Saturday 29 December 2018

A GENDER WITHOUT GENDER

According to a report in The Pioneer of May 28, four transgender beggars were attacked by a mob on the night of May 26, in Hyderabad, following a rumour and fake video recordings of abduction and murder of children. They were savagely beaten and stoned, one of them died while the others were admitted to hospitals in a critical condition.

The incident underlined the deep prejudice that people harbour against transgenders — a word that includes a number of categories of people who classify themselves with a dissimilar gender than the one assigned to them at birth and who physically, sexually and psychologically do not fall within usual and legal definitions of ‘male' and ‘female'.

In the entire world, there is not a single country, state, city, town, village or locality where people of this tribe are not found. As they lay oppressed under the curse of moral lords, they are still treated as inferior creations, even in free, democratic, secular and socialist societies, forget about their fate in theocratic Islamic nations. Time has changed but not their lot.

The other consequences of prejudice include the discrimination and violence — often sexual and utterly savage — they have to suffer. The positive aspect is that the judiciary and the administration have made noticeable efforts to de-marginalise transgenders. The most outstanding contribution has been made by several milestone judgements by the Honourable Supreme Court. 

It recognised the transgender as the third gender along with the male and female. Stating, "Recognition of Transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue," Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan, who wrote and pronounced the ruling, said that the right of transgender persons to choose their self-identified gender was also to be upheld. He further directed the Central and State Governments to legally recognise their gender identity as male, female or as a third gender, howsoever they may choose. The judgement, which powerfully recalled the bias and distress, transgenders underwent, called for positive action favouring them in education, primary healthcare, employment and a wide range of social welfare schemes.

Historians, sociologist and psychologists say they were not such people who have no gender or transgender. Their fate was better under Mughal lords. They used to keep them to lessen the shortage of women and girls. Beautiful and handsome boys were castrated and kept and called as ‘ nadas' to gratify the sexual urge of Mughal lords. In the daytime they were used to serve their women like messaging, pressing their legs, buttocks and heads. Some time they and sometimes women used to play with them erotically and again in the nights and parties their men folk used to have sex with them and sometimes very violent and erotic.

Mughal, invaders like Muhammad Ghori, Mahamood Gazni, Taimur, Nadir Shah, Allauddin, Babur, etc., after defeating Hindu king, used to enslave handsome, beautiful and attractive Rajput and Brahmin boys. After castrating them they were also used as sex slaves and used to serve and live in their harems and private brothels with female inmates. Still, such practices exist in Pakistan and other Muslim countries. Boys are castrated as eunuchs and kept as sex slaves and are called ‘Nada.' 
Hindu epics, The Puranas and mythology are replete with the courageous feats of true hermaphrodites who, within these scriptures, have always been referred to as the ‘third sex.' "But after the Arab attack in the eighth century, castration of males in order to put them on specific jobs began on a large scale," writes S. N. Ranade  Centuries ago, guards to king's harems were castrated to ensure that no co-habitation between royal wives and guards took place. This led to the creation of the ‘third sex' – the castrated eunuchs. Many males found them distractingly attractive. 

The Sanskrit term "Tritiya Prakriti," or third nature, is used to classify them. They are considered infertile persons, with female gender identity, with masculine secondary sexual characteristics, with or without male external genitalia, with a feminine gender role, with a predominantly homosexual identity.

Hijras have a recorded history of more than 4,000 years. Ancient myths bestow them with special powers to bring luck and fertility. Despite this supposedly sanctioned place in Indian culture, hijras face severe harassment and discrimination from mainstream people in society.

Balucharaji is their Goddess and they revere Ambe Mata, there are religious demarcations. Most of them identify with the female sex. Most of them have worked as prostitutes at one time or another. Serena Nanda's research shows that some persons labelled hijra in India are both prostitutes and celebrants of rites of passage.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill of 2016, is pending in the Parliament. The Bill states that they had to submit themselves to examination by a District Screening Committee for being recognised as such. The definition of a transgender given in the bill is as "(A) neither wholly female nor wholly male, or (B) a combination of female or male; or (C) neither female nor male." It is founded on a hetero-sexual worldview.

They are like left-over gender. But they are just like ordinary human beings. One should try to look beyond the transgender label and understand these people as humans. Like ordinary humans, they also explore love, relationship, friendship and sexual love. Most of the people still think about the mythical part of their life. Their world is very mysterious. But a majority of the people have emotional discontent with them.

They have their own world. It is no different from other humans. They wake up, play, joke around and go in search of parties where they can get money and offerings. There weekends and evenings are very romantic and colourful. They go shopping, spend time with lovers and sex partners and most of them are very fond of drinking.

They all have dreams and dreams about a good life. But realizations of their dreams are not easy, rather impossible. Their parents abandon most of them. Majority of them are sex workers but in Islamic nations, they are bonded sex slaves. In Islamic nations, rich and powerful keep them as the caretaker for their women and for sex for men. Now a debate is raging about their rights across the world.

So many transgenders feel that they are men and some feel they are women. They also love among transgender and feel and live like husband-wife. "God made them different. They are neither men nor women. They also wish to live and sleep as husband and wife. 

In this world all care Dalits, minorities, women, family, children, disabled, pregnant women, drug addicts, criminals etc., but none cares for transgender. Most transgender, sleep on the roadsides and the slums. They are assaulted and teased by the people. The Supreme Court had accorded equal status to the third gender in 2014 but it has not changed their condition. Even nobody has had real data about their numbers. "The Supreme Court may have recognized the third gender but when they die, they do not get recognition."

(Anjaann Joshii, Executive Director, SPACE (Society for People's Awareness, Care and Empowerment, Hindustan Times, New-Delhi).

Take the example of Maya (name change).  Every morning, at sharp 11, Maya leaves with her friend Kajal (name change). The two board an auto-rickshaw to the Old Delhi and take a local to Ghaziabad.  For safety, they wear men's clothes. (HT). Even they have no place to change. From toilet to a bed, they are real homeless, real Dalits. They are thrown by families and society. Transgenders cannot be compared with other backward communities and groups. At least government must allot separate shelter for them.

Rekha, (name Change) from a pink saree, she has changed into a polo T-shirt and jeans…She must change before the sun sets. This is her daily routine…Rekha becomes Ajay(name change). (HT).,They mostly beg or dance for a living. Ajay is allowed inside government night shelter. Rekha is not. "When we sleep on the roads, we are teased and mugged. We are even molested and raped."  Says Rekha.

Rekha was introduced to a guru (the head or in charge of some eunuchs). Rekha got food, money, protection and a place to live. Rekha was trained to walk, dance, clap and sing like eunuchs. She learnt everything like wearing a suit or a saree with jewellery with makeup. Rekha was transformed as a perfect eunuch. 

