn't dream of making a public mockery of their religion. So they deserve to be recognized as they are - just like their equivalents in the West. In your above example, I think Amitabh Bhattacharya is an Atheist. If we just go by what he believes.

I learnt this thing living in the US - if a person calls himself or herself a Christian, it implies that s/he is a practicing Christian. A person who's an Atheist or Agnostic would never describe himself or herself as a Christian. The same definition ought to be applied here, and Atheists and Agnostics ought to be listed separately, based on their own personal beliefs, rather than that of their ancestry.

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JanakiRaghunath

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 6:40am | IP Logged

Great discussion you all have going!

I agree 100% with the point that many of you raised, about how it is always Hinduism being mocked. It's very true, I don't know why. Maybe because we're a "polytheistic" religion? Though those who truly know Hinduism realize that it's really monotheistic, because despite all the Gods and avatars we have, they all are from one form of God only. Despite that, many have a low opinion on Hinduism because we apparently have a God for every aspect of our life...wealth, fertility, getting a home, etc...

I agree that either mock all religions or mock none (I'd prefer none), but this Hinduism mockery is getting on my nerves. It happens even in the most decent of movies. People carelessly and loosely talk about Shri Krishna's many wives, and Sita's agnipariksha. I've seen it happen in so many movies which were otherwise good. It's quite sad.

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visrom

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 7:18am | IP Logged

Mock none is obviously the better choice, but whenever something happens in our lives we look back at what our epics have taught us. So it's not possible to escape mentioning our mytho characters...and somewhere someone will take it as an insult.

I remember an old Telugu movie...there was a scene in which a lady used to light so much camphor everyday that all the faces of Gods in her puja room had turned black...and one day she and her husband got into an argument on a picture which the husband said was Hanuman (because he thought something looked like a tail) and the wife said it was Ganesh as she should that same 'thing' looked like a trunk. Finally they wiped the photo and found that it was Ganesh and the lady was worshipping Him as Hanuman everyday!!!

Frankly I don't feel this was 'insulting'...I still laugh when i think of their 'thondam-thoka' (trunk-tail) argument.

I don't think Lord Ganesh and Lord Hanuman would mind if the lady interchanges the mantras. LOL

The image of the pictures turning black because of the camphor can't be called 'insulting' as I have seen darkened puja room walls in many houses.

But if the same thing were done in another religion, they would take a blackened face as an insult to their religion. Hinduism tolerates these things well and forgives minor offenses... that itself is in a way good...something I feel proud about Hinduism.

Edited by visrom - 14 September 2012 at 7:19am

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JanakiRaghunath

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 7:24am | IP Logged

^OMG I know that scene!!! You're talking about swarnakamalam, right? Yeah, even I did not find it insulting because Hinduism was not being mocked, just the way that lady was doing her prayers, but other religions definitely have less tolerance level for such things. I used to be proud of Hindus' high tolerance level, but now I'm beginning to feel that we need to speak out more. People are being allowed to mock Hinduism because no one speaks out about it, even if they care. If media mocked Christianity or Islam, sets would be burned down and other worse things happening. I am not saying we should do that, but we do nothing, we don't even protest. I've never seen a hindu before protesting about what media shows. We're just accepting it silently and if that continues, we'll see worse in the future.

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visrom

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Posted: 14 September 2012 at 7:30am | IP Logged

Yeah...I forgot which movie it was...I only remember Srilakshmi in a 9 yards saree in that movie.

what I don't like is what visuals they show sometimes like I mentioned about Agneepath in which the hero was murdering someone with mantras playing in the background or showing a bunch of hippies when they play Hare Ram Hare Krishna. It shows Hinduism in bad light. There was one foreigner who asked me if ISKCON was a hippy organisation because he saw the song 'Teri Aankhen bhul bhulayya' in a flight and he thought anything related to Krishna was about hippies. Unhappy

Visuals have a bigger effect on the mind than double-meaning dialogues. Those who actually understand the dialogues will probably be mature enough not to get a wrong meaning out of it, but visuals should be censored to some extent because even foreigners watch them.

Edited by visrom - 14 September 2012 at 7:32am

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SahasranamaM

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Posted: 15 September 2012 at 9:36am | IP Logged

Originally posted by .Vrish.

