Founder: Vishva Nath (1917-2002) VOLUME 09 • ISSUE 11 Editor-in-Chief, Publisher & Printer: Paresh Nath NOVEMBER 2017

cover story

20 Being Salman The dangerous innocence of ’s most controversial superstar anna mm vetticad

Salman Khan has appeared in some of the biggest blockbusters in film history. But his career has been blighted by allegations of involvement in crimes of poaching, domestic violence and culpable homicide. In the last decade, the star has tried to reform his image. If he has succeeded to some extent, it has been not just through his own efforts, but also the willingness of his fans and many around him to accept or justify even his most disturbing behaviour.

20 perspectives

17 48 62 politics 14 Hammer and Fickle 48 The Second Coming Nepali politics sees a major reconfiguration How cinema’s only female superstar got back to work in time for a watershed election leena gita reghunath shubhanga pandey

62 Director’s Cut 17 Counting Crores The cinematic myth-making of Louis Mountbatten Why Indian films’ box-office figures do not add up manik sharma suprateek chatterjee

NOVEMBER 2017 3 the lede

72 12

arts 8 People’s Choice Attendance and absence at the Tibetan photo essay / health Music Awards 72 Deadly Risk aathira konikkara Unsafe abortions through the ages politics laia abril 12 Driving Miss Jinnah An antique car exhibit in Karachi spotlights an underappreciated historical figure alizeh kohari

books 94

literature 86 The Streets of Desire Old Delhi’s subversive love-letter manuals kanupriya dhingra 86 the bookshelf 92 showcase 94 NOTE TO READERS: “A MARKETING INITIATIVE” ON PAGES 42–46 AND “SPONSORED FEATURE” ON editor’s pick 98 PAGES 60–61 AND 70–71 ARE PAID ADVERTISING CONTENT.

4 THE CARAVAN

editor Anant Nath executive editor Vinod K Jose political editor Hartosh Singh Bal senior associate editor Ajay Krishnan associate editor Roman Gautam books editor contributors Kushanava Choudhury senior assistant editor 8 Aathira Konikkara is an intern at The Caravan. THE LEDE Martand Kaushik 12 Alizeh Kohari is a Karachi-based journalist. Her piece was facilitated in part by the Coalition copy editors Aria Thaker for Women in Journalism. and Maya Palit web editor Nikita Saxena PERSPECTIVES 14 Shubhanga Pandey is a journalist who writes on politics and culture. He was an assistant assistant editors (web) editor at Himal Southasian, and has written for Jacobin, Newslaundry and The Record, among Surabhi Kanga and Arshu John others. He tweets as @shubhangap. contributing editors 17 Suprateek Chatterjee is a freelance journalist based in who writes on film, music Deborah Baker, Fatima Bhutto, and popular culture. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at Huffington Post . Chandrahas Choudhury, Siddhartha Deb, Sadanand Dhume, REPORTAGE 20 Anna MM Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and social commentator, and the author Siddharth Dube, Christophe AND ESSAYS of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. Jaffrelot, Mira Kamdar, Miranda 48 Leena Gita Reghunath is a former editorial manager at The Caravan. Before that job, she Kennedy, Amitava Kumar, Basharat had a brief stint as a public prosecutor and civil lawyer. During her days at law school, she Peer, Samanth Subramanian and freelanced for the city editions of and the New Indian Express. Salil Tripathi 62 Manik Sharma writes on arts, culture, books and film. staff writers Praveen Donthi, Priyanka Dubey PHOTO ESSAY 72 Laia Abril is a multidisciplinary artist based in Barcelona, working in photography, text, and Atul Dev video and sound. web reporters Sagar and Tanvi Mishra is the photo editor at The Caravan. Kedar Nagarajan editorial manager Haripriya KM 86 Kanupriya Dhingra is a research scholar at the department of English, University of Delhi. BOOKS fact checker Nileena MS Her research interests include the history of books and South Asian print cultures. photo editor Tanvi Mishra photo coordinator COVER Photo: AFP / Getty Images Shahid Tantray graphic designers Paramjeet Singh and Sandhya Visvanathan luce scholar Daniel Block editorial interns Aathira Konikkara and Greeshma Mohan photo intern Shrinjita Biswas Corrections: Kamayani Sharma’s “This is Not that Dawn,” published last month, mistakenly identified the film Jab Harry Met Sejal as When Harry Met Sejal in one instance.

Priyanka Dubey’s “Student Days,” published last month, mistakenly referred to a claim by the veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Govindacharya that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad always supported [email protected] caste-based reservations in educational institutions and government employment. The claim referred to, which is quoted in the piece, came from Sunil Ambekar, the national organising secretary of the ABVP.

Rahul M’s “Reasonable Doubt,” published last month, mistakenly stated that the trial of Duryodhan Sunamajhi and others accused in the Lakshmanananda murder began in 2013. The trial began in 2009. facebook.com/TheCaravanMagazine

The Caravan regrets the errors.

subscribe [email protected] website www.caravanmagazine.in @thecaravanindia

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6 THE CARAVAN

THE LEDE People’s Choice Attendance and absence at the Tibetan Music Awards / Arts