But gurus of eunuchs are also very repressive like Mughal lords. Due to the repression and atrocities of the guru, Rekha left the Dera (residence) of the guru.

The story of Sunita (name change) is little different. Sunita was a eunuch at birth. But Sunita preferred to live with the guru for safety. Areas are divided by their gurus. No eunuch is allowed to cross other's area. If the area is crossed, other eunuchs beat her. They work in specific areas.

Rekha and Sunita lament that there are thousands of schemes for men, women, children, disabled, Dalits, Muslims etc., but none for them.

Nisha, (name change) a twenty-year-old aspiring fashion designer, narrated her ordeal during her school days, "I was repeatedly abused by boys in my class, but my complaints fall on deaf ears. Even my family disowned me.

 (The Times of India, New Delhi, Dated- Saturday, April 29, 2017, p-6).

Section 377 of the Indian Penal code which criminalizes consensual sex between two people of the same gender has been the subject of widespread protests in the country and the judiciary has de-criminalized this section. Thus, coupled with the taboo associated with same-sex relationships in India, leads to a plethora of problems for people from the LGBT community, be it finding accommodation, or simply leading the life the way they would want to.

Noted film personality Karan Johar also faces this type of problem in life due to his different sexual orientation. Effeminate, pansy, homo... He has been called many things in his life. In his biography titled The Unsuitable Boy, Karan Johar talks about why he's keeping the closet door firmly shut:

While growing up, I was combating a hundred issues in my head. The thought of sex made me awkward; it almost rattled me. I thought, am I asexual? Why am I not feeling this? Why am I not doing anything? There was a lot of turbulence in my head. For me to address it, talk about it, discuss it, was a big no-no….

Today, people think that I have all the possible avenues to have all the sex in the world. But that's not who I am at all. To me, sex is a very, very personal and a very intimate feeling. It's not something that I can do casually, with just about anyone. I have to invest in it. ... I've always handled the rumours that came my way. There has been so much conjecture about my sexuality...

I mean, firstly I have never ever talked about my orientation or sexuality because whether I am heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, it is my concern. I refuse to talk about it...I have not been brought up to talk about my sex life.
I know I am the butt of many jokes, pun intended. I know how my sexuality is discussed.
I have become like the poster boy of homosexuality in this country.
Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don't need to scream it out.

(Excerpts from "An Unsuitable Boy' by Karan Johar, Times of India- Online Dated-08 December 2016. )

Ambika Pandit's story is also unique. As a man, he was a respected executive director of a software company in Bengaluru. As a woman, she was reduced to begging in DTC buses for survival. This transformation from Tarwinder to Kiran Sakhi and from a successful corporate executive to a social outcast encapsulates the tale of discrimination that transgenders encounter in life.

Tarwinder's decision to declare that he was a woman trapped in a man's body pitted him/her against a society that refuses to concede equal space to transgenders minorities. …

The story of Manabi Bandhopadhyay exemplifies this difficult proposition. Feted when appointed principal of a women's college in West Bengal, India's first transgender in the post, she recently resigned after a year and a half -the "non-cooperation" of the students and teachers made her task impossible. Such social prejudices mean even mundane tasks like getting an autorickshaw or shopping for groceries are marred by unkind remarks…

Sakhi currently works for Trust for Trans Welfare, Equity and Empowerment, started by transwoman, Abheena Aher. For Aher, the empowered status she enjoys now is hard earned, having come after years of abuse, physical and mental torture and social rejection that saw her attempting suicide three times. It was only when Abhijeet made way for Abheena that she got rid of her demons…

A graduate in economics from a prestigious Mumbai college, and a diploma holder in software engineering, Aher lost one job after another and left home in frustration. For some time, she had to entertain sex clients to survive…Aher came to Delhi from her native Mumbai in 2010, and got a room with much difficulty -for double the normal rent because she was a transgender……

(Times of India- Online Dated-08 December 2016, P-4.)

There are established guidelines for the endocrine and overall treatment of transsexual persons. These guidelines provide information about the optimal endocrine management of male-to-female and female-to-male transsexual persons.
Now, the community is beginning to make a mark in the national mainstream as well. A member of the eunuch community, Shabnam Mausi, was elected as a member of the legislative assembly in 1999. Others have been elected as mayors and municipality presidents.

The eunuchs can, therefore, be termed as male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals. The aetiology of transsexualism or gender identity disorder is controversial. MTF transsexual persons may have abnormal hormonal imprinting, genetic makeup, or psychological attitude toward gender. They constitute a heterogeneous group of people, rather than conforming to a single genotypic or sexual stereotype.

The term hijra is often translated as "eunuch" and the archetypal hijra is raised as a man and undergoes ritual removal of the genitals to become a hijra. However, anthropologist Serena Nanda explains that many hijras come from other sexually ambiguous backgrounds: they may be born intersexed, be born male or female and fail to develop fully at puberty, or be males who choose to live as hijras without ever undergoing the castration procedure.

The cultural category "hijra" appears to be a magnet for a variety of sexual and gender conditions: ambiguous sexual anatomy, impotence, infertility, homosexuality, and others, which may not have an analogue in Western cultures. Nanda writes that the crude surgery is done by dais (country nurses) whose ‘training' is based solely on experience. The eunuchs call this ‘operation' ‘nirvana' meaning ‘mukti' because the act suggests a ‘transition' of the person from one ‘life' to another. Indian legal statutes do not permit such forced castration of males and therefore, there is absolute secrecy around the act of ‘nirvana.' The operation is always conducted between three and four before the crack of dawn, while it is still dark, and no one else but the dai-maa and her assistant is present for this ‘ceremonial' ritual. The whole act is given the colour of a religious ritual like the acceptance of Deeksha for a better life in the next birth.

In 1990, Dr B.V. Subramaniam of the Surat Medical College wrote a paper based on his research on the making of a eunuch. The study reported that most eunuchs in India were the result of forced castration… The genitals of a normally born male baby are slashed off with a knife dipped in boiling oil. After dressing the wound, a nail with a string attached is tied to the waist and drilled into the stump, which would, with medication and time, begins to look somewhat like a female crotch.

In cases of castration, Subramaniam's paper says that breasts develop because of the seat of the male hormones – testicles – already removed. When the female hormones take over, the growth of secondary sexual characteristics, such as the growth of facial hair, is restricted. So, also the regular change in voice. Castrated or not, eunuchs are sexually active.

