THE CURIOUS CASE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: WHERE DO ACTORS STAND?
Actors opine on whether they should be held responsible for being in objectionable scenes. While some say they shouldn’t, others believe everyone involved is culpable
The controversy around recently released web series, Tandav, took a turn after Supreme Court refused to grant protection to Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub from arrest in several FIRs against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in a scene featuring the actor, who, dressed as lord Shiva, was seen mouthing lines about ‘azaadi’. The SC cited the reason that he accepted the contract after reading the script and that he would be held accountable, which now has opened up a debate about what happens to an actor who is simply portraying a character on screen.
Actor Shreya Dhanwanthary asks, “Doesn’t everything hurt everybody’s sentiments? Where do you draw the line?”
Maanvi Gagroo doesn’t thing it’s an actor’s responsibility. The actor adds that it is not even a director’s responsibility. “I am not a big fan of censorship in general, but in a country like India, there needs to be some regulation,” she says.
Rajesh Tailang feels that actors should not be held responsible in situations like these. “Actors have no role in this. It is primarily the responsibility of content creators. I think the copyright holder should be held accountable, actors are not copyright holders,” he adds.
Ever since the development, many have even pointed out that this questions the very foundation of the word and function of acting.
It is a grey area feels Adil Hussain, while adding, “Once you have read the script, you know that this is what this particular project is talking about. So, it depends on which country you are living in, what are the predicament and circumstances and how sensitive you have to be. But at the same time, I don’t believe in censorship. It is important that films do not operate from a space of blaming.”On the
other hand, actor
Bidita Bag feels that this indeed is something that actors should be mindful of. “Everyone involved with the project including actors should take some responsibility. Why joke on religion when you know that people are not ready. Religion is a sensitive topic in our country. So why make a joke on it when you know that there is a possibility of a backlash,” she asks.
Echoing similar sentiments, Tailang adds, “Yes, censorship is very limiting, but I think it should be self censorship and as a responsible artiste, you take into consideration everyone’s sensibilities.”