Workplace Harassment

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 (PAGE-4) MOVIE-REVIEW SOCIETY Not upto expectations Workplace harassment Remaking old classics is the latest trend to hit Bolly- nailing Pasha forever, what ultimately happens to the love- Quleen Kaur Bijral how this issue lacks awareness in the workplace areas. wood. This week will see the release of HERO (directed birds Sooraj and Radha and their love story is what forms These are false alarms that can be stopped if the compa- In a workplace it is understood if there is a difference of by Nikhil Advani), which is a remake of the Subhash Ghai's the rest of the film. ny and its members are sensitized to the relevant concerns opinion, competition or a conflict among members, but it of Workplace harassment. The awareness should target 1983 cult film by the same name. Will Nikhil Advani's Nikhil Advani, who had been handed over the respon- becomes a serious issue if these minor disagreements HERO match the expectations that have been set by Sub- sibility of remaking the 1983's cult classic film HERO every member of the company no matter which position in dovetail into workplace harassment. the company hierarchy he/she belongs to and it should be hash Ghai's HERO or will it turn out to be a villain at the (which was directed by Subhash Ghai), lands up making Workplace harassment which is a hostile, discriminato- box-office, let's analyze. a irreparable remake in the form of his version of HERO. a mandatory task of every organization to do so. ry and often a traumatic practice abuses the professional In a job, it is natural to feel stressed out due to the nor- And the biggest and the main problem with HERO is its relationship between an employer and an employee. In an absolutely lame screenplay. While Subhash Ghai's writing mal schedules and normal workload and such a case organization, there have been cases when an employee should not be confused with harassment. However stress kept you interested right till the end, Nikhil Advani-Umesh is harassed due to his ethnicity, sex, race, colour or nation- on a regular basis can make one vulnerable or receptive Bisht's screenplay in the remake is so convoluted (espe- ality. In this scenario, the employee is badgered day in and to being harassed and in this scenario the risk of harass- cially in the second half) that you are befuddled as to what day out with derogatory remarks, sexist slurs, stereotypi- ment can increase and should be monitored. The compa- exactly the objective behind making the film was. The sto- cal jokes which are meant to threaten or ry is more or less similar to the original. Without mincing humiliate the victim. The uncalled-for or any words here, it has to be HERO's director Nikhil Advani unsolicited behavior which intimidates the who needs to shoulder all the blame for making an almost victim into compromising situations is a seri- mash up of the original classic. Nikhil Advani's last film D ous offense which disrupts not only the DAY was a highly critically acclaimed film. HERO is no career prospects of the victim but also dam- patch on his last film. It is obvious that there were multi- ages the credibility of an organization. ple minds working on cooking up this tasteless drama and It is important to distinguish between the end result isn't appetising. substantial cases of harassment from minor arguments in the workplace. Otherwise it In the acting department, even though there's nothing can result in waste of time and resources much to appreciate; debutante Sooraj Pancholi has a nice and will cast aspersions on the integrity of screen presence and a solid physique. Though he carries the petitioner. Harassment has to be per- only one expression throughout, he is reasonably good in sistent, recurring and repetitive act of bul- the action scenes. One does notice that, in the film, his lying or aggressive violent behaviour. Asin- transformation from a local ruffian to a nice guy is totally gle event cannot be registered as harass- missing. Athiya Shetty too is decent in her part but will need ment until it is severe and results in a detri- more time to find her comfort zone. Having said that, to be mental and lasting shock on the victim. ny tends to take corrective action against employees who fair to the debutantes Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, TYPES OF WORKPLACE HARASSMENT are absent from jobs, or refuse to work at their assigned the duo have a nice screen presence but they have their An employee can be discriminated against or maltreat- tasks, but this is not harassment till unethical events of par- limitations. Tigmanshu Dhulia, on the other hand, in an ed owing to his/her race, sex, religion, etc and it can either tiality, discrimination etc are involved. A single event of be a physical assault or an emotional abuse. It can hap- improper remark or a conflict, a friendly patting on the back, attempt to reprise Shammi Kapoor's tough-dad-cop per- a sociable relationship between members cannot be tak- sona, is gloriously miscast. We all know that he is a fine pen anywhere in the workplace premises, even during trav- el, conferences, projects or daily workings of a job. The en as harassment unless there is a repetitive incident of actor, but he falters big time in the film. Sharad Kelkar as abuse be it physical or emotional. HERO starts off with a normal day in Mumbai, which is most common type of workplace bullying is Quid Pro Quo Athiya's brother is decent. Aditya Pancholi as the villain- or This for That harassment. It happens when an employ- EFFECT followed by the 'heroic' entry of Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi) ous Pasha is average. Vivan Bhatena does a Shakti In a workplace, an employee should feel safe, secure who is an extremely 'large hearted' 'gunda' who cannot er abuses his/her power to accept or reject an employee Kapoor and he holds a magnetic appeal. if the latter refuses to comply with his/her sexual advances, and able to show his potential. But if he/she is threatened, see pains and sufferings. So, when the villainous Changezi The music of Subhash Ghai's HERO was truly memo- bullied or his work is copied, then his productivity will cer- (Chetan Hansraj) and his henchmen torture the helpless, religious beliefs, political ideologies, favors and so on. rable. Each and every single song (even music pieces) These cases despite their frequency generally are unre- tainly decrease and his self-esteem will be hurt to think of Sooraj stages a heroic entry and beats the henchmen are part of the collective consciousness of the movie lov- ported as the victim fears backlash from his/her superiors resigning or skipping work. Workplace harassment hence black and blue. Sooraj's friends aka his 'partners in crime', ing audience. Music of Nikhil Advani's HERO is a total let and most of the time does not know they are being harassed is a negative force in a workplace, and should be addressed by each and every company. It is a destructive nuisance who are dead against his large heartedness, convince him down. The only saving grace in the music department is or how to report it without risking their job. In these cases, to go clubbing to celebrate. That's when Sooraj meets the which hampers not only the performance of the organiza- the much publicised 'Main Hoon Hero Tera' sung by an employee will be promoted if he/she abides by the dik- free spirited Radha (Athiya Shetty). It is in the club where tion but also fosters depressive tendencies in the victim Armaan Malik, which is reasonably good, but is mostly tats of the managers or will be sacked if he/she refuses to Sooraj picks up a dance only in order to prove Radha that and leads to loss of morale. The career of the victim is used as a filler. And, then there's the much talked about do so or attempts to report the culprit. An employee hence they are in no way 'Losers'. He also lands up fighting with severely put at risk and results in lack of communication, Salman Khan's version of the same in the end (for his fans is trapped and restricted in his freedom while the manag- Radha's 'pile-on' boyfriend and saves her from being awareness at work, absenteeism and other consequences of course). er continues to hold him to ransom and exploit him/her for which disturb the mental state of the employee. Cases of dragged along with him. All of this impresses Radha very despicable reasons. While Tushar Kanti Ray's cinematography is good, anxiety, guilt, and self-reproach, addiction to drugs or alco- much and she almost falls in love with him instantly! On The second account of harassment is Hostile Work hol even suicide are common in victims who are repeated- the other hand, Radha's father (Tigmanshu Dhulia), an Ritesh Soni's editing is average. Ravi Varma and Dave Environment which refers to the cases in which the work- Judge's actions are one of the positive highlights of the ly sabotaged by workplace harassment. Can then it be Inspector General of Police, is on a war path and logger- place surroundings are intimidating or unwelcome due to ignored or allowed to fester? heads against Pasha (Aditya Pancholi), who has been film. Umesh Bisht's dialogues are boring.

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