During the British rule, the local government was required to keep a register of the names and residences of all eunuchs who were "reasonably suspected of kidnappings or castrating children or committing offences under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code." This section is mostly used or misused, to ‘deal' with the hijra community, as well as homosexuals in India. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalizes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal," even if it is voluntary. The law, which is traced back to colonial ideas of morality, in effect, presumes that a hijra or a homosexual is engaging in "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" this making this entire class of one of the most marginalised communities susceptible.

After a long struggle, the eunuch community has succeeded in a small measure; by convincing the bureaucracy to allow them to enter "E" in forms, database sheets and other official documents like passport application forms, where they have to enter their ‘sex' instead of the routine "M" or "F" which does not apply to them.

Medical science states that hermaphrodite ‘males' are those born with testicles only and some sexual characteristics of a genetically born female, but no ovaries. Hermaphrodite ‘females' on the other hand, are born with ovaries and with some sexual characteristics of the male sex but no testicles. Pseudohermaphrodites, both ‘male' and ‘female' are not very many while true hermaphrodites can be counted on one's fingertips.

Living in a society intolerant of deviant behaviour, hijras, mostly poor and illiterate, look upon themselves as cursed for the sins of their past life. Though mostly gay or transvestite, hijras believe they are sexless persons, neither male nor female. They practice bizarre rituals to win from God their one great wish: to be born as man or woman in their next life. The story goes that after a eunuch dies, the others of the group give the dead body 27 beatings with their slippers so that the person is never again born a eunuch.

It is a community unto itself, a sect within themselves, united like the family system. There are seven nation-wide communal households known as gharanas. Each has its own history and rules of behaviour. Each household is headed by a Nayak who appoints a guru or a preacher trained to protect the community members, whose disciples are referred to as chelas or students and traditionally amount to about five per guru. Before entering the community, the hijra has to live in satla (female attire) and observe the community for at least a year. 

In Mani Ratnam's ‘Bombay', did one get to see the secularity and the tenderness of hijra and the empathy she reveals towards little children? In a touching scene in ‘Bombay', a hijra offers shelter to the two little twins of Arvind and Monisha Koirala. In effect, she saves their lives. She is not bothered by the communal identity of the kids. And then, we know that Mani Ratnam has made his point: a hijra can be a good human being only if we let her show this goodness. Kalpana Lajmi empathised with a hijra forced to live within the mainstream through her film ‘Darmiyaan'. In ‘Jodhaa Akbar', a hijra, instead of hamming up the usual comic role, was portrayed as a trusted lieutenant of the female lead.

When the original eunuch on whose life Pooja Bhatt's ‘Tamanna' was based, died a tragic death in Mumbai, the filmmaker hardly bothered. Her work was done. He was the subject of an unusual mainstream film, which bagged for its producer, a National Award. What more did the filmmaker want?

The government of Bihar, since 2006, has employed eunuchs as tax collectors, singing loudly about the debt outside the defaulter's premises until they are shamed into paying up − one of the most effective tax recovery methods ever used in India.

In Mumbai too, B.R. Shetty, a retired banker, when he was 45 in 2001, employed a group of eunuchs to help him recover the dues of his credit society. Shetty's Unique Recovery Services housed in Matunga in Mumbai played a significant role in recovering bank loans and another such lending from reputed financial institutions in an unabashedly different manner. Shetty's eunuch employees go about their task diligently, at times creating an ambience of light humour and fun. This has been more effective than other threatening tactics. Afraid of being ridiculed by these thoroughly uninhibited groups, people who shy away from payment decide to pay back their loans within a reasonable time span.

Shetty devised this unique plan with the help of former Mumbai deputy municipal commissioner G.R. Khairnar. Shetty firmly believes that eunuchs are better equipped with the power of persuasion than traditional debt collectors.

Yet, It is difficult to understand this strange individual we meet in the train or on the streets, with embellished gestures, a low-cut blouse sans breasts, a voice so rough and manly and a manner so obscenely revolting that our instant reaction is to shy away in antipathy. We silently fume at this person's sense in demanding – some money in exchange for a package deal in blessings – such, paisa and beta. When a section of human beings becomes a cliché of our making, never mind the pressures of our social conditioning, it is time we questioned their claim to be treated only as normal human beings who can love and hate, construct and destroy, as strongly and as powerfully as ordinary mortals can.

References

[1] Ranade, S.N.:  Social Welfare Report, Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of India.
[2] Nanda, Serena: Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing 1990.
[3] Interview with Dr Subramaniam in Mumbai in 2001 by author
[4] Ibid. Cited above.
[5] Reddy, Gayatri: A descriptive analysis of the role of Hijras in pre-colonial India with respect to the religions of Islam and Hinduism versus their current role in present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Paper, 2005.
[6] Harvey, Nick: India's Transgendered – The Hijras, article in New Statesman, May 13, 2008.
(7) The Hindustan Times.
(8) The Times of India.

Tuesday 25 December 2018

Multiculturalism (sic) in Indian Cinema

Films shape and change the views those people hold about the world at large and its public in particular. The film producers have managed to lift the veil on a concealed quandary. It might be about a bias to a marginal, or the bold story of transformation by a single character, but either way, it raises consciousness about the issue at hand.

 (Robert Oakes, "Movies Promoting Social Change").

Cinema is an influential medium. It speaks with the tongue of universality. Cinema through story-telling, documentary, realism or narrative through its very nature demands a universal language. By accessing and understanding what makes a universal subject, the audiences can better connect with the world around them. Films symbolize and at the same time imply. They remix the real, the unreal, the present, real life, memory, and dream on the same-shared intellectual level.
There are many factors important for a movie to leave an impact in the memory of the audience. Quality of the movie is one of those factors. It must have a forceful and persuasive storyline that can effortlessly bond with the viewers but also reveal varied issues in a clear and easy manner. Madhuri Dixit starrer ‘Hum Apke Hai Kaun' is a very apt example of this kind.        
            
('Hum Apke Hai Kaun'.)

Power of the film to create awareness about an issue- Consciousness is the first and the most vital step to any kind of collective change. Attention should be paid to observe whether the film could contact the new audience outside those who already knew the topic talked about in the film. ‘Jai Santoshi Maa' can be put in this category. The public was grossly engaged in this movie. So many blogs, reviews etc appeared in newspapers and magazines.

('Jai Santoshi Maa.')

However, other than being a very vital means of entertainment and regaling the audience, cinema has played an important role to bring about social changes and shape the public opinion. The essential endeavour of a film is the collective approval and change. It is a protracted and complex course, however, in some cases, there are key symbols of a hit. These can be in the form of legislative-based on the movie or guiding principle changes or a change in public discussion or making a new issue and discussion. The films, ‘Munna Bhai MBBS' and ‘Jolly LLB' can be put in this category, highlighting corruption and cheating in education.

