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
With six films in hand, actor Taapsee Pannu couldn’t have asked for a better 2021. She has wrapped up the shoot of her Telugu film and Rashmi Rocket and is currently filming for Loop Lapeta, while Shabaash Mithu, a biopic on cricketer Mithali Raj, has also been announced.
2020 was therefore, a big mess for the actor when it came to juggling these projects she had in hand. She admits that she got worried when the lockdown came into effect in March 2020.
“I had committed to some five films and I really wanted to make sure I’m able to give all of them dates,” she says.
The 33-year-old adds that she ensured things restarted in the same way as they were planned. “When the whole situation happened, I was disappointed because I had to again push those many films. I was on a big guilt trip when my films were rescheduled. However, when I resumed, I did so on the basis of what I had committed before, in the same chronological order.”
Pannu may be raring to work, but when it was time to resume work, things did get a bit difficult. She says the many months of staying at home had its effect. “It really made the pace slow. I remember when the lockdown was being lifted, I’d do one work meeting, narration a day. I used to feel so great yet weird, and wonder whether my body has got used to so much relaxation,” she says but a few days is all it took for her to get back into the groove.
“A few days into the shoot and I was instantly out of that laziness. I started shooting my south film in September and then I moved on to Haseen Dilruba and Loop Lapeta. It’s been good, no one working on these films has got Covid-19 so far, so it’s been very safe,” she ends.
T he 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,
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 Bidwhich ita 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.”
‘I was on a big guilt trip when five of my films had to be rescheduled after the lockdown’