/ aathira konikkara they live under Chinese rule in Tibet, “Special Recognition.” Despite the pos- and their movements are restricted sibility that artists from Tibet, such On an evening in early September, in a beyond the region. as the members of Anu Ringlug, may modest-sized auditorium called “Nir- Oddly enough, Wangyal said, the never see the awards’ certificates with vana Hall” in McLeod Ganj, Lobsang Chinese government makes life for their names embossed on them, Wang- Wangyal stood at a podium before an Tibetan musicians quite materially yal considers it vital to acknowledge audience of about forty people. Wear- comfortable. “China is actually helping their contributions. “It helps us connect ing a crisp white chupa—a traditional them in productions because they want as a community,” he said. Tibetan top—he began by addressing Tibetans to get distracted,” he told me Two of the night’s winners were pre- the audience in Tibetan, then switched when we met at a café, on the day be- sent at the ceremony. Wangdak Dorjee, to English. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he fore the ceremony. “That’s why there only 25 years old, bagged the “Best Al- said, “welcome to the Tibetan Music are lots of bars, prostitutes, snooker. bum” prize for Oneness, his second al- Awards, 2017.” Apart from politics, China makes life bum. “Oneness is about the unity of all The awards, which honour musicians very good.” Tibetans,” he told me after the event, of Tibetan origin, are held in McLeod Songwriters in Tibet must censor wearing a white shawl that had been Ganj every two years. Wangyal, the themselves; they “cannot use ‘de- gifted to him on stage. Dorjee lives in 47-year-old founder of the event, has mocracy,’ they cannot use ‘freedom,’” Majnu ka Tila, a Tibetan refugee colony produced eight editions of it, starting Wangyal said. But these constraints in Delhi. The other winner in attend- in 2003. Winners are decided based on often yield poetic workarounds. “They ance, Bhu Chung, won the “Best Love online voting by the public—774 votes cannot say ‘Long live Dalai Lama’ or ‘I Song” award for his song “Milaam.” “I had been cast this year, Wangyal told love Dalai Lama.’ But the metaphors, plan to do a Dalai Lama song,” he said, the audience. The 2017 awards were co- the subtlety which they are using, say of his future plans. “But lots of people sponsored by Laughing Buddha Music, that ‘We love Dalai Lama.’” Wangyal write songs on the Dalai Lama. So it is a New York-based record company. also praised artists living in Tibet in his difficult to make it famous.” Chung’s Dharamshala, of which McLeod opening speech, asking Tibetan musi- family sells sweaters and jackets, and Ganj is a suburb, has been the seat cians in exile to “take it up as a chal- they live in Bylakuppe, a small town in of the Tibetan government-in-exile lenge to live up to their standards.” Karnataka with a substantial Tibetan since 1960. One year earlier, the Dalai A song composed by artists in Tibet community. Lama had arrived in India, seeking proved to be the night’s runaway suc- The mood turned sombre towards asylum from the Chinese state. Many cess. Called “Phur,” which means “fly” the end of the night, when Wangyal other Tibetans fled their homes in Tibetan, the song, by a band named announced that a musician known as around the same time, and much of Anu Ringlug, alludes to political free- Dubey, from Tibet’s Amdo province, the community has since lived in di- dom in the veiled way Wangyal had was receiving the Lifetime Achieve- aspora. In light of this history, Wang- described to me, urging listeners to fly ment Award. Dubey, who died this Feb- yal’s award ceremony does more to a happier place so that they do not ruary at the age of 49, produced over than recognise musicians—it enables lose hope. In the video, shot against 100 albums and introduced the mando- Tibetans to feel a sense of community picturesque Tibetan scenery, young lin to Tibetan music. His best known that often eludes them. actors dance in the kind of outfits typi- song is a plaintive tribute to the Dalai Many of the awardees that night cally seen in Western pop videos. Audi- Lama called “Faraway Friend,” which were absent from the ceremony, how- ence members clapped along to the beat begins: “Although high in the shim- ever, because they live far from India, as the video played. mering sky, the golden sun is smiling/ in countries such as Australia, the “Phur” won awards in the categories The dark pain of separation was never United States and Switzerland. Two of “Best Song,” “Best Lyrics,” “Best extinguished/ Faraway friend, it was winners were unable to attend because Music Video,” “Best Male Singer” and never extinguished.”

8 THE CARAVAN people’s choice · the lede

above: Chonden The Tibetan Music Awards is one of multiple In March 2017, Wangyal obtained an Indian La was one of a events that Wangyal organises. This October passport—a somewhat unusual move among Tibet- few musicians who alone, he put on two more: the Free Spirit Film ans living here, in part because of how difficult it performed live Festival, which screened movies from around can be to wade through the red tape involved. The during the Tibetan the world, and Miss Himalaya, a beauty pageant Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, states that any indi- Music Awards, which are held for women from the Himalayan region. Wangyal vidual born in India between 26 January 1950 and every two years in has also organised several editions of Miss Ti- 1 July 1987 is entitled to citizenship. But Wangyal, McLeod Ganj. bet, a pageant solely for contestants of Tibetan despite meeting this criterion, has had to pursue heritage. two legal battles in the Delhi High Court to obtain Wangyal is also a journalist, and he runs an his passport. His frustration apparent, he told online news website called the Tibet Sun. The re- me, “This is how India works. This is why India is ports carried on the site are often, but not always, still a developing country. India will not become a about Tibet. “I ran two stories on Gurmeet Ram developed country because they are not practising Rahim,” he said, referring to the godman who was what’s written in the paper.” recently convicted of rape. Wangyal’s events busi- Wangyal is deeply attached to India, however. ness is sustained by his earnings from the Tibet Although his brother has settled down in the Sun and the goodwill of his friends, though he United States and has been trying to convince him admitted that he is dealing with debt. He told me to move there, Wangyal does not want to leave. he works for 12 hours on most days, and for eight “I complain because I love India,” he said. “If you

hours on days when he is on vacation. don’t love, you don’t complain.” s courtesy musictibet

10 THE CARAVAN the lede Driving Miss Jinnah An antique car exhibit in Karachi spotlights an underappreciated historical figure/ Politics

/ alizeh kohari In 1995, the government of Sindh and then ran her own dental practice purchased Mohatta Palace and, by in Bombay. In 1929, after Muhammad One day in the early 1990s, Mohsin 1999, turned it into a museum; the cars Ali Jinnah’s wife died, Fatima moved Ikram coaxed the watchman at Mo- were hauled to the Sindh archives into his home in Karachi, and was his hatta Palace—the former residence of nearby. They were not cared for well advisor thereafter. In 1947, she formed Fatima Jinnah, the youngest sister and there. Ikram, a 53-year-old automobile Pakistan’s Women’s Relief Commit- closest confidante of Muhammad Ali enthusiast who has restored about 100 tee, spearheading crucial relief and Jinnah—to let him in. The palace is one antique cars, watched in dismay as they refugee rehabilitation efforts. And in of the most striking buildings in Ka- rusted in the sea air, and wheel caps 1965, while Pakistan was under the rachi, with turrets and domes made of and other parts disappeared. He said he military dictatorship of Ayub Khan, she pink and yellow stone, but it lay empty even wrote letters to the government, led a ragtag alliance of political par- and abandoned at the time. Fatima’s offering to restore the cars for free. ties against him, raising opposition to clothes, Ikram said, were still hanging In early 2016, Ikram heard back from heights unequalled in his six years of in a bedroom cupboard, and some of the provincial government, with news autocratic rule. Caught off guard, the ’s were in a suit- that he had been awarded a contract to regime accused her of being both an case nearby. The watchman told him he restore the vehicles for 23 million Paki- Indian and an American agent. “They could take as many pieces of clothing as stani rupees. The project, which em- call her mother of the nation,” Khan he wished, as long as he paid him 100 ployed ten workers, took about a year. reportedly sneered. “Then she should at Pakistani rupees per item. The cars, now fully restored, are await- least behave like a mother.” But Ikram had come to see the cars: a ing their official presentation, which is Today, Fatima is still often lauded 1966 Mercedes, parked in the shade of expected in a couple of months. When as Mader-e-Millat—mother of the na- a tree and, inside a padlocked garage— it opens, the exhibit will be an oppor- tion—and Khatoon-e-Pakistan—the the watchman claimed he had never tunity to acknowledge Fatima Jinnah, first lady of Pakistan. Her name adorns seen it open, but was soon persuaded to whose political contributions—includ- promenades and parks, schools and break the lock—a 1955 Cadillac convert- ing throwing down the gauntlet before dental colleges. But despite these hon- ible. “It looked as if all it needed was a a sitting dictator—often go unremem- ours, the public memory of Fatima good wash and a full tank,” Ikram said bered in Pakistan today. remains superficial, sentimental and of the Cadillac, when he met me in his Fatima, born in 1893, attended dental somewhat sterile. “The state completely Karachi home in late August. college at the University of Calcutta appropriated her, so she came looking like a supporting figure, as if she was there just to help her brother,” Rubina Saigol, an independent researcher, told me over the phone in September. “Her identity as a professional, as a politician has been completely erased to feed the national narrative.” This erasure began in her lifetime. After Muhammad Ali Jinnah died in 1948, Fatima began delivering radio addresses to the nation on his death anniversary. “At the moment, the mind sees his warning finger,” she noted in 1961, referring to her brother. In 1962, she cautioned that the people “must not be mute spectators of what is being done