(Munna Bhai MBBS' and ‘Jolly LLB)

Now, shrewd film producers are making full use of the media and the social networking sites and internet to attract the viewers. Film producers use websites and create a fan group before or after the release of the film and the movie reaches a large number of audiences even without any substance. ‘Thugs of Hindustan', ‘Dhobi Ghat', ‘Fan', ‘Paheli', etc are of these types.

(Thugs of Hindustan, Dhobi Ghat, Fan, Paheli)
 
The filmmakers are increasingly using digital devices to reach to the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Instagram and WhatsApp etc to attract in new and diverse viewers who usually may not have been fascinated in a movie of that particular taste or issue.

(Diana Barrett and Sheila Leddy, "Assessing Creative Media's Social Impact", Fledging Fund, Dec'08.)

There are many pieces of research on the role of films and their effect on the values of a human being and society to create social awareness and knowledge. Movies have a very powerful force in creating an idea and social awareness. The force is added by using glamour, sex, music, gaudy visibility and new styles are adequate to reinforce this concept.
Films can be treated as a media of enjoyment in people's everyday lives. They are viewed and enjoyed by all, irrespective of class, gender, and age. It is a very powerful means to make our ideas conduct in some way or another and the impact may be both good and bad. There is a direct and quick link between films and their outreach as changing means. Most of the persons would automatically change their thoughts after viewing a film. Nobody can deny their very strapping means to transform the outlook of the society.
For example, after the release of ‘Insaf ka Taraju,' the cases of rapes and molestations were increased considerably. Film ‘Fashion' and ‘Fire' show lesbianism and homosexuality as simple and normal things and popularize this type of relationships.

(‘Insaf ka Taraju', ‘Fire', ‘Fashion.')

In India, films are a popular, cheap and mainstream way of entertainment, as there was, no other popular, cheap and easy way of entertainment.
Edgar Dale conducted 13 studies to prove this point. He classified movies into 10 groups after important study.
"The results those came out of the study that more than 75% of films fall into the categories of sex, love and crime.  Today also, the same trends can be seen. Edgar Dale used personal interviews, case studies, questionnaires, survey and polls for his. It was also seen that movies changed emotions, manners, behaviour, ideas etc".  Herbert Blumer also found the same results in his study on this subject. 

("A Brief History of Media Effects Research", Herbert Blumer.)

These facts are almost true to the Indian film audience. Nevertheless, in India, the attitude of film producers is very negative about India. Politics and politicians, police, education, Hindus, businesspersons, family relationships etc are always shown in very negative manners.
In the film ‘Taqdeerwala', ‘Tarzan', ‘The Wonder Car', ‘Hello Brother', etc, the police are mocked. Indian police are always shown is a very bad manner, thus spoiling its image. The police personnel are always depicted as corrupt, inefficient, immoral and as a joker. Films have created a very negative image of police in the mind of the people.

(‘Tarzan', ‘The Wonder Car', ‘Hello Brother', ‘Taqdeerwala'.).

It is the same story with the depiction of Indian politicians. Indian democratically elected leaders are shown as a villain, corrupt, brutal, immoral, rapist etc., ‘Nayak', ‘Dabangg', ‘Gangajal', and ‘Koharam' are this type of film. They have a very spicy storyline and the audience is made to believe about the negative role and conduct of Indian politicians.

(‘Gangajal', ‘Koharam', ‘Nayak,' ‘Dabag'.)

The education system, teachers and students are always depicted in a very negative manner. Generally, teachers are shown as clowns, ignorant and womanizer. Similarly, students are also shown as raucous elements. Hard working, meritorious and disciplined students are mocked and shown as a failed person in life whereas rogue and scoundrel students are shown highly successful in life. Film ‘Three Idiots', ‘Munna Bhai MBBS', ‘Cheat India', ‘Jolly LLB', ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', etc have this type of storyline.

(Three Idiots', ‘Munna Bhai MBBS', ‘Cheat India', ‘Jolly LLB', ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.)

People are shown the ways of theft; robbery, cheating fraud etc. and they are shown as very successful in life with all the luxuries and respect in life and society. ‘Haath Ki Safai', ‘Dhoom', ‘Race', ‘Happy New Year', etc are this kind of movies. 

(‘Haath Ki Safai', ‘Dhoom', ‘Race', ‘Happy New Year')

Criminals, goons, etc involved in ‘Hafta Vasooli' are shown as great characters. They are presented as role models. In ‘Raees' and, ‘Hassena' have this storyline. Which openly glorifies the criminals.

(‘Raees', ‘Haseena', ‘Once upon a Time'.)

Bollywood movies always depict the pillars and makers of the nation and society in a very negative manner. Politicians, industrialists, businessperson, police, teachers, doctors etc are generally in a very poor manner. But criminals, gangsters, duffers, mawalis, loafers are always shown as the poor victims of the system and glorify them.
Indian movies have played a very important role in popularizing, wine, charas, drugs, cigarettes, gambling, sexual perversion etc in society. ‘Udta Punjab', ‘Dev D', ‘Fashion' ‘Page-3' etc have such a storyline.

(‘Udta Punjab', ‘Dev D', ‘Fashion' ‘Page-3')

In Bollywood movies, Hindu religion and Hindu traditions also get very poor and negative treatment. ‘Pk', ‘Oh My God', ‘Ponga Pundit', etc have such stories. In Bollywood Hinduism has always shown in a very derogatory manner. Superstitions, caste, corruption, cheating, etc all have been made an integral part of Hindus and Hinduism in Bollywood movies. Pundits, Banias and Rajputs are always shown as corrupt, greedy, and criminals. Even some of the titles of the films are just degeneration of Hinduism. ‘Kedarnath', ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram', ‘Ram Teri Ganga Meli', ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha', etc etc.

(Pk', ‘Oh My God', ‘Ponga Pundit', ‘Mother India')

Bollywood filmmakers, artists and actors claim they are the torchbearers of 'feminism' in the new-age cinema. In lectures, they advocate the woman's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. But in Indian films, women are treated as the toy of a man. They hardly get a good role. They are depicted very wrongly, e.g. a woman, betrayed by the lover/groom picks up a bottle of alcohol and walks the streets while an old 'Hindi' song plays in the background...

In the latest development, in the films- a woman, tired of doing the daily chores in the kitchen, pulls a chair and begins to sip some wine with her husband and other 'men'.  This is women empowerment and feminism of Bollywood.

In another film a daughter smokes and shares a cigarette with her father, (which only a boy could do till now,  is lauded and celebrated as feminism.

Women always seem running behind loafers ad duffers etc. ‘Three Idiots', ‘Munna Bhai MBBS' etc have this type of depiction of women.