Well said Vrish..!

I don't whether the same is practiced in the North.
Here in Kerala, most of the Hindus who are living as atheists, will call themselves as a Hindu (to avail all the benefits and social status) but wouldn't believe in Hindu gods, rituals and dharma. Their justification is 'Hindu can never be called a religion. It is just a culture followed'. Can we imagine a Muslim or Christian counting himself as one among the group, availing all benefits but wouldn't agree the existence of Christ/Allah??

Edited by SahasranamaM - 15 September 2012 at 9:35am

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SahasranamaM

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Posted: 26 October 2012 at 12:08pm | IP Logged

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZus8OYhcE&feature=related

Please see this video from a Malayalam comedy skit. I am posting the translation of this skit since most of the members here does not follow Malayalam. I know that in one or the other way, it is like giving a publicity to this spoof. However, want to highlight up to what extend such works have conquered our stages.

Kanva: Daughter Shakuntala..Shaku..Isn't tehre anyone to give me a cup of Kanan Devan tea?
Shakuntala serves him. He feels unconfirmatable after the sip followed by a parody describing his discomfort.
Shakuntala:Oh father! That was not tea. It was the dye extracted after washing your new dress
Kanva's mobile rings:
Kanva: Hello..Yes..It is Kanva Maharshi Speaking..What..!! You are not getting control..?!! Which means you have shed all controls which you have gathered till now..?!! (double meaning)..Ok..ok..
Shakuntala: Who was that father?
Kanva: It was that Vishwamithra. That Menaka again came with a cinematic dance and disturbed his penance.
My god..!! What will we sages do if all girls are coming towards us with cinematic dance..!
Shakuntala:Father..I would also like to study cinematic dance..
Kanva: Shut up..!!
Shakuntala: Daddy..!!
Kanva: Podi..!! (Get lost)
Shakuntala: Father, where are you going?
Kanva: I am going to that village office. Last day when I was doing Tapas, the village officer thought that I am a crippled and has taken my details. So I may get allowance for the crippled.
Shakuntala: Ok father..

There comes Dushyant with a machine gun
Shakuntala: Oh..! Please don't shoot me..please don't shoot me..
Dushyant: Please don't misunderstand me. I only have the gun in my hand. But the real shooting is always done by my servants..!
Shakuntala: Excuse me..Could you please introduce?
Dushyant: I am King Dushyant..And who are you young lady?
Shakuntala: I am Shakuntala, daughter of sage Kanva..beloved ones call me Shaku..
Dushyant: Oh my Shakooo...

Shakuntala: Aaah..!
Dushyant: What happened?Is it the darbha grass?
Shakuntala: No..some boys spitted bubble gum over here.
Dushyanth: Let me see..
Shakuntala: Thank you Dushyettaa..
Dushyant: Shakoo..
Shakuntala:Yes Dushyettaa..
Dushyant: Love at first sight..What is your opinion about me? (followed by a parody song insulting Dushyant)
Shakuntala: Help..help..A bee is attacking me..
Dushyant: I will save you..(sprays an insecticide)
Shakuntala: Ok..what is your opinion about me? (again followed by low class parody song)

Followed by full double meaning songs, 3rd rate dialouges..

In comes Durvasa..You can see his torture in video..!

Shakuntala: Oh lord.! When did you come? I didn't see you uncle..!
Durvasa curses: If I curse you 1 time, it is like 1000 curses (spoof of famous Rajnikanth dialogue)

Then follows the story, Shakuntala and Kanva at kingdom of Dushyanth, he refuses..
Shakuntala: Father. let us go .We can write gossips against him in crime magazine..
Dushyanth: OK..I agree..If what she says is true, I will give my kingdom to her and her child.But if she is not pregnant, I will imprison you both..
Kanva: Is it true? Will you give all your belongings to my daughter if she is pregnant?
Dushyanth: Yes..and if not..
Kanva: Oh lord...please give her one more chance to become pregnant..
Dushyanth..OK..!!
And all three are happy..!

Edited by SahasranamaM - 26 October 2012 at 12:09pm

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Mockery of Religion in Films? DT Note: Pg10 (Page 5)

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