LETTER FROM PAKISTAN alizeh kohari

12 THE CARAVAN the lede in their name.” Although she did not hold a formal left: In 1929, after position in the government, she was considered her her brother’s wife brother’s spiritual heir, and her political outspoken- died, Fatima left ness made the government nervous. Her speeches the dental practice she ran in Bombay were reviewed beforehand. On at least one occa- and moved into sion, the live transmission was interrupted. his home. She was According to Mohammed Reza Pirbhai, a his- his close advisor tory professor and the author of the first scholarly and companion biography of Fatima, published earlier this year, thereafter. it is common for people to remember her in sani- opposite page: tised, apolitical terms. “As a Jinnah, she is caught A team of about in a strange place: the state wants to make her ten people, led by into an iconic, saintly figure—when in fact this the automobile was a woman who was a chain-smoker, who never enthusiast Mohsin held back on her political views, who was fiercely Ikram, received critical of the civilian and military leaders of her a government contract to restore time,” Pirbhai told me over the phone. “The state two of Fatima would rather not account for her commitment to Jinnah’s cars: a a democratic state, a welfare state, full citizen- Cadillac (pictured) ship rights—and contemporary Pakistanis may and a Mercedes. not even realise the extent to which she espoused these progressive values.” Fatima’s legacy as a woman in politics, several

experts told me, may have paved the way for the / getty images bettmann election of Benazir Bhutto. Pirbhai said that the movement Bhutto led against another dictator— “The state completely appropriated General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, in the 1980s— her, so she came looking like a followed directly in Fatima’s footsteps. Even so, Saigol said, women’s-rights activists in Pakistan supporting figure, as if she was have not attempted to “reclaim, reiterate or recon- there just to help her brother,” struct Fatima Jinnah differently.” She said that Rubina Saigol, an independent one reason for this may be that Fatima’s foray into researcher, told me. politics was supported by the religious right, in- cluding by the conservative Jamaat-e-Islami. But w w that, Saigol reasoned, was a strategic political as- sociation—one that even caused the ulema to con- who turned his father’s passion for automobile cede that women could become heads of state. restoration into a viable business, was there to Zahid Mayo, a 30-year-old artist based in La- greet me. He showed me the Cadillac: a cream hore, also lamented how Fatima’s importance convertible with chrome fixtures and tailfins goes unacknowledged in public memory. “I don’t characteristic of its era. When they retrieved the remember ever answering a question about her cars, Ahsan said, they discovered that someone in any exam,” he told me. In a recent exhibition had painted the Cadillac green. We wondered in Karachi, he displayed a work that interprets whether this was intended as a display of patri- Fatima as the central figure from the iconic nine- otic fervour. teenth-century American painting “Whistler’s Remnants from the restoration lay scattered Mother.” In the original, the artist’s mother sits inside the car: a tool here and there, a huddle of in profile, exuding forbearance. In Mayo’s stylisti- four glass cups, stained with tea. The car’s interior cally rougher, more melancholic version, Fatima’s was still incomplete—it will be fitted right before face is angled towards the viewer. On the back the presentation ceremony, when both vehicles wall hangs a picture of her and Muhammad Ali are driven by the chief minister and other digni- Jinnah, a glass in his hand—containing “a forbid- taries to a permanent home at the Quaid-e-Azam den drink,” Mayo said, which he included to cri- Museum. “It’s a good thing,” Ahsan said absent- tique creeping religious conservatism in Pakistan. mindedly, inspecting the car’s cobwebbed fender. One afternoon in early September, I visited “People should know about Fatima Jinnah as a Fatima’s cars’ current home—the garages behind person in her own right.” Karachi’s National Museum. Rain had lashed His father, when I spoke to him, had more im- the city over the past few days, and the path mediate concerns: he hopes the cars run smoothly was muddy and puddled. Ikram’s son Ahsan, on the big day. s

NOVEMBER 2017 13 PERSPECTIVES

Hammer and Fickle Nepali politics sees a major reconfiguration in time for a watershed election / Politics

/ shubhanga pandey single party—nominally a leftist one, al- Rastriya Prajatantra Party. But old though ideological tags mean very little habits, and new disagreements over An unusual emblem entered Nepal’s in Nepali politics at present. Going by how to share power and its spoils, will political iconography early this Au- the numbers from local-body elections put these partnerships to the test. Al- gust. In Bharatpur, supporters of the held across the country earlier this ready, the Naya Shakti Party, which is southern city’s new mayor, Renu Dahal, year—the CPN(UML) received the most led by the former Maoist commander sewed together the flags of the Nepali votes of any single party, with the Con- Baburam Bhattarai, has abandoned its Congress and the Communist Party gress a close second and the CPN(MC) initial declaration of allegiance to the of Nepal (Maoist Centre)—stars and a distant third—the new force could leftist bloc after a dispute over the al- stripes in red and white in the first control an insurmountable share of location of election seats. Since then, it case, and a hammer and sickle in white popular support. To smooth the way has courted the Congress. on red in the other—and paraded in for the elections, the CPN(MC) vowed The stakes are especially high given celebration. Dahal, the daughter of the to continue its support for the present the historic nature of the upcoming CPN(MC) leader Pushpa Dahal, government until they were concluded. election, which will conclude Nepal’s better known as Prachanda, won after That was the only good news for the transition into a federal republic, and a partial rerun of an earlier local-body Congress, which, by all indications and mark the last step in the tortured election. The first, disputed run of like almost everyone in Nepali politics, implementation of the new constitution the Bharatpur vote was held in May; was caught cold by these developments. that made it so. The country now has CPN(MC) activists interrupted count- Several commentators have since said seven states, currently designated as ing to tear up ballots. Prachanda was that the new leftist force will essential- numbered provinces. Whoever comes then the prime minister, at the head ly make Nepal a two-party state, put- to control each of the seven brand-new of a coalition between the CPN(MC) ting an end to the rapid-fire changes of provincial parliaments will, unless and the Congress, and, in keeping government of recent years. Since 2008, deposed, rule for five years, and have with the conditions of the alliance, he when the country abolished monarchy the chance to establish themselves as resigned shortly afterwards in favour in the wake of a civil war, it has seen regional satraps at a time of a major of Sher Bahadur Deuba, the Congress ten changes of rule amid notoriously devolution of power away from Kath- supremo and present incumbent. The fickle political alliances. Just since Sep- mandu for the first time in modern Ne- August celebrations in Bharatpur sug- tember 2015, when Nepal formalised pali history. gested that the alliance continued in a new constitution, Prachanda’s party With attention now disproportion- good health, to the cost of the Com- has supported a government under the ately focussed on these two rival fac- munist Party of Nepal (United Marxist- CPN(UML), brought it down by siding tions, what is being overlooked, and Leninist)—a member, alongside the with the Congress to create the present not for the first time, is the politics of two allied parties, of the “big three” of administration, and now allied with the the Madhes, in the country’s southern Nepali politics in recent times. CPN(UML) again. The fluid allegiances plains. Yet it is here, in a region histori- But the combined flags soon became of many of the country’s smaller parties cally at the forefront of discontent with useless. At the start of October, the make for even more dizzying reading. Nepal’s status quo, that many of the CPN(UML) and the CPN(MC) an- The CPN(UML)–CPN(MC) part- complexities and fault lines of Nepal’s nounced that they would work together nership has sparked some consolida- reconfigured politics and new federal in elections for federal and provincial tion. The Congress has tried to cobble geography are becoming clear, particu- parliaments due in late November and together an ostensibly “democratic” larly when it comes to the democratic early December. They also declared counterpart to it that includes the pro- aspirations that drove Nepal’s move to their intent to merge afterwards into a monarchy and Hindu-conservative a republican system. The Madhes’s two