(Three Idiots', ‘Munna Bhai MBBS.')

Feminism is about winning a position, taking a resolution, standing by it, and having the freedom to choose. It's an idea that gives you the liberty to just be.

The word feminism is highly misused and so misinterpreted off late that it feels like abuse and a war against man. Even some of the radical feminists feel that women have the 'vagina'... to the greatest feminine power. To the only gender that has the power to procure life. In the very famous and controversial film like ‘Padmavat', some of the critics reduced the ‘Jauhar' by Hindu women as a fight to protect their ‘vagina'. Women, like a vagina, take a decision to burn themselves as a vagina. They found Padmavat regressive and found their feminism challenged by it. (Swara Bhaskar) 

(‘Padmavat')

Such critics fail to understand the story of women's valour and their brave, harsh, radical decision. It was their choice. That was dear to their feminism. It was their power and freedom to choose.  It was Padmavati's choice and free will to not give herself up to Khilji. The question about life after rape does not arise. She, out of her free will, chose to embrace the fire rather than the debauch Alauddin. It was a matter of choice and not forced upon them by their husbands!

Films, ads, opinions that portray women doing things that man do is lauded and celebrated as 'feminism'. According to Bollywood films, feminism and equality are reduced to women smoking, drinking, gambling, body showing, free-sex etc on screen.

Young girls are generally projected, wearing very short dresses, semi-nude, bikini wearing etc in the name of fashion and modernity. ‘Faishon, ‘Mai Hoo Na' etc are such movies. Women are treated very badly in Bollywood. Now, all know about the regressive practice of casting couch. Some of the victims have spoken about it. ‘MeToo', exposure is all about it.

(‘Faishon, ‘Mai Hoo Na', ‘Fashion' and ‘Laga Chunri mei Daag.')

There is hardly any film in which cow keeping or rearing cow is shown but in so many films dog keeping is shown as a very good act. Indian food, bread and vegetarian food is a sign of backwardness but pizza, burger, cold drink and non-vegetarian are best and eaten by educated and civilized people.  Even some of the big name like Rishi Kapoor,  Kamal Haasan etc support beef eating.  ‘Sonu ke teetu kee Sweety', ‘Mom' have this theme. Hindi and Sanskrit are always mocked and symbol of backwardness whereas English and Urdu are the languages of educated and civilized people. ‘English Winglish', ‘Hindi Medium', has this story. 

(‘Sonu ke teetu kee Sweety', ‘Mom', ‘English Winglish', ‘Hindi Medium'.)

It is a matter of pride that, Indian cinema has not only remained popular in India, but it has increased its boundaries elsewhere in the world. It is really encouraging to see a ‘double bottom-line' production house in India. Films are a really powerful medium in India.

In the words of Bertolt Brechet:
"We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights and impulses possible within the particular historical field of human relations in which the action takes place, but employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself."

(Diana Barrett and Sheila Leddy, "Assessing Creative Media's Social Impact", Fledging Fund, Dec'08)

Now, activism has crept into Bollywood.  A whole generation of young writers is growing up in the shadow, pomp and show of activism. But their approach is very negative.  In the name of art, they support the cause of artists from Pakistan and anti-Hindu storyline. Such activists always try to defame the nation and malign the Hindus. Stars like Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shan, Javed Akhter, Shabana Azmi etc indulge such type of negative activism.  Even terrorists are shown as victims. These art movies show nation and ideas in poor light.

But art, real spirited art that does not hunt for easy crutches, achieves far more in the course of moving us and amusing us than activism ever does. The film ‘Newton', for instance, shows with considerable power the absurdity of democratic process in an impoverished tribal region; and that extreme uprightness in a person is actually a psychiatric condition. The film tried to depict Maowadi terrorists as victims of the system and tried to generate more sympathy for the "Maoist terrorists".

(‘Newton', ‘Haider')

It was in the late 1970s that Yash Chopra's film ‘Kala Patthar' released. It focuses on the pitiable and dangerous lives of the coal miners in a very exaggerated manner. The same idea is shown in ‘Kranti' too.

(‘Kala Patthar', Kranti')

 Mahesh Bhatt's in his film ‘Arth'  introduced a very bold theme before the Indian audience. The big screen was familiarized with the vulgar idea of the extramarital affair.

(‘Arth')

In the late 1990s, ‘Parallel Cinema' began experiencing a resurgence in Hindi cinema, largely due to the critical and commercial success of ‘Satya', a low-budget film released in 1998. It was based on the Mumbai underworld, directed by Ram Gopal Varma glorifying and romanticizing the crime and criminal.

(‘Satya')

The years that followed saw movies like ‘Rang De Basanti' and ‘No One Killed Jessica' that not only popularized the concept of candle march, which is generally used to defame the nation or blackmail someone.

(‘Rang De Basanti' and ‘No One Killed Jessica')

All this discussion is enough to say that in India, the power and reach of a film have not being used in the nation building and create a positive approach about the nation nada the society. On the contrary, they create a very negative image of the nation, society, women, Hindus, Indian history and Indian society. 
The Government and the censor board need to tackle these issues and force the Bollywood to change.  The society must understand that while judicial verdict and laws help, but the nation and any faith should not be demonized. The society's attitude towards them must change. This is an area where the people have to join the battle.


Saturday 22 December 2018

संस्कारॉ मे टूट्ती नारी



दुखती-झुकती कमर,
ढ़्लता शरीर,
खोती जवानी
सलाहा डाक्टर की,
बस ना झुको अब।
झुकते-झुकते,
कमर झुक गयी है,
कभी ना सीधी होने के लिये।
सीधे होने की,
अब कोई गुंजायश अंश नही।
सुनकर,
ठंडी और लॅबी, आह भरी,
पहले हंसी, फिर रोई,
जिंदगी के लम्बे सफर मे,
कोई तो बोला,
झुको नही।
बचपन से,
माता-पिता,
दादा-दादी,
नाना-नानी,
समाज, संसकार,
सभी तो,
एक लड़्की को,
झुकना ही तो सिखाते हैं,
फलदार पेड़ की तरह।
नारी के झुकने से,
घर मे,
प्रेम, प्यार, प्रकाश,
और खिलते हैं,
खुशी के फुल्।
झुकती रही, भुलती रही,
और भुल ही गयी,
ऊपर वापस
भी आना होता है।
और आज,
कहते हैं डाक्टर बाबू,
झुको मत, सीधे रहो।
क्या, मानने से
बड़ॉ की बात,
सु-संसकार होने से,
झुके ही रह जाते हैं ?
और जिंदगी मे,
रह जाता है,
सब कुछ खाली-
अस्तित्व, आत्मा,
शरीर, संसार,
और कभी ना भरने वाली,
खाली दुनिया।
मन, चाहत, सपने,
सभी खाली हो गये हैं।
बिना सोचे, बिना जाने,
अल्हड़ जवानी, सपने,
सभी उड़ गये
और छोड़ गये पास मे,
कभी ना भरने वाला,
अहसास, ख़ाली पन का।  
सदैव झुकना ही है तो,
बनाई क्यॉ थी,
ये रीढ की हड्डी?
अब सभी, झांकते ही रहे गये,
दास्ता लिखने वाले,
कभी नारी की,
बंद किताब को,
पढ्कर तो देखो। ।

