Dear mr. Nilesh Singit, We also support you for the same, you may add the name of our org. i.e. Rehabilitation Society of the Visually Impaired.
Thanks and regards Devnandan Kumar On 12/1/07, Nilesh Singit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Shahrukh Khan / Gauri Khan > Mannat > B Jairam Marg, > Bandra Bandstine, > Mumbai-50 > > 28th November, 2007 > > We demand an unconditional apology from Shahrukh khan > for ridiculing the > disabled and deletion of the offensive item number in > OSO > The hype surrounding Om Shanti Om [OSO] made me > curious enough to see > the film. On the surface, it seems to be a harmless > burlesque attempt in > creating the seventies magic of Bollywood movies that > has been the > staple diet of all moviegoers especially my > generation. > OSO reminds me of Kushwant Singh's series of articles > under the banner > "Malice towards one and All'. Though these articles > had its share of > gratuitous pictures and gossips about Bollywood and > political scandals > of its time, in some ways, they will be remembered as > the > personification of freedom of speech, a rare commodity > during the > emergency. In OSO, however, this refinement and > subtlety is missing. It > lacks sensitivity and is more about taking pot shots > at all and sundry. > At the risk of offending the sensibilities (even if we > don't have it, I > am sure they have) of the producer and the director, > the attempts at > taking pot shots in OSO seem to have gone out of > control due to the > distasteful arrogance, excessive self-conceit and > 'below the belt' > wicked sense of humour of the producer and director. > I would like to bring to your notice one such episode > demeaning a > certain section of society in the movie. No this is > not about Mr. Manoj > Kumar. Mr. Manoj Kumar has the means to get himself > heard and seek > justice. I am referring to the 70 million disabled > people in India who > do not have the wherewithal to fight for justice. > There is a scene just before the song Dard-e-Disco > where the hero, who > is deaf, blind, mute, on a wheelchair and has no arms > and none of his > body parts seem to be "working", will do an item disco > number. He has > been portrayed as an object of ridicule. The hero, > Shahrukh khan, comes > up with a quick ruse of a disabled person in a dream > sequence with a > bunch of nubile chicks. In the item number, Shahrukh > Khan flaunts his > newly acquired six packs with abandon in contrast to > the decrepit and > deformed body of the hero. Obviously the intention is > to tickle the > senses of the front row ticket holders with crass > humor and roll in the > cash in the process. Bravo, Mr Shahrukh Khan. > We would not have expected someone with your standing > and repute to have > portrayed disabled person in such a manner. - "Haath > pav nahi jisco / > kaise karega woh disco" – Is this a responsible > statement? Isn't he > aware that Bollywood films go a long way in moulding > opinions and psyche > of the general Indian population and that his stature > ensures a lasting > impression of his dialogues on the Indian polity. > Films like Koshish, Sparsh, Iqbal, Black, Main Aisa > Kyon Houn, Khamoshi, > etc may have been commercial failures. What the film > producers and > director's of OSO fail to realise is that the > aforesaid films created > awareness that disabled individuals are sensitive and > the society should > strive to accept the disabled as normal and equal. > Black was a boon to > the deaf-blind of India, Michelle was Hellen-Keller > reborn. > The disabled have human rights established in law. > However, there is a > difference in theory and practice. Their rights are > violated in every > step and one of the biggest violators is Bollywood, > where characters > with deformities and disabilities are cast as either > crooks or clowns. > The underlining message - whatever the disability, > people with > disabilities are unfit to be included in society. > Films are not only entertainers but also a medium to > awaken social > consciousness and I regret to say that OSO fails this > test miserably. > A message to the OSO team: We are no longer as > un-empowered as we were > before. Stop humiliating us and treating us with > ridicule. We demand you > publicly apologise to the entire disabled community > and unconditionally > delete this objectionable scene before 3rd December > the International > Day of Disability. > We demand equality in every way, disability cannot be > the subject matter > of ridicule and mindless comic relief. > > Yours truly, > > > Nilesh Singit > On behalf of > Disability Rights Initiative (India Centre for Human > Rights & Law) > National Association for the Blind > Disability Research & Design Foundation > Mansi Mehta, Fellowship of the Physically Handicapped > Blinds Unity for Self-Sufficiency > Rashtriya Drishtiheen Vikas Sangh > Blind Persons Association > Akther Trust for the Blind > > CC: > Faraha Khan > Mannat > B Jairam Marg, > Bandra Bandstine, > > CC : Som Shekhar Sunderesan, > J. Sagar & Associates, > 18, SPROTT Road, > Ballard Estate, > Mumbai- 400 001. > (Advocate For Sharukh Khan) > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > Sent from Yahoo! - the World's favourite mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > -- Devnandan Kumar Executive Officer Rehabilitation Society of the Visually Impaired, First Floor, Avadh Tower, Hazratganj, Lucknow To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