14 THE CARAVAN perspectives

largest regional parties—the Rastriya Janata Party against multiple provisions of the new constitu- above: The coming Nepal and the Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal— tion, culminating in months of general strikes and a together of the have decided on an electoral pact of their own, long blockade on trade and transport moving north CPN(UML) and despite overtures from both the Congress and the from India. But, amid strong resistance from Kath- the CPN(MC) has created a CPN(UML)–CPN(MC) combine, in the hope of mandu, the andolan weakened and Madhesi leader- new force that, forming a provincial government themselves. ship fragmented. The country’s southern plains are going by recent Chandra Kishore, a political analyst and long- now split across five provinces, all but one of which electoral results, time observer of the Madhes, told me last month take in significant territory to the north, diluting could command that “popular political intervention in Nepali poli- Madhesi demographic concentration. Among the insurmountable tics has often come from the Madhes.” He pointed demands of the andolan was the creation of at most national support. to how protests and political activism in the two provinces taking in only the plains. region contributed to the fall of two previous sys- The bastion of Madhesi politics is now Province tems of rule—the hereditary prime ministership of 2, comprised exclusively of plains districts and the Ranas, ended in the 1950s, and the autocratic located directly north of the Indian state of Bihar. panchayat system, ended in the early 1990s. When “This is the only province with a Madhesi major- it comes to aspirations of a more equal Nepali soci- ity,” Bhola Paswan, a local journalist, told me. The ety, he argued, the Madhes will again “be the first Rastriya Janata Party Nepal and the Sanghiya to take that forward.” Samajwadi Forum Nepal won a third of all the ad- Ethnic Madhesis and their politicians have long ministrative seats in the province during the local- complained of historical marginalisation, and had body polls—and this despite the RJPN boycotting hoped that the new constitution would ameliorate a large part of it in keeping with the spirit of the this. Their demand that power be devolved under a andolan. The RJPN and the SSFN hope to improve federal structure has been met, but Madhesis, and on that performance in the election for the provin- numerous other disadvantaged ethnic groups, have cial parliament. accused the major parties, dominated by Brahmin According to Paswan, in light of a Madhes di- men from Nepal’s middle hills, of gerrymandering vided across multiple provinces and their own the shapes of the new provinces. That grievance, weakened fortunes after the andolan faded, the

narayan maharjan / nurphoto getty images maharjan narayan and a long list of others, fuelled a popular movement two main Madhesi parties “would have been com-

NOVEMBER 2017 15 hammer and fickle · perspectives pelled to come together for the elec- that the Madhesi parties have sepa- stitution to address its most contentious tions if they wished to remain relevant rate outlooks on the Congress when it provisions. This drew severe criticism in national politics” even if there had comes to Province 2, where they see it in Nepal, including from the Congress’s been no CPN(UML)–CPN(MC) tie-up. as their main rival, and elsewhere in coalition partner, the CPN(MC). “Con- But Om Prakash Yadav, an RJPN leader, the Madhes, where they know their stitution amendment is an internal mat- told me that “if there was no leftist al- influence is much more limited. There, ter of Nepal,” Prachanda said at a press liance, perhaps the RJPN and Forum he said, “if they give us a respectable conference. “It was wrong to express would not have come together as eas- share of seats, we are willing to partner commitment to amend the constitution ily.” The two parties worked together with them.” He added that if neither in India.” The incident threw light on during the andolan, but have divergent the Congress and its allies nor the left- the international dimension to the pres- political roots: the senior leadership ist force earned a clear majority in the ent political shake-up. Some reports, of the RJPN traces its history back to federal parliament or in particular including in the Indian press, have the Congress, while the SSFN brings provinces, the Madhesi parties could portrayed the coming together of the together former members of vari- hold the keys to viable coalitions. CPN(UML) and the CPN(MC) as a vic- ous communist parties, including the The difficulty for the Madhesi par- tory for Chinese interests and a failure CPN(UML) and the Communist Party ties, Chandra Kishore said, is that their of Indian strategy. This extends a line of of Nepal (Maoist), the precursor to the tactical focus remains on possible ar- thinking that saw the installation of the CPN(MC). Their coming together is a rangements of power sharing after the current Congress-led government—in reminder that ethnicity-based identity election rather than on projecting an place of a CPN(UML)-led predecessor politics remains a force in Nepal, espe- alternative political vision to that of the that openly stoked anti-India senti- cially in the Madhes, despite sugges- main national parties. If that continues, ment—as an Indian triumph. To view tions by some analysts that the political in the eyes of voters “they will just be Nepal’s domestic politics primarily as a reconfiguration initiated by the new another Congress or CPN(UML).” The contest between its giant neighbours is leftist partnership signals an end to reductive, as is assigning neat geopoliti- that mode of politics in favour of a poli- To view Nepal’s domestic cal allegiances to Nepali parties, but it is tics of “development.” politics primarily as a clear that India and China have a grow- The Madhesi parties’ main chal- ing interest in Nepal’s affairs. Trade lenger on their home territory is the contest between its giant and economic investment are becoming Congress. The leftist alliance brings neighbours is reductive, ever more important to the prospects of together two parties that the region as is assigning neat Nepal’s neighbours within the country, has particular reason to resent. The geopolitical allegiances to and both India and China have pledged CPN(UML) upholds a conservative na- Nepali parties. massive credit as well as support for tionalism that privileges the dominant infrastructure work. castes of the hills, and has remained w w Where and how this money is spent, unmoved by Madhesi demands. The and also how the government’s domes- Maoists supported Madhesi aspira- leftist alliance has also apparently tried tic revenues and spending are handled, tions in the decade after the civil war, to separate the Madhesi parties. Its will be another arena of contention but came to be seen as betraying the combined manifesto makes a distinc- between Nepal’s provincial and federal region when they backed the conten- tion between the RJPN as a residual governments once the new parlia- tious new constitution. Yadav told me “feudal” force that works to “weaken ments are in place. Current rules give that, earlier, “we were willing to be national sovereignty,” and the SSFN as provincial and local administrations 15 very flexible and ally with the Maoists. one with progressive tendencies, open- percent each of the value-added tax and But that is no longer possible with them ing the way to possible cooperation excise generated in a province, with joining an anti-Madhesi party like the with the latter. But Birendra Mahato, the federal government controlling the CPN(UML).” By contrast, the Congress an SSFN leader, told me that such co- rest. The Madhes hosts a large share has traditionally been popular in the operation is unlikely. “Our party chair- of Nepal’s industries and commercial Madhes, and one minor party from the person had a communist background, agriculture, and is key to the country’s region merged into it in the recent wave but that was in the distant past,” he trade. The city of Birgunj, in Province of political consolidation. said. Mahato added that the SSFN’s 2, sees 70 percent of Nepal’s imports The RJPN and SSFN have been agenda, in agreement with the RJPN, flow through it. The question of what speaking to the Congress, even though is to address Madhesi grievances with benefits the Madhes receives from its a comprehensive agreement with it the new constitution by amending the own productivity could well become a has remained out of reach. A possible document, “and we are open to unity point of friction, especially when pro- alliance in Province 2 ran aground with other like-minded parties.” vincial governments and the federal after the Madhesi parties demanded In August, the Congress’s Sher Baha- government are controlled by antago- Congress backing for their candidates dur Deuba, on a prime ministerial visit nistic parties. On this, as on much else, in more constituencies than the party to Delhi, assured Indian officials that the Madhes will be a barometer of how was prepared to cede. Yadav explained his party would work to amend the con- Nepal’s new politics is faring. s

