Walking the straight talk

Up until a while ago, the concept of being vocal was the purview of a handful. But, today, things have changed for the better — a recent series of episodes are sturdy proof. While Kangana Ranaut has always been one to not mince words, what actually took audiences aback was the fiery actor’s witty tirade on Karan Johar’s couch and popular show, Koffee with Karan. From taking the rapid fire head on by making statements like, ‘In my biopic, if ever it’s made, you will play that stereotypical Bollywood biggie, who is… like you know... very snooty… and completely intolerant to outsiders and flag-bearer of nepotism… the movie mafia! Karan, of course you made fun of my English in this, and you made fun of everything.” Hear, hear!

And then she went on to add, ‘I’m not complaining about it. I’m just saying. Somewhere these things do drive you.  Karan Johar is a star and he has given me a lot of unnecessary attitude,’ the actress was clearly in the mood to tell all, leaving the show host, Karan Johar, at a loss of words.  

Incidentally, Ms Ranaut isn’t the only one. History is laden with instances, where actresses have stood their ground. On The Ellen show, Handler asked Priyanka Chopra if she knew how to speak in English when she first came to America at the age of 12 as a school student. To which PeeCee curtly replied, “Yes. 10 per cent of India speaks English which is 1.3 million people which is more than most nations. When you go to India, you will encounter most people speaking in English.”  Aindrita Ray has always been unabashedly open about the rampant gender bias and massive pay disparity in Sandalwood. Ragini Dwivedi too has discussed publicly about her struggles on climbing her way up in a male-dominated industry. Not to forget, senior actress Malashree, who once took on a noted director-turned-choreographer for questioning her ‘acting abilities’. With more female stars mustering up the courage and acing the art of holding their ground, are we ushering in a healthy trend of equality?

Opining about the same, Sruthi Hariharan, a Sandalwood actress, feels “It’s a healthy trend, which needs to be tread with caution. I’ve always believed that feminism is about celebrating equality and certainly not about man hating. But, at the same time, I would like to opine that as much as it’s important to speak your mind; the manner in which you convey the message also plays a great role. In a male-dominated industry like ours, it is primary to believe in what you say and say it with honesty so that the genuine-ness in your words is reflected. While everyone is gung-ho about how these women have been bold enough to speak their minds, the point to remember is that the intent should be mindful when you speak your mind. Without which, the entire idea gets crumbled into a pointless rant and a subject of controversy. It’s always a great idea to not shy away from expressing your views, but doing so with accuracy backed by facts and grace is what makes it healthy and worth emulating.”