cause is worth fighting for and the offensive dialogues/visuals warrant prompt deletion and unqualified apology.
However, it should be demanded primarily from Ms fara khan the director of the film in question. Actors, are, anyway, hired asses who would utter anything and do anything provided their pockets are kept full I support the cause on behalf of Akhil bharatiya drishteeheen kalyan sangh, as wellas national organization for the integration of the blind, the two organizations I work for. rajesh -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nilesh efinitely, the RajeshSingit Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 12:18 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] Subject: [AI] Open letter to SRK on OSo 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] 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 Notice: The information contained in this e-mail message and/or attachments to it may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us by reply e-mail or telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and any attachments. Thank you 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