16 THE CARAVAN perspectives Counting Crores Why Indian films’ box-office figures do not add up

/ suprateek chatterjee circuits, many of which still retain their colonial-era names. These include Mumbai, Delhi/Uttar Pradesh, In October 2015, representatives of Indian movie ex- East Punjab (includes Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, hibitors—owners or heads of companies that operate Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir), Central multiplexes and single-screen theatres—gathered India (includes north and east Madhya Pradesh), for a lavish lunch meeting at the JW Marriott Hotel Central Provinces and Berar (includes south and west in Mumbai’s Juhu area. Every theatre owner, big or Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Vidarbha region small, had been invited. in Maharashtra), Mysore (and the rest of Karnataka), The host that day was Rentrak, a global media- Tamil Nadu and so on. The representatives gather measurement and research company headquartered figures through incessant phone calls to exhibitors. in the United States, which had announced that Today, Adarsh told me, the existence of cloud-based it would be opening an India office in Hyderabad. e-ticketing is making the process “smoother and more Rentrak calculates, among other things, box-office accurate” for him and other trade analysts, who each figures for Hollywood and other film industries, and have a similar network of their own. claims to track 95 percent of the international box These numbers go on to be reported all across the office. It had chosen the entertainment-industry vet- media. Well-known trade analysts such as Adarsh, eran Rajkumar Akella to head its Indian subsidiary. At the Marriott meeting, Akella was making one of “Fudging” of box-office collections is an age- the earliest of several efforts he has made over the old practice in India. The reported box-office last two years to convince exhibitors to collaborate with Rentrak India and bring accuracy and trans- figures of Bollywood have long been dispiritingly parency to box-office measurements in the country. unreliable. But the meeting did not go as Akella had antici- w w pated. An industry executive who was present at the meeting told me that PVR—the largest cinema chain Komal Nahta, Amod Mehra, Amul Mohan and Atul in the country, with 469 screens to its name at the Mohan (the last two are unrelated to each other) time—objected to tying up with Rentrak. However, write for, and lead, the editorial for publications the industry executive said, the PVR’s representa- that cover the entertainment industry from a busi- tives did not give reasons for their opposition. “The ness perspective, aside from appearing on television undercurrent in the room was that they”—some of shows and news panels as industry experts. Fan the exhibitors—“were reluctant to give out their clubs of popular stars duke it out on social media numbers because they were probably fudging them,” over whose films have earned more money, and he told me. which of them therefore is more bankable. Fascina- “Fudging” of box-office collections is an age-old tion with a film entering the so-called “R100-crore practice in India. The reported box-office figures club”—a reference to a film grossing at least R100 of Bollywood have long been dispiritingly unreli- crore domestically—has seeped into popular culture able. Inflation of figures is rampant, as creating an and mainstream entertainment news reporting. Af- impression that a film has been successful not only ter the psychological thriller Ghajini (2008) became helps everyone involved with it, but it can also facili- the first Indian film to cross that barrier in the early tate money laundering. At other times, figures are days of 2009, the R100-crore mark has become syn- deflated in order to evade taxes. As a result, a true onymous with the idea of success. Though now there picture of the business side of the Indian film indus- are several films whose box-office collections go into try never quite emerges. hundreds of crores. Adarsh, too, said that the media The figures that currently appear in the Indian has become more aggressive in its coverage of box- media are mostly calculated and reported by several office figures. independent organisations run by those the industry However, even a cursory glance at the differ- calls “trade analysts.” In March, I spoke to the trade ent sources of figures suggests that the numbers analyst Taran Adarsh, also the editor of Trade Guide reported by such publications cannot be relied on. magazine, who told me how these numbers are com- In “Why You Can’t Trust Bollywood Box-Office puted. For years, Adarsh has relied on trusted repre- Numbers,” an article published on the website Film sentatives calling in from the country’s 14 distribution Companion in February, Mohini Chaudhuri points

