The other side of the coin

For the heterosexual male in Bollywood, his masculinity is a deeply patriarchal territory. For the longest time, Bollywood films have shown men to be the one who drives the plot of the film. Right from stalking his love interest to showcase his attention to patronising women, the portrayal has been perceived as more or less regressive. The Bollywood man has always been the perfect encapsulation of manliness and, if we may, misogyny.

The saving grace, however, comes in the form of a few upcoming films that are now attempting to change the narrative by focussing on male issues that are labelled sensitive. A remake of the 2014 Marathi film Poshter Boyz, now stars the Deol brothers along with director Shreyas Talpade himself. The film, releasing in Hindi as Poster Boys, takes a satirical approach on the social issue of vasectomy sensitisation.

Interestingly, Bollywood is seeing another film that deals with a sensitive issue that is often just discussed behind closed doors. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, deals with erectile dysfunction.

But do the audiences perceive such films as just movies on social issues or as entertainers? Actress Renuka Shahane thinks that today, the audience expects a lot more from those two hours they invest in the theatre. “Today, the audience is conditioned  not to look at cinema as just an entertainer. We are now used to watching films that deal with a variety of issues — issues that weren’t discussed on the big screen before this,” she says, adding that this opens up several possibilities in films. “Indian audiences are more appreciative of untapped subjects. This is a positive trend because when famous actors talk about a social cause through their films, it is not only more likely to reach out to the fans but also do so in an entertaining manner,” she adds, calling this “infotainment”.

A still from Poster Boys starring the Sunny and Bobby Deol

On the other hand though, Faraz Arif Ansari, who directed the silent LGBTQ film, Sisak, seems to be a little sceptical of how the audience will take the film. “I doubt the audience is ready yet to take in issues specifically related to men’s sexuality because there are already so many untapped issues like safety of women and the LGBTQ community,” he says, adding that universality is still missing in films to appeal to the masses.

Avinash Das, who directed Anarkali Arrahwaali, is hopeful that these films will act as the much-needed conversation starter. “The audience is extremely receptive,” he says. Adding that even a 30-second-long PSA advertisement moulds its perspective in some ways, the director says, “Every film, no matter big budget or small budget, makes an impact. Once the audience leaves the theatre after the film, the moral or the idea behind the film always lingers in its mind. And this leads to conversations around important issues. Be it in support or in opposition of these ideas — films like these encourages the audiences to talk freely,” he says.

But with so many upcoming films being made surrounding social issues, where does one draw the line to ensure that it doesn’t come across as a public service announcement?

Faraz Arif Ansari

Renuka thinks it is highly instinctual. “I don’t think one can successfully really know where to draw that line — where to stop being preachy,” she says, adding that the responsibility falls on the screenwriter. She also believes that Bollywood is ailed by a tendency to moralise and a holier-than-thou approach to its stories. “Look at Bollywood movies. Even ones that are not based on social issues tend to get preachy. So it really just depends on how sophisticated and nuanced the writer is and how wonderfully they can weave the subject,” she says, listing Ayushmann’s 2012 film Vicky Donor as an example that brought to fore an untapped subject without being didactic. One would imagine that films like these could be precedence to better productions around, but both Renuka and Faraz have their doubts. “Has anybody ever conducted a study on how many of Bollywood’s works really effect social change,” the actress questions. “We really haven’t dealt with the question if Bollywood has had a social impact on the society,” she adds.  Faraz concludes with a straight no. “We have bigger battles to fight than erotically portraying issues men face with their sexuality.”

—With inputs from Pragya Bakshi