Bridging Worlds

CINEMA AND CONSCIENCE

TUSHA MITTAL recaps a commemorative evening to mark five years of Tehelka

WHAT MAKES a story written in 1917 last an entire century? A drunk lover, a Brahmin, a courtesan, the complexities of a changing Bengal — there is a reason Devdas has been remade 11 times. For lyricist Javed Akhtar, it is because the film did more than just entertain. He was speaking at a TEHELKA event, the first of five commemorative conversations titled “India’s Obsessions and Obligations” to mark five years of public interest journalism. Legendary lawyer and august TEHELKA patron Ram Jethmalani hosted the event on November 21. Welcoming the guests, Jethmalani, who defended TEHELKA in the Venkatswami Commission, joked, “In my long career, many clients have used my legal services for free but Tarun Tejpal is the only one who’s charged me for them!” On a more serious note he said he’d always back TEHELKA’s journalism and pursuit of truth, as it is crucial for a just society.

Editor Tarun J Tejpal then traced TEHELKA’S tumultuous journey and outlined its vision — of journalism as a tool to hold power, money and privilege to its best face. Commanding the nation’s adulation, there is nothing more privileged than Indian cinema; here actors are demi-gods sculpting minds and aspirations across many divides.

Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi and TEHELKA’S Executive Editor Shoma Chaudhury debated whether cinema is doing enough to change India. How do our silver screens reflect the complexities of an altering India, or do they at all? Is it fair to look for contemporary comparisons of classics like Boot Polish and Do Bigha Zameen or must we move beyond a romantic yearning for the past? There was a view that modern cinema reflects the concerns of a modern India no longer linked with two acres of land — precisely the irony. With a booming multiplex culture, Hindi cinema is increasingly made for an upper middle-class audience. Like that audience, it too seems no longer linked with the masses. The discussion highlighted Bollywood’s inability to recognise the power it wields; its reluctance to use that power to push societal boundaries. Since 78 percent of India has no access to the new Bollywood, their stories are being rapidly airbrushed out of our focus.

A stirring speech by Himanshu Kumar, a Gandhian activist from Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh brought to the fore that other world far removed from our collective gaze. Detailing the lives of tribals caught between the brutality of both the State and the Naxals, he told stories of rape, torture, and justice systematically denied for 60 years. The police recently bulldozed his own ashram in Dantewada. People were moved; some like Aamir Khan said they came away with new insight. “We all need to think hard about what Himanshu Kumar told us. It was very illuminating for me,” Khan said after the event. Added Akhtar, “We can’t keep living in our ivory towers. Millions of Indians are being treated worse than animals. It should disturb our conscience. We should react to it.” For starters, one scene perhaps, in the grand narrative of our times.

PHOTOS: SHAILENDRA PANDEY
Reel chronicle Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi and Shoma Chaudhury debate the contours of Indian cinema	Road less travelled Tarun J Tejpal outlines the journey and vision of Tehelka
Ground lens Activist Himanshu Kumar opens a window into an unseen world	Movers and shakers? Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor defend their industry
Patrons Joshi, Akhtar and Ram Jethmalani listen to Kumar’s talk on the Naxal crisis