NOVEMBER 2017 17 counting crores · perspectives out the discrepancies in the report- ing of numbers. “According to the trade website boxofficeindia.com, the nine-day collection of Khan’s latest film Raees is R114.50 crore,” she wrote. “Whereas koimoi.com has listed the figure as R122.36 crore. It’s not just Raees. Collections of the other big film that released along with it—producer Rakesh Roshan’s Kaabil—are just as confusing. There too, boxofficeindia. com lists its 10-day collection as R69.50 crore whereas koimoi.com shows R97.03 crore. That’s over a R20 crore difference in data.” Adarsh published figures for these films in the same time frame on the website Bollywood Hungama: his calculation was exactly the same as Ko- imoi.com for Raees, R122.36 crore, but he offered a completely different figure for Kaabil, of R84.69 crore. Akella, along with many other promi- nent Bollywood business experts, told me that there are two kinds of figures: the true figures, which industry insid- ers share with each other on WhatsApp groups; and the false, usually inflated ones—deviations from actual figures are anywhere between 2 percent and 15 percent—that are shared publicly. There are several reasons for fudg- ing numbers. The most significant one is that there exists a direct conflict of interest: trade analysts run publications that producers advertise in. They also want to maintain good relations with filmmakers and famous actors—who often also happen to be producers—so that they can get interviews with them for their publications or television shows. Inflating figures helps everyone involved. “For example, it’s quite a done thing”—at multiplexes—“to fudge box- office numbers by manipulating food and beverage sales,” the industry exec- utive told me. “This way you can curry favour with studios, producers and stars and reap several benefits in the

longer run—such as preferential show jonathan torgovnik / getty images timings for this and subsequent releas- es, movie premieres that get you more Producers and stars get to call their and Mammooty command cult-like publicity etcetera.” Reporting higher films successes and maintain this fic- followings—the pressure to over-report numbers can also help in laundering tion in the eyes of the movie-going figures so as to not upset emotional fans money. This connivance between film public, even if the industry is aware of is also a driving factor. “There’s undue producers, trade analysts, distributors the reality. In star-crazy markets—es- pressure from fan associations as well and exhibitors benefits everyone across pecially in Tamil, Telugu, and Malay- as the desire to report high box-office the value chain, while stifling competi- alam cinema, in which the likes of Ra- numbers, as that is fashionable nowa- tion, and benefitting the black economy. jinikanth, Mahesh Babu, and days,” Akella told me.

18 THE CARAVAN counting crores · perspectives

Deflation of figures is more common in non- Akella, along with many other prominent Bollywood studio-driven Bollywood and many regional mar- business experts, told me that there are two kinds kets, particularly Tamil and Telugu cinema, where large chunks of funding comes from what Akella of figures: the true figures, which industry insiders calls “the unorganised sector”—in the industry, share with each other on WhatsApp groups; and the the term refers to businessmen who are interested false, usually inflated ones—deviations from actual in cinema but who are averse to paying taxes. figures are anywhere between 2 percent and 15 “There is under-reporting because there is tax- percent—that are shared publicly. evasion at every level: from producers to exhibi- tors,” he said. “At the grassroots level, a lot of tax w w authorities aren’t even interested in enforcing the rules.” In fact, insiders allege that some exhibitors are told by the tax guys, “Why are you showing the roughly 9,000 such theatres, only somewhere so much? Show lesser earnings and the rest can between 1,000 and 2,000 theatres have espoused be split amongst all of us.” Another common trick e-ticketing, according to Akella. But he believes that employed by single-screen theatres—once wit- e-ticketing is spreading fast. “The point-of-sales nessed first-hand by this writer at a ramshackle registers have become affordable—they cost be- Chennai theatre during the first screening of the tween R10,000 and 15,000,” he told me. “Moreover, Rajinikanth-starrer Kabali, in July 2016—is the internet connectivity through 4G and WiFi has indiscriminate addition of “phantom” plastic improved dramatically in the last three years. They chairs in theatres over and above normal seating have fewer and fewer reasons not to convert.” capacities, for which legitimate tickets are sold, Manoj Desai, executive director of Mumbai’s sometimes at higher rates than usual. G7 Multiplex, as well as the famed single-screener These are the ills that Akella claims his organisa- Maratha Mandir, agreed with Akella. Having tion is fighting. In February 2016, Rentrak and its converted to e-ticketing only a year earlier, he told global offices merged with the media-measurement me in May that it had increased footfalls at his and analytics company comScore, also based in theatres. “I’d say our occupancies have gone up the US, in a $768-million deal. Akella stayed on as from 50 percent to 70-80 percent thanks to us in- managing director (India-theatrical) of comScore troducing e-ticketing and online booking on Book- India. “For years, many people benefitted from the MyShow,” he said, when we met at his office inside opaqueness of the system,” he said, “but now things Maratha Mandir. “We still keep 30 percent of the have changed. We operate in 65 countries in the tickets at the counter, because many of our patrons world and since Bollywood films now go to roughly are not comfortable using all this technology yet. 50 of them, at least, we will now, finally, be able to But overall, it has only benefitted us because peo- give exhibitors a consolidated view.” ple like the convenience.” ComScore attaches a “patch” to the point-of- He has not signed up with comScore yet, but sales device at theatres that are equipped with e- lauds the idea of a transparent third party that ticketing, which provides the company direct data will independently track box-office figures. “In through a software. “As soon as a ticket is sold, a 40 years of business, I have never given out wrong report is generated—sometimes real-time, some- numbers, despite knowing everyone in the indus- times at the end of every hour, and sometimes try and getting phone call after phone call,” he at the end of a day—and sent to us,” Akella said. said assertively. “First-time producers have plead- “Not only does this benefit the industry at large, ed with me, saying that if I don’t give out the false it also helps exhibitors consolidate screen adver- figures, they will not be able to make a second tising revenue”—in-theatre advertising—“which film. I have always responded with Koi‘ baat nahi, is currently only 1 percent of the entire revenue hone do’”—no matter, let it happen. stream—about R650 crore, which is extremely low. In January, PVR reversed its earlier stance and To grow, it needs currency. With accurate data partnered with comScore India. ComScore has about how many people are coming to theatres, we now inked deals with nearly every multiplex chain can provide that currency.” in India barring one: Inox. They are now receiving But comScore has found it difficult to make in- real-time box-office sales data from roughly 2,300 roads. A source closely associated with a leading of India’s roughly 11,000 screens, according to multiplex chain that is on board with comScore told Akella. The theatres they cover, however, account me that for the longest time, every company was for more than 50 percent of the total revenue gen- wary that they would end up marginalising them- erated by Bollywood and Hollywood movies in selves by taking the plunge and upsetting the status India. They plan to start publishing their numbers quo that was beneficial to them. E-ticketing also as soon as it reaches 80 percent. The job is more has not yet reached most of the single-screens. Of than half-done. s

NOVEMBER 2017 19 reportage BEING SALMAN

20 THE CARAVAN reportage

The dangerous innocence of Bollywood’s most controversial superstar COVER STORY

ANNA MM VETTICAD

on a cool, breezy evening in mid 2017, I was shown into a carpeted tent in Mumbai’s famed Yash Raj Films Studios. The tent was set up in a far corner of the sprawling complex, next to the vanity van of the man I was there to interview: , the Hindi-film superstar, who, along with and , has dominated the industry for nearly three decades. I sat at a long table and waited for him. I had lost track of time when, suddenly, I sensed a shift in the air and looked up from my phone. Salman had entered and seated himself on a chair across from me. A group of five or six people orbited him—entering the tent, asking him a question, exiting, taking a phone call, returning. A member of Salman’s team introduced him to me, and reminded him about our scheduled interview. “You have met her before,” she said. His expression remained unchanged; it was impossible to discern whether he remembered me. The actor was at YRF Studios to shoot a bouquet of pro- mos for the eleventh season of the Hindi reality television show Bigg Boss, which he hosts and which is currently airing on the channel Colors. As I wondered whether to begin the interview, a producer informed him that the crew would be ready whenever he was. Someone decided that Salman’s look needed tweaking. A make-up artist came over and dabbed colour on his beard and moustache. I watched, and then, since he remained seated, asked hesitantly, “Should I start?” A faint appeared in Salman’s eyes, as he gestured to his face to indicate that he could not speak freely because of the cosmetics on it. A minute or so later, without a word to me, he got up and disappeared into his van.

