Bollywood has long been problematic in its expression. Hindi films love to parade Khan as evidence of secular success, but rarely throw Muslim actors into roles that reflect their living reality. Even when Khans (Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir, Saif) plays Muslim characters (in rare cases), the role tends to reinforce the myths of the model's minority and the ratios of suspicious outsiders.
Together, Kerns created a kind of black hole. There, the illusion of inclusion collapses with every fostering. This black hole allows the industry to avoid structural questions about caste and religion, and avoid structural questions in casting, production and storytelling. That becomes even more obvious when you quietly erase movies and shows inspired by real community. A recent example is from Reema Kagti Malegaon's Super Boydespite the original documentary focusing on the Muslim community and his passionate love for film, it features an almost entirely Hindu cast.
in fact, Malegaon's Super Boy All symptomatic ideas are wrong in Bollywood's expression. This is portrayed with extensive strokes and involves adopting identities that are often marginalized due to drama, awards and political influence, but rarely entrusting those reality to those who lived.
Perpetuate stereotypes
Faiza Ahmad Khan documentary, Malegaon's Superman (2008), filmed a unique Indian story: a group of young Muslim men from a jointly vulnerable town in Maharashtra, armed with ambitions, second-hand cameras, make a budget pastiche of Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters. It was proof of the enormous reservoir of undeveloped talent, not only to imagine myself in the same frame as the biggest star the country has produced, but also to imagine myself.
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Their work is often characterized as parody or spoofing, but what Nasir Shayf, Farg Jaffli, Akram Khan and the company were doing cannot be amortized as a simple playful snark. Nasir himself approved the term “parody” to describe his work in the documentary. Malegaon Crews' work paid a sincere homage to the original work through humor. If their films came out of more privileged or urban areas (reading: Hindu, upper class, upper class), we would celebrate them as a high concept, a compliment of meta. But in a world engrossed in irony and hierarchy, those brilliant ingenuity are repeatedly defined as spoofing.
The superboy of Reema Kaguti in Malegaon quietly flattens a group of Muslim Muslims in the town of Maharashtra, which made the low-budget pastich of Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters.
However, Graver has been moving from Docu Reality to Fiction. Malegaon's Super Boy They quietly flattened their Muslims. The film negates the real reason Nasir and his team were unable to throw local women: strict countryside and religious constraints. Tropti (played by Manjiri Papla, the perfect pitch) intervenes as Basmati Malegaon Ke Sholay Not only because she is a dancer (and therefore coded to be attacked more freely), but because she is free from some of those restrictions. Even rich food references – Nan, Nihari, Biryani – Treated as a disposable stereotype. There were few scenes where they enjoyed the joys of the senses and the cultural richness of theirs.
Selling images of secular harmony
Despite the story of Muslim characters, Malegaon's Super Boy It seemed too fearful that the identity would claim beyond its ratio trop. It serves as an ode formula for the dreamer, as a rather fun movie about filmmaking. But my biggest discomfort about it was the utter lack of on-screen representation. The main cast is almost entirely made up of Hindu actors (saqib ayub as Irfan and Ammolkhajani as Nadeem seem to be the only exception). This may not seem like an obvious problem for some. The actor's religion does not inform the ability to draw characters on screen. And Adarsh Gourav, Vineet Kumar Singh and Shashank Arora are currently some of the most talented actors in the country. So this is not a discussion of their merits.
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However, this kind of technique is not a coincidence. It was the default mode of operation in Bollywood when it comes to representation. These patterns are also reflected in other works by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. from Gully Boy (2019), ranveer Singh Brown is a Muslim rapper. Made in heaven (2019-2023), Dalit writer Yashica Dutt was called for not acknowledging the Intercast Love Story.
For decades, the industry has sold images of secular harmony, leaning heavily towards the power of the most banked Muslim actors, Shah Lukh, Salman, Aamir and, to a lesser extent, Saif Ali Khan. “Look, they're leading our biggest blockbuster,” it says. However, this has become a convenient cover. It is a fig leaf that distracts Muslims from how rarely Muslims are portrayed with all the depths and credibility on screen, let alone the Dalits and other marginalized reality. Among their three, Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir have appeared in over 250 films, how many times have they performed Muslim characters? Less than 20. total.
Play Rajs, Rahuls, Prems
Shah Rukh has the highest score of these three with eight titles. A little ram (2000) Rays (2017) and Tubelight (2017). Salman's Muslim role is decorative (Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge2002) or culturally neutral (Sultan2016). from Raakh (1989) and Earth To (1999) Fanaa (2006), Aamir seems to slip into Muslim identity only when he plays a character that is more than a grey shade. Saif's quota is the lowest, with only two films under his belt. terrorist Kurbaan (2009) and the Patriotic Live Agent phantom (2015).
Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan (2023) flirted with anti-establishment themes, but the hero was ultimately cast into a stricken savior mold.
These characters rarely get a blank canvas to play in places they become everyday men – Tahiru of srk ae dil hai mushkil (2016) and Dr. Jehangir Khan Dear Jindagi (2016) A prominent exception. When these characters are not playing the minority ratios of the model, they are dangerous deviants. And ultimately, it tastes good for the majority of Hindu audiences, like their Raj, Rabir and Prem.
in Pataan (2023), Shah Rukh's honorable personality cannot assert the religion of his character. This film isDesh Ka Beta (Son of the Earth)” But never explicitly Muslim Jawan (2023) flirting with anti-establishment themes, the hero was eventually cast into a stricken Savior mold.
As Shahrukh Alam states it, Indian Muslims are expected to behave more and more Rudaliswho cried out loud at times of national tragedy (such as the attacks of Pahargam), fulfilled public loyalty and existed without asserting identity. Erase is not limited to religion. It ranges from caste and class. Ghaywan's Geeli Pucchi (part of ajeeb daastaans2021) Created waves for the strange story of the layered Dalit Blamin. However, even in the lead roles, the leading actors (Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hidali) were the lead roles.
Expression: Political acts
Ghaywan says he is one of the only openly Dalit filmmakers in mainstream Bollywood today. And the main actors in the film about Dalit Live in Bollywood have not found a film about Dalit Life in Bollywood. Even if there are stories about minorities, Bollywood strolls through the script in some way, with appropriate expressions.
Fiasco as a whole Made in heaven And Yashica Dutt went nowhere, especially with its manufacturer. The fact that the original documentary maker Faiza Ahmad Khan was only recognized in closing credits of Malegaon's Super Boy As “inspiration,” he raised similar concerns about the ethics of recognition and adaptation of the original work.
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Both on-screen and off-screen representations are more than just an aesthetic choice. It's political. Who can tell the story, embody the role, or green light the film. But Bollywood remains connected to the logic of the market, and in itself is dominated by the pulsation of the majority of the nation. As Hindut Bideology has become even more pervasive into public discourse, the scrutiny of the film, which has intensified minority stories.
All paradoxical emissions are exposed to digital witch hunts by the right wing of hyperactive IT cells. It is Salman's honorable Tiger Romancing Pakistani Spy, Zoya, every time tiger Film release. The movie is still roaring. But Salman's stardom survives everything from co-targeting to drunk driving, poaching and criminal charges of assault, and is the topic of another work.
Still, minority communities deserve a more complete and fair expression. In general, the resilience of the three khans is attractive. Their cultural engravings never fade. However, their superstars are increasingly being used as smokescreens for systematic erasure, making Bollywood's signature stagnation mistakenly (or conveniently) possible. Their success is sparkling, often thrown into our faces as a token. But nonetheless, they cast a long, twisting shadow on everyone else who is still waiting on their wings.