Wednesday 12 December 2018

Direct physical harm to teachers

Numerous incidences about students and parents beating up teachers have been reported from across the country on the regular basis especially during exams, admissions and evaluations. Teachers have been thrashed on minor of causes like shortening of attendance, catching cheating in exams, or academic failures like practicals, internal assessment, viva etc. Even in some cases, teachers are even murdered. In one incident in Delhi, a teacher was stabbed to death by a school student for some minor pretext related with routine academic work.
There are numerous incidences of this kind across the country. But beating or killing os teachers are not at all an issue in this country. For authorities, teachers and students etc it is a routing minor issue. Corporal punishment in schools and colleges are banned in India, but human right groups, media, NGOs, and activists give wrong information about it to defame teachers and educational institutions. Most for the studies in this field are wrong and manipulated. But there is hardly any data or survey about the beatings of the teachers.
At the lower level, the parents of the younger children are more likely involved in the beating or physical attack on the teachers while older children are more likely themselves involved in the attack and beatings. Male teachers receive harsher physical attacks, and female teachers are more likely to be verbally abused and humiliated but in some cases, they are also physically assaulted.
It can be seen students not only beat teachers themselves but take other students' or friends' help to beat up their teachers. Further, they use other mechanisms to settle the score with the teachers like implicating them in false and fake cases. Even distinguished IITs are not free from this problem.
Now, fearing their safety, teachers have almost stopped reporting the use of cheating and other unfair means in examinations. Now cheating in an exam is a very big malaise due to this reason. Indiscipline, lawlessness and ill-manners are growing at a rapid pace in the educational institutions. Authorities and parents do not realize the gravity of the situation.
Parents don't just view it as a serious problem of discipline, but also actively support their wards in this wrongdoing. They even support the use of any wrongdoing by their ward, in an attempt to improve their wards' academic performance and to scare the teacher is the easiest way.
Unfortunately, if teachers are harassed or beaten, nobody comes for their help and protection. This leaves the majority of teachers with little support in the institutions, particularly in ‘mild' instances of abuse, slapping and spanking. The honest classroom observations revealed that teachers who are honest, disciplined and law-abiding, with good teaching are particularly vulnerable as they are aimlessly harassed or beaten in an attempt to shun their good habits.
Harassment of teachers in any manner increases indiscipline and leaves children ill-mannered and lawless bullies. It has detrimental effects like lowering the self-confidence of the teachers and negatively affects academic works and classroom participation. Most importantly, it leads to acceptance of violence and pushes aggressive forms of masculinities predominantly among boys. There is a clear indication of relations between aggression against teachers' and increased students' aggression and lawlessness.
Fearing abuse and violence, now teachers hardly stop unfair means in exams, shorten attendance or strict in evaluations. This is causing irreparable damage not only to the students but to the education system and to the nation as a whole. Today, students, decorated with good degrees and certificates are found unemployable. They fail in their life.
Boys, who are involved in aggression against teachers in school, addressed their loss of self-esteem by beating other weaker boys and girls and even in some cases, their own parents. This led to more attacks on the teachers, creating a chain of violence. Verbal abuse was evenly damaging. For instance, when a teacher is abused by a weak or rogue student and referred the teacher in an insulting manner, it became a chatting point and subject of mockery for other students. This further silenced the good teacher the classroom and socially traumatized.
Besides such risks, harassment of teachers sends wrong messages to children about notions of education, control, discipline, manners and autonomy. It encourages inflicting pain on someone who wants to teach or discipline them, on the reasons for it being essential for their own well-being and for their bright future.
Such students and parents must be made to feel the guilt. They should publicly name and shame. Relationships thus get based on discipline and hard work and building an honest system through positive engagement and self-regulation.
There must be tough and strict legislation to eliminate such elements out of the campuses. It needs to be supported by creating social awareness about discipline, manners and law in educational institutions.
It requires investing in students by training them to adhere to discipline, manners and laws. Alternative classroom management strategies and constructive solutions to challenging classroom situations should be adopted. Like rogue students should be assigned to some community work; like cleanliness, plantation, water harvesting etc to be motivated to encourage self-regulation. Students' bodies can also be involved to inculcate adherence to rules and manners.
Systemic issues, like under-staffed and under-resourced public schools with overcrowded classrooms which put additional pressure on teachers, must be addressed. Such conditions are also found to be favourable for indiscipline, bad manners and lawlessness. Teacher training should include sessions to face the everyday realities of students coming from an anarchic, lawless and violent society.
Stopping direct physical attack is not just about direct physical and mental harm it causes to the teachers, but about a culture of violence that it continues in future. It is about using violence as an effective tool in situations of which is not liked by someone. It's time we recognised the seriousness of the issue and teach children self-control and self-discipline. Eliminating violence in schools and colleges is essential for ending violence in societies