of the trade magazine Film Information’s list of top ten Hindi films of all time by domestic net collections, four star Salman. Together, these films have earned R1,042 crore. (Four films starring Aamir are in the top ten, and have to- gether earned R1,186 crore. One Shah Rukh film appears on the list, and the top spot is held by the dubbed Hindi version of the Telugu film Bahubali 2: The Conclusion, which earned R510 crore.) Alongside his commercial appeal, Salman also commands a fierce loyalty among his fans. At a 2013 event, Aamir him- self, despite racking up more impressive box-office figures, declared that Salman was “a bigger star than me. I prepare so much but he does not need to do that. He will shake his

afp / getty images belt, move his goggles and that’s enough for the success of

NOVEMBER 2017 21 being salman · reportage

of bad press that his alleged misdemeanours at- tracted, Salman’s career saw a downturn between 2000 and 2008, when several of his films flopped at the box office. Towards the end of that decade, however, he scripted a turnaround, beginning with Wanted in 2009. He began choosing films with more care and took greater control of his im- age. Where earlier he relied entirely on his family to manage his affairs, now, for the first time, he hired a professional management team. This was accompanied by work to subtly build awareness about his new charity, Being Human—The Salman Khan Foundation, which is active in healthcare and education, and whose branded T-shirts he regularly wears in public. This dramatic, frequently disturbing biography played through my mind over the two days that I spoke to him at YRF Studios, in several stretches of between one minute and 45 minutes. I began this series of conversations with open-ended questions about his dreams, ambitions and plans. “There was above: After his films.” Indeed, of the three Khans, it is Salman a time when we used to say ke picture milegi toh struggling to find who has spawned the greatest numbers of imita- mehnat karenge, (we will work if we get a film),” he commercial and tors, who sport the clothes and accessories he said. “Now it’s always, mehnat karoge toh picture critical success wears—tight T-shirts, leather jackets and brace- milegi (if we work, we will get films).” His fellow through most of lets—and, during screenings of his films, cheer actors, he continued, were “so good at their jobs the first decade of the millenium, wildly at the birth of a baby if they know that the that you feel incompetent, you feel you’ve lucked Salman Khan took child will grow up to be their hero’s character. out, and you need to appreciate every shot you greater control over But Salman is also by far the most controversial give.” He then referred to his own reputation for his career at the of the three superstars. In the first two decades of impatience, slipping into a semi-philosophical tone end of the decade. his career, he had a reputation for being rude, ag- that has led some co-workers to jokingly address His 2009 film gressive and unprofessional. He also developed a him as “Swami Salman.” “Sometimes you get an- Wanted marked the beginning of hostile relationship with the press from his early gry or irritable,” he said, “but if you keep control- a turnaround, and days in the industry. He continued to get projects ling that and just think ki yeh abhi nahin hua mere four of his releases because his core audience remained so deeply saath, yeh mere saath ek saal pehle hua thha (this since then are now committed to him that his films were almost guar- did not happen to me just now, it happened to me a among the top ten anteed to open well at the box office, even if subse- year back), then automatically that anger and frus- Hindi films by net quent word of mouth caused them to fizzle out. tration go down. It’s difficult but achievable.” domestic earnings. But stories of Salman’s professional misconduct My previous interviews with Salman had been pale in comparison to the three chilling instances straightforward half-hour question-and-answer in which he has been accused of potentially crimi- sessions for television. But at YRF Studios, I al- nal actions. He was charged by police with poach- lowed his words to flow uninterrupted as far as ing deer, including the endangered black buck, in possible, and found that he often answered ques- Rajasthan in 1998; and with culpable homicide in a tions I had not asked. “Every time I’ve gone down case where he was alleged to have crashed his car is only because of me, nobody else,” he said at one into a bakery in Mumbai in September 2002, killing point, apparently alluding to the rough patch his one person and injuring four. He was also accused career had hit in the early and mid 2000s. “Not by the actor Aishwarya Rai, with whom he was in a god, not fans, nobody.” Every individual had their relationship, of verbal and physical abuse—the only own destiny, he added, “and this is my journey. instance when widely circulated rumours about I don’t know how long it will last, but however his allegedly violent behaviour towards women long it is, it was only meant to be that long.” But, were placed as facts on the record. Cases were he insisted, he would not grow complacent about filed against Salman in the hunting and drunken- his success. “I will always give to the best of my driving incidents, and while he has been acquitted capacity and keep reinventing myself—thhoda sa in some of them, the matters remain under trial or kuchh aur, thhoda sa kuchh aur (a bit more, and appeal at various levels of the judicial system. then some more),” he said. Whether it was owing to his reported unpro- This reflective, solemn Salman was a far cry fessionalism , his poor film choices or the reams from the person I had first encountered nine years

