‘My Dad Was Defeated In Box-Office By Six-Pack Hunks’, Irrfan Khan’s Son Takes On Bollywood

Late actor Irrfan Khan’s son Babil took a jibe at the sexist and same old conventional representations of Bollywood as he poured his mind out on Instagram.

Remembering that his father had once told him that Bollywood is seldom respected in world cinema, Babil wrote on Instagram,

“You know one of the most important things my father taught me as a student of cinema? Before I went to film school, he warned me that I’ll have to prove my self as Bollywood is seldom respected in world cinema and at these moments I must inform about the Indian cinema that’s beyond our controlled Bollywood. Unfortunately, it did happen. Bollywood was not respected, no awareness of 60’s – 90’s Indian cinema or credibility of opinion. There was literally one single lecture in the world cinema segment about Indian cinema called ‘Bollywood and Beyond’, that too gone through in a class full of chuckles. it was tough to even get a sensible conversation about the real Indian cinema of Satyajit Ray and K. Asif going.”

Audience Taste Need To Evolve

He also took a dig at the audience who were rigid to the changes in Indian cinema. He wrote,

“You know why that is? Because we, as the Indian audience, refused to evolve. My father gave his life trying to elevate the art of acting in the adverse conditions of noughties Bollywood and alas, for almost all of his journey, was defeated in the box office by hunks with six-pack abs delivering theatrical one-liners and defying the laws of physics and reality, photoshopped item songs, just blatant sexism and same-old conventional representations of patriarchy (and you must understand, to be defeated at the box office means that majority of the investment in Bollywood would be going to the winners, engulfing us in a vicious circle).”

However, he acknowledged that there is some change that is happening in Bollywood. He also urged the audience to encourage change. He wrote,

“Now there is a change, a new fragrance in the wind. A new youth, searching for a new meaning. We must stand our ground, not let this thirst for a deeper meaning be repressed again. A strange feeling beset when Kalki (Koechlin) was trolled for looking like a boy when she cut her hair short, that is pure abolishment of potential.”

Source: Free Press Journal