NEW DELHI – Some time ago, I was not at all alarmed and shocked to readSanjay Dutt’ s confession that he wanted to break a leg (hers, not his own)when his elder daughter Trishala expressed a desire to become an actress.On the contrary, I was impressed by his honesty.
Dutt knows better than most what young heroines have to go through in thisfilm industry.
And the way heroes talk about their leading ladies would make even the mostmisogynistic pervert blush. I remember a top leading lady of the 1960stelling me about this he-man hero, a pukka ladies’ man who would sit withhis cronies on the set discussing his amorous exploits. One of them wouldturn the pages of a film magazine and point quizzically at the picture ofevery heroine featured. The he-man would nod in the affirmative or shakehis head in the negative to indicate whether he had ‘done’ her or not.
Things haven’t changed. For all the talk of gender equality among theheroes, there is still that backroom boys’ talk about women that goes on insecret. There is a top-notch action hero of today, married to one of themost distinguished actresses of our times, who is in the habit ofdiscussing lurid details of his heroines’ bedroom activities with him. Whoneeds porn when you can get it straight from stud’s mouth?
Wait, don’t wince yet. There are so many stories I’ve heard about Dutt’sadventures with leading ladies. I remember once, when he was shooting inKolkata, everyone in the City of Joy was talking about how he vanished withthe leading lady behind his vanity van for a good 45 minutes. Not insidethe van, mind you, but behind. For all we know, Sanju Baba might have beendiscussing the script with your heroine.
Sanju Blah Blah?
We really don’t need to get judgmental about what grown-up, consentingadults do when they’re not working. But yes, many film families are wary ofletting their daughters become part of the film industry.
I don’t know whether Dharmendra threatened to break his eldest daughter’sleg to keep her completely out of the limelight. The fact is, while the twosons – Sunny and Bobby Deol – were groomed to follow in their father’sfootsteps, we’ve never seen Dharmedra’s daughter from his first marriage ineven a photograph.
I know for a fact that Dharam ji – a gem of a man in other ways but notquite the epitome of the liberal Indian male – didn’t’ want his daughtersfrom his second marriage with Hema Malini to become actresses. But Hemajiis made of sterner stuff than many star-wives who simply comply with theirhusband’s patriarchal decisions.
I know for a fact that even today, girls from film families have to fightprolonged battles with their parents before getting into movies. Pleasenote, Shah Rukh Khan’s son is being readied for stardom. His daughter, weare told, is not keen on a movie career. And, I wonder if Boney Kapoor andSaif Ali Khan’s daughters would be poised for a movie career if they didn’thave persuasive, assertive actresses (Amrita Singh and Sridevi) for moms.
Before I leave you with that sobering thought, I must tell you about anincident that happened when Nawazuddin Siddiqui came home for dinner. Hisbaby girl was just born and he proudly showed me her picture.
“I am sure she’s going to be a great actor, like her father,” I saidsincerely.
Nawaz looked sadly at me for a while. “Please don’t wish that on her,” hersaid softly.
(Subhash K Jha is a film critic and movie expert)