22 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage earlier, whose behaviour seemed to justify the Stories in the industry below: The troubling reputation that preceded him. producer and In November 2008, I interviewed the actor, of Salman’s professional director Subhash along with , and Zayed Ghai’s relationship misconduct pale in with Salman Khan, all of whom were promoting the producer comparison with the three is indicative of and director ’s film . The in- how the industry terview, which took place on the lawns of a south- chilling instances in which tolerates and Delhi five-star hotel, was for my then employer, justifies the star’s the television channel Headlines Today, now he has been accused of worst excesses. India Today. potentially criminal actions. Despite a public The first 20 minutes of the conversation flitted fight in the 1990s, and Salman’s smoothly between light-hearted banter and seri- domineering ous reflection. Then, I asked Salman whether he tective towards him,” Kapoor told me. (When the attitude towards tended to be more tense about a new release if his Yuvvraaj interview took place, Salman was 42 and him, Ghai previous film was not a hit, such as on this occa- Kapoor 52, while Kaif was 25 and Zayed 28.) When remains one of sion, when he was preparing for Yuvvraaj’s release I pressed further, Kapoor said, “I can’t put a finger his staunchest in theatres just months after God Tussi Great Ho on the reason. It’s something to do with the inno- defenders. had fared poorly at the box office. cence on his face, the kind of person he is, the good- “Who says so?” Salman shot back curtly, with a will he creates with certain gestures, the smile, the hint of a frown flickering over his face. The mood mischief, a childlike quality. Apne ko zyaada shaana of the interview changed instantly. Seated next nahin samajhta hai (he doesn’t act smart).” to him, Kaif murmured, “Oh no.” Kapoor sat for- The defence that Salman is “childlike” seemed ward, and placed a hand on Salman’s arm as if to reasonable enough as an explanation for his prick- pacify him. ly responses to interview questions. But in my 23 Salman repeated gravely, “Who said so?” years as a journalist, I have also heard it trotted “Well, I spoke to theatre owners and trade ana- out innumerable times to defend everything from lysts,” I replied calmly with a smile. Kaif cleared his obnoxious behaviour to his possibly criminal her throat nervously. conduct against women. Other defences offered Then, all of a sudden, Salman’s face broke into by producers, directors and actors have included a boyish grin. He playfully raised his finger to his the oft-repeated claim that the star has a “heart lips in feigned embarrassment and shushed me. of gold” and that he should be judged by his char- It felt like he had been testing the waters with his ity work rather than any alleged misdemeanours. effort to intimidate me, and was enjoying the fact For three decades, they have echoed each other’s that it had not worked. words, as if reciting from a memo that was circu- At this, the others appeared relieved, and be- lated to them. gan to speak in unison, seemingly seeking to ease Ghai has been one of them. In 2016, when any potential tension that might linger. Kaif let Salman sparked widespread outrage after re- out a loud “Awwww,” and said, “How mean ya, you’ll make him cry.” She then turned to Salman and teased, “Don’t cry, don’t cry.” “It’s a big hit in Mumbai,” Zayed said. “In Gaiety”—a famous hall in the city—“it’s a big hit.” Kapoor chuckled, and repeated, “It’s a big hit, it’s a big hit.” Over the chorus of voices, Salman said with a laugh and an exaggerated drawl, “In our minds, in our home, it is a big hit.” “Don’t, you’ve made him cry now,” Kaif said. “You are mean, Anna.” It was clear that Salman was enjoying the moment when he added, “Arrey, God Tussi Great Ho ko god bhi nahin chala sakey”— even god could not save the film. He was charming through the rest of the interview, which was filled with thoughtful answers and merriment, from both him and his co-stars. This summer, I met Anil Kapoor at his home in Mumbai, and reminded him that he and his co- stars had appeared to be mollycoddling Salman that

day. “Salman has a quality that makes you feel pro- afp / getty images

NOVEMBER 2017 23 being salman · reportage marking that his training sessions for “Would I ask you who your girlfriend is or what Sultan, in which he played a wrestler, were so physically strenuous that they your relations are with her? No. So why do you made him feel “like a raped woman,” keep asking me these questions. Who I beat, who I Ghai defended the star, who turned 51 that December, by saying, “Salman sleep with is my personal problem, not yours.” is a child.” Talking to me earlier this year, he explained, “When I say he is a child I mean not politically correct, mistreats ask for it. “Salman knows Indian mass media, Salman offers an he doesn’t understand that his words Ghai well,” the person said. “Usko ac- instructive example of the kind of mas- could have consequences or what those chhi tarah maloom hai kiske saath panga culinity that nevertheless continues to consequences might be.” lena chahiye aur kiske saath nahin (he dominate society. The readiness with The director had perhaps forgotten knows well whom he can mess with which friends and colleagues defend that I had once witnessed an episode and with whom he cannot). Ghai should a range of irresponsible, violent and involving him and Salman that fol- not have begged like that. He is, after abusive behaviours by citing his sup- lowed the Yuvvraaj interview, which all, the Subhash Ghai. When you behave posedly innocent and childlike inner offered to me further evidence of how like that, this is how some people will self and his charitable work is telling those around the star constantly in- treat you.” of how easily such actions are excused dulged him, seeming almost fearful of Salman and Ghai had clashed in a far and normalised. To understand Salman displeasing him. As I waited for our uglier fashion in the past. In the late is to see how deep-rooted a culture of crew to pack up, the film’s publicists 1990s, they came to blows at a party what feminists call “toxic masculinity” came over to coax Salman to visit the in the presence of numerous eyewit- is in India, and how it is propagated not studios of Star News (now ABP News) nesses. That fight is now a part of Bol- just by those who are its most promi- for a live interaction. It was evident that lywood folklore. In a perfect example of nent symbols, but also—wittingly and the other three actors were willing, and the Stockholm-Syndrome-like relation- unwittingly—by their friends, family that Salman was the only one needing ship that many industry professionals members and colleagues. persuasion. Kaif—who was then dating share with the star, the director is now Salman—had already done her bit, ex- one of Salman’s staunchest defenders, the silence about Salman’s misdeeds plaining to him while I sat there during standing up for him after his “raped was never more palpable than in the a break in shooting that studio visits woman” remark, when, in a rare in- instances when the star faced charges helped generate curiosity about a film. stance, the rest of the fraternity largely of assaulting women he was involved Salman would not budge. chose to stay quiet. with. Among those Salman was ru- Then Ghai came over. An industry In a decade when the feminist move- moured to have beaten are Sangeeta elder known for being high-handed ment has gained greater visibility in the Bijlani, as well as Somy Ali, who, ac- himself, Ghai stood trembling before Salman, with folded hands, pleading with him to acquiesce. The director of the ageless Karz and money-spinners such as , Hero, Karma, , Khalnayak and Saudagar had not had a hit as a director since 1999’s Taal, and Yuvvraaj was a make-or- break project for him. It was a sign of his desperation that day that he disre- garded the presence of a journalist as he begged, “Salman, please, we have to do this. There is a difference between going to the studio and doing an in- terview here.” An unmoved Salman replied, “Tell Star News to bring their studio to the hotel. If she”—he pointed to me—“can bring her studio here, so can they.” An industry professional who worked on Yuvvraaj reacted to my recollec- tion of Ghai’s grovelling with another kind of justification often offered for Salman’s misbehaviour: that those he

24 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage ap photo cording to her official website, was in a relation- In an interview earlier this year to Aditi Lamba on opposite page: ship with him for eight years till December 1999. TV Asia, a channel targeted at the Indian diaspora Salman and (The dates provided in this official biography sug- in the United States, she said, without explaining Aishwarya Rai gest that for a part of those years she was a minor, further, “My relationship with Salman was not reportedly became involved during the while Salman was in his mid twenties.) very healthy.” making of the 1999 The most commonly cited account of Salman’s Salman himself has spoken lightly of physical release Hum Dil De violence against Ali is one in which he reportedly abuse in romantic relationships. In a video titled Chuke Sanam. Rai broke a bottle of Coke on her head in full public “Salman angry with media 1998,” uploaded on remains the only view. In an interview to Sarah Khan of the New YouTube by a fan club, he said, “Would I ask you woman to have York Times in 2012, Ali denied that this ever hap- who your girlfriend is or what your relations are publicly stated that pened, but provided a nevertheless disturbing with her? No. So why do you keep asking me these the actor verbally and physically description of the episode. “I was out with some questions. It’s my personal life. Who I beat, who I