Why shoot the actor?

doweshowbellyad=0; Still from Dhoom 2 (TOi Photo) More picsThe moral police is at it again. This time targetting actors for roles they don’t approve of.
FIRST Aishwarya Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan were attacked for their lip-lock in Dhoom 2. Then it was Rakhee Sawant, who was slapped with a lawsuit for taking a dip in a bathtub on a television show.
More recently and closer home, young actor Amoolya is facing the heat from the moral police for playing the role of a school girl who falls in love with a mechanic in director S Narayan’s latest film, Cheluvina Chittara.
Of late, a slew of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) have taken on actors for the roles they play on screen. “It’s ridiculous,” says actor Sandhya Mridul. “I’m not God just because I played the role of one. Similarly, I’m not a vulgar person because I played one,” she says.
A section of society, however, holds the entertainment industry responsible for any portrayal it believes is setting a bad example. “Actors are our idols. They have to be more cautious about choosing the roles they play,” asserts Pramila Nesargi, chairperson of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission.
And she doesn’t think freedom of expression and creativity is any excuse. “Films and other forms of media have a huge impact on young minds today. When school kids watch a girl their age fall in love, as in the case of Cheluvina Chittara, they’ll think it’s ‘cool’. Actors and filmmakers have to be more careful,” Pramila says.
And we are, say people in the industry. “My film is based on a true story,” says S Narayan. “What I’ve shown has happened and is actually happening. Young lovers have been eloping since Laila-Majnu days. And the censor board and the industry at large comprises of very mature adults. They wouldn’t have okayed the film if they thought it was immoral,” he points out. Sandhya adds, “Films are a reflection of society. If people don’t want me to play a sex worker, eliminate prostitution from our society first. We need to be sensitised and there are bigger problems and pending cases to pay attention to. PILs are just a waste of money and time.”
At the end of the day, it’s just entertainment, and ultimately, the outcome is there for all to see, says actor Sudeep. “The film is a hit, and the ones who have filed the case get their 15 minutes of fame,” he says. “People should give us some leeway in terms of creativity and also have a sense of humour. Besides, the film has a very positive message in the end. Obviously, those attacking the heroine didn’t get it. And as for the Dhoom 2 controversy, what’s in a kiss? It’s time we grew up,” says Sudeep.
Narayan adds, “Filmmakers cannot create anything if they start worrying about being hauled up by an overzealous moral police. Seventy per cent of the audience who watched and appreciated my film are women. And I would never do anything to hurt my fans.”