Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone: From Beyonce to Burj Khalifa, here are Bollywood’s most insensitive, culturally inappropriate moments

We are within the yr 2020, probably probably the most eventful for the reason that World Wars, and conversations round well being, patriarchy, feminism, sexism, colourism, nepotism, racism and lots of such ‘isms’ have taken centre stage. The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown has been fairly an enlightening time for many of us. And though many have whiled away the pandemic by baking bread, scrolling via social media and making new Instagram pages, many others used social media to get knowledgeable and spotlight a number of the largest points plaguing the world, and the youth ought to get some credit score. One might dub millennials, Gen Z and the TikTok era as a era of followers, however being ‘woke’ is the most recent pattern, and everybody desires to maintain up. Everyone, however Bollywood it appears.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition, woke means being “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)”, or to place it merely, deal with every particular person like an individual no matter their race, faith, gender, caste, sexual choice or some other attribute you’d think about a ‘difference’. We usually accuse Hollywood celebrities of appropriating Indian tradition, however ignore Bollywood’s personal insensitivity in the direction of and appropriation of different, and our personal, cultures.

Dig deep, and everyone knows how problematic Bollywood might be, let’s not even get into the entire ‘nepotism, drug, movie mafia’ drama. Bollywood has all the time been identified for it stereotypical portrayals, misogynistic leads and plot traces, and its patriarchy-glorifying legacy. But these are the form of movies which have a A-list star-studded solid and are profitable on the Box Office. Bollywood can get Kareena Kapoor Khan to do Blackface (she had a complete factor in Khushi) and chuckle it off as a gag, or worse the extraordinarily unrealistic and offensive portrayal of homosexuals is used to chop the strain by making the lead hero uncomfortable, so it might be an extended journey for them within the sensitivity division. Be it the edited out scene from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge the place Farida Jalal principally shames Kajol for her pores and skin color, the colour-shaming of Beyonce within the Khaali Peeli music Beyonce Sharma Jayegi, or the stereotypical portrayal and cultural appropriation of Arab tradition within the Laxmmi Bomb music, Burj Khalifa, Bollywood actually must get with the instances, listed below are a few of Bollywood’s most culturally inappropriate, bordering racist and majorly insensitive moments:

 

When Khaali Peeli stars, Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter will need to have danced to the beats of Beyonse Sharma Jayegi (beforehand Beyonce) they by no means would have guessed the flak the music would obtain due to its colourist lyrics. The lyrics go, “tujhe dekh ke goriya Beyonce sharma jayegi”. Fans from the Beyhive apologized to Queen Bey for the inappropriate music lyrics that promoted colourism and the makers shortly modified the Beyonce to duniya. Nice save guys, that’s virtually as a lot effort as Glow and Lovely.

Lead actors Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani within the Laxxmi Bomb music Burj Khalifa seem like they’re performing as a part of a tourism advert for Dubai. It looks as if the music comes out of the creativeness of somebody who solely is aware of about Dubai from Bollywood movies and Aladdin. The lyrics make no sense in any respect, Burj Khalifa looks as if a compelled plug and apparently all Arabs do is put on lengthy robes and bob round within the sand, like in Ali Baba or one thing.

 

We all love DDLJ, however an edited out scene from the film reveals Farida Jalal occurring fairly the monologue to Simran, her ‘ghenhu’ (wheat) colored daughter (her phrases not mine) about how she simply squeezes her cheeks and wishes no rouge, in contrast to her daughter who will solely discover love in India as Indian males recognize ‘ghenhu’ color (as soon as once more, her phrases).

Like everything of the film Khushi, this bit with Kareena dancing round in Black face and an Afro was extraordinarily racist and will have been edited out. Talking about Black face, Shraddha Kapoor additionally as soon as appeared in an Afro and significantly tanned pores and skin on the duvet of Grazia in August 2016.

Deepika Padukone’s ‘China’ look in Chandni Chowk to China was whole cultural appropriation, from the poker straight hair, her eye make-up to make her look extra Oriental Asian and even the lipstick dab like Geisha’s, who would paint solely the centre of their lips. Although Geishas are part of Japanese tradition, it was nonetheless appropriation.

 

Most lately Bala was criticised for displaying Bhumi Pednekar for ‘brown’ face, the actor, who’s significantly light-skinned was portrayed as a darkish skinned woman who’s obsessed together with her pores and skin color. We have loads of dusky actors in Bollywood, so this was a straightforward resolve, nevertheless displaying a light-skinned Yami Gautam as extra fascinating compared to Bhumi was incorrect on so many ranges. Bollywood must do a greater job at displaying all types of Indian magnificence, we aren’t all simply tall, honest and blue-eyed.

Let’s discuss accents! There was completely no want for Deepika’s characters in Happy New Year and Chennai Express to have excessive Marathi or Tamil twang, identical to Anushka Sharma’s faux and compelled Gujarati accent in Harry Met Sejal. Not to overlook each outdated Parsi uncle together with his ‘deekra’ in each Bollywood film. People don’t discuss like this anymore!

 

Bollywood loves appropriating Indian cultures, consider each Muslim household ever seen on the silver display screen and ‘Begum’, ‘Tauba Tauba’ and ‘Tashreef’ are the phrases that may cross your thoughts, and that’s all of the nuance Bollywood can provide you.  And one way or the other each Muslim character is wearing probably the most conventional of how, this blogger (beneath) will get it:

 

And if we transfer on to Bollywood and homophobia, be it the effeminate additional in Prem Aggan who will get brushed apart as ‘gay’ as if it have been an insult, or each function Bobby Darling has performed, Bollywood normally portrays homosexuals in a detrimental and derogatory approach. Dostana diminished gay relations to a joke, and though Ayushmann Khurrana starrer-Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhan was an amazing try, one some degree, in an unlucky approach, the film was probably the most vanilla try of displaying the struggles of the LGBTQ group.

What is probably the most culturally and socially insenstive and inappropriate factor that Bollywood has finished in response to you?

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