Tuesday 11 December 2018

The Secularism of Bollywood



Sukhi Lala was the immortal character of famous Indian classical movie ‘Mother India,' produced by Mehboob Khan.  Sukhi Lala has been shown as greedy, brutal and immoral Lala, in the end, was brutally murdered. Unfortunately, this is the unchangeable and permanent image of Hindu Lala, Bania and Vaishya community people.
                                                                                                                                (See ‘Mother India')
 Movies are rollercoaster voyage those have the amazing command to entertain and to teach. They can be a leading apparatus to bring about well-organized social change - true or untrue, that has no meaning here. Bollywood filmmakers are expert and misusing this quality. For example, Hindus, their customs, religion, temples, gods and goddesses etc. have been openly mocked in the Indian cinema. This is an inseparable part of Indian films. Unfortunately, this has become the image of Hindus and Hinduism made by Indian films in the society.
With the release of ‘Padmawat', produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, same debate is again repeated. Alauddin Khilji was a brutal king. His only big achievement was to stop the marauding Mongols. This act was not enough to make him a great sultan. However, the Bollywood, like Indian historians, always glorify Islamic invaders and rulers, glamorized this act.
They maintain that the Sultan had called his war specialists and they all advised him not to resists the brutal Mongols, when the foe was near Dilli. They claim that the Sultan did not pay any thought to his council. Bollywood, like left historians, claim that on this the Sultan said that he would not be able to enter his harem (private brothel) or show his face to his people. It was a very vile argument to show his bravery. Mongols had to retreat.
                                                                                                                                      (See ‘Padmavat')
Actually, Alauddin murdered his own uncle and marries his daughter, means his cousin sister, Mehrunnisa, after raping her. Alauddin was a monster and not a Sultan. A few years back, Nitin Chandrakant Desai made a TV serial on this, titled,  ‘Chittor Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur'.in which Ratansen and Padmini in a ‘swayamvar' behave in an absurd manner. These Bollywood filmmakers twist the real story of Hindu kings in a very insulting manner.
Bollywood has been also very critical of ‘Jauhar', which used to be performed by Rajput women for protecting their chastity and honour otherwise; they would be subjected to rape by Islamic invaders. The Karni Sena was upset with it and forced Sanjay Leela Bhansali to change his views in ‘Padmavati'.  He has made a very effective mixture of intense biases and age-old prejudices—something that makes a nationalist vies come true. Even some left-winger like Swara Bhasker has compared these chivalrous and sacrificing women, just like a vagina who just live and die, just for a part of the body and that is a vagina. ‘They must have felt like a 'vagina' when she chose 'fire' over 'rape'? It was her 'call', her 'decision' as a vagina. Right, wrong, strong, weak is up to you to interpret as a 'penis' or as a 'vagina'.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 (Google)
Indian filmmakers repeatedly have shown incompetence in depicting the true history and historical characters. Padmavati is no special in this regard. Queen Padmavati was shown, behaving like an ordinary woman. Thinkers believe that films can be amazingly complex to make a firm bond between the influence of a film and social change. However, Bollywood movies twist the entire story so the social forces of movies are twisted with a design to show Hindus in a bad light. The film, ‘Bajirao Mastani' is a very apt example. In the movie ‘Bajirao Mastani', the Hindu king Baji Rao has been portrayed in a poor way.
                                                                                                                                (See ‘Bajirao Mastani')
The real story was turned an imagery and romantic story to show the idealism of Alauddin Khilji and compares him with Rajputs. Bollywood claims in a number of movies that, ‘aan', ‘baan' and ‘shaan' were not restricted to Rajputs and Hindus; Muslim kings and rulers too, personified all of those preferred virtues.
Researches are available to show the impact of movies on people and society. In one of the studies, Andrew Butler of Washington University created a classroom where a movie was shown as a teaching device. A correct account of a historical incident was taught and the same event was shown by a movie. The movie showed contained both the correct and incorrect information about the historical incident. The student gripped very fast and memorized, whatever was shown in the movies.
(Andrew Butler, Washington University, Herbert, Wray, "I Learned It at the Movies", Scientific American Mind).
This is not new in Bollywood movies. Even so many dreaded or petty criminals have been shown as icons and it has tried to glorify them. Dreaded Muslim criminal Mohammad Latif has been projected as a nobleman in the film ‘Raees.' Dawood Ibrahim is a dreaded terrorist and smuggler. His entire family is involved in all types of crimes but his sister Haseena Parker is glorified in the film ‘Haseena.'
                                                                                                                      (See ‘Raees' and ‘Haseena')
A big chunk of Indian audience is uneducated and ignorant. They can be very easily influenced by the movies by the calibre of their interactive characters and exciting contents. Movies are misguiding our ideals and hope of realism, in spite of our eagerness to be influenced. Although the learning is inadvertent, it is just as competent as intended learning and controls our ideas and conduct.
In a large number of movies Hindus, Hindu Gods, Hindu customs and traditions are mocked and insulted. ‘PK', ‘SDurga', ‘Oh My God' etc are such movies in which Hindu Gods and customs are very badly mocked. In Pk, even, God is shown as the wrong number but he will never show Allah or 786 as wrong numbers. There are many such movies in which Indian and Hindu customs and ‘sanskaras' are mocked but ironically, there is hardly any movie in which Muslim or Christian ways etc are criticized or mocked.
                                                                                                                           (See ‘PK' and ‘SDurga')

In the famous film ‘Sholey', Dharmendra tries to fool Hemamalini to impress her, hiding behind the idol of Lord Shiva in a temple. In film ‘Shan' Amitab Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor dance very vulgarly, attired fully as Hindu saints, and are shown cheating women and people.  
                                                                                                                           (See ‘Sholey' and ‘Shan')
In the movie, ‘Hath ki Safai', a Hindu prayer is parodied, glorifying theft and thuggery. In the movie of Farhan Akhtar starrer, ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag', ‘havan karenge,' is also shown in a comical manner. m The title of the film ‘Toilet ek Prem Kaths' in itself is very derogatory because ‘Katha' word is related to Hindu religion. Contrary to all this, cross, church pesters, skullcaps, namaz, maulvis etc are shown in an honourable manner.
                                                        (See ‘Hath ki Safai', ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag', and ‘Toilet ek Prem Kaths')
At the level of society, movies are understood to play a role in transmitting, creating, maintaining, and reinforcing the new societal and cultural ideas. In most of the cases, they create a new image of society and facts by interpreting the facts and things in terms of market and political ideas. They have nothing to do with "what is right", "what is", "what we want'" and "what is related to what else."  In other words, movies generally depict a new or unreal reality.
 (Kane, Harrison D., Taub, Gordon E., Hayes, B. Grant, "Interactive Media and Its Contribution to the Construction and Destruction of Values and Character").
In the ‘Comedy Nights', by Kapil Sharma, the knowledge ‘Shikha', (choti), donned by Hindus, is shown in a very disdainful manner. In the movie ‘Jigarwala', the Hindu priest is shown as a comical fraud. In the film ‘Bhool Bhullayya', ‘Deewana Mastana', ‘Mr & Mrs Khilari' etc also Hindu rituals, astrology, the knowledge ‘Shikha', (choti), Hindu temples etc are shown in a very derogatory manner.             
           (See ‘Comedy Nights', ‘Jigarwala', ‘Bhool Bhullayya', ‘Deewana Mastana', and ‘Mr & Mrs Khilari')
The Hindu priest is shown in poor light in Bollywood movies. Chief Hindu priest of Mewar, Raghav Chetan is shown peeping evil and is banished from the kingdom. He is also shown as cunning and greedy and extorts one of the precious bracelets from Padmavati by deceit.
But this deceiver is shown, glorifying Alauddin. Raghav Chetan says to himself in the book, "I shall go and describe the lotus (Padmavati) there where Alauddin, the bee, is. When he hears, he will rise, like the sun, and the jewel (Ratansen) will be darkened. "
Bhansali has united the first and second wives of the actual Alauddin to make a completely new woman. However, in real life, both women hate each other very bitterly. Clearly, facts can never come in the way when portraying any Muslim character.
In Jayasi's Padmavat, Alauddin isn't the only one mad for Padmavati. There was another Rajput prince named Devapal of Kumbhalner, too, who wants to marry her. A sword combat happens between Ratansen and Devapal, and both die fighting . Both the queens Padmavati and Nagmati commit sati on the funeral pyre of their husband. However, in the film, as they always do in the anti-Hindu imagination, the Muslim king wins the duel.                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                ( Padmavat by Mallik Mohammad Jayasi)                    
In a number of movies, immorality is shown to the audience in the form of boys and girls make physical relationships out of wedlock. But in most of the movies, the religion of the girl is Hindu. Films, ‘Two States', ‘Ye Jawani Hai Deewani', ‘Jab We Meet' etc are an apt example of this kind. Elopement of the girl from the ‘mandap' with some loafer is also very common in Indian films. Again, this is shown in the Hindu marriage. ‘Three Idiots', ‘Duhle Raja', ‘Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', ‘Burfi', ‘Band Baza Barat' etc are some of the films showing this act.             
(See ‘Two States', ‘Ye Jawani Hai Deewani', ‘Jab We Meet' Duhle Raja', ‘Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', ‘Burfi', and ‘Band Baza Barat')
Most of the Left wing and Islamists' biases that went into the Bollywood mix as features are clearly and intentionally. Some of them are - ‘Muslims are non-violent', ‘Hindus always stab you in the back', ‘Hindus always win by guile', ‘Muslims are incapable of violence', ‘Muslims will always play fair', ‘Hindus will always have a moral defeat', ‘Mosques, Dargaha, namaz, Church, The Bible, The Quran', etc are always depicted in a positive way but ‘Temples, Pundits, Hindus system', etc are shown in negative ways and so on.       
Films, written by Salim-Javed or the film in which Kader Khan, Kaifi Azmi, Mahesh Bhatt etc are involved, generally show Hindus in a very bad light but Muslims, Christians and Sai Baba are depicted in a noble manner. There must a great Muslim character in their movies but a mockery of Hindus is a common phenomenon in their movies. Frauds, cheaters, and oppressors are always Hindu characters.
In, ‘Amar-Akbar-Anthony' the father of three children, ‘Kishan Lal' is a killer and smuggler but ‘Akbar' and ‘Anthony', who are shown as great Muslim and Christian, look after his children. The glorification of Sai Baba was started with this movie. a                                                                                               
                                                                                                                     (See ‘Amar-Akbar-Anthony')
noIn film ‘Kranti,' a character ‘Raja' (Pradeep Kumar) is shown as a traitor but ‘Karm Khan,' (Shatrughan Sinha) is a great patriot and sacrifices his life for the nation. Hindu landlords are depicted as brutal oppressors. Hindus generally insult parents in the Indian cinema and left unattended in some old age home.  ‘Bagwan' has this story.                                                                
                                                                                                                    (See ‘Kranti' and ‘Bagwan')
The so-called new millennium started with the controversy generated by the filming of Deepa Mehta's last of the Trilogy ‘Water', which was based on the life of Hindu widows in the 1930s and the storyline again tries to demonize Hindu and Hinduism. In the recently released film ‘Kedarnath', again Hindu faith has been shown in poor light.
                                                                                                                     (See ‘Water' and ‘Kedarnath)
It can be said without any confusion that in Indian film, Hindu is either shown as an atheist or a person mocking the religion but names like Sher Khan, Pathan, Akbar, Abdul, DSP Disuja, Anthony, father, Michael, David etc are depicted as noble and great characters.
There is a unique characteristic of India cinema. Muslim actors are given great and honourable surnames. Dilip Kumar as ‘Tragedy King', Mehmood as ‘King of Comedy', Shah Rukh Khan as ‘King Khan', Aamir Khan as ‘Mr. Perfectionist', Saif Ali Khan as ‘Chote Nawab', Salman ‘Khan as Dabang' Meena Kumari as ‘Tragedy Queen', etc. But such surnames are never given to Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai etc., who are much superior to them.
Hindu family relationships like mother-in-law (Saas), daughter-in-law (bahu), uncle (mama and chacha), aunt (mami and chachi) etc are demonized. They are presented like ruthless, conspiring and cheating villains. Ironically, all such characters are Hindus.
The Indian film industry is always in the grip of Muslim criminals like Dawood, Chota Shakeel, Abu Salem, Raees Khan, Karim Lala, Haji Mastan etc. so Muslims get honourable treatment there and Hindus are shown in poor light. Pundits are shown as rogues, Rajputs as brutes, Bania as a miser, greedy, cheater, (‘Roti') and Sardar as a foolish comedian.
Hardly, any of the films of Bollywood has intended to be agents of social change in a positive manner. Most of them are foolishly moving stories whose primary purpose is to earn heavy and fat bucks.
Bollywood is in the grip of anti-Hindu secular liars. It seems shrewd and sound that a well-made film- particularly one with a gripping tale and well-built outreach chart would serve as a method to alter minds, cheer viewers to change fixed behaviours, and begin update or recuperate social movements.
According to the film critic and academician Bhagwat S. Goyal:
Film, as an art, of the age of mechanical reproduction, is a hybrid product of modern technology and man's aesthetic imagination- a form that has borrowed freely, from the existing art forms like literature, theatre, dance, painting, architecture, music and cinematography etc. just a hundred years old, cinema or film,  had brought out a revolutionary change in the way people perceive reality, the way they see things, and the way they believe. The all-pervasive influence of the film has outstripped all other influences, of fine art and culture on people's imagination.
                           (Film and Literature, K.K.SHARMA (ed.), K.K.Publications, Delhi-110006, 1997, p-1.)
Bollywood directors understood long back that if present Islam, in its true colours is projected with truth, then many Muslims won't tolerate that. So, they don't show the darker part of it e.g. triple talaq, gender inequality, child-marriage etc.
Some directors tried but faced a huge protest from the Muslim community.
The second reason - Increase in business by targeting Hindus is very easy to explain. Hindus have always been an easy target. Make fun of their Gods/ Goddesses, their culture/traditions, their religious beliefs and you can easily en-cash your movie.
(Quora, Why does Bollywood glorify Islam and makes fun of Hindu culture?, Qamaruddin Mohammed ibn Aiqbal Abu Salem), FreeLancer at Freelancing, Updated Feb 15, 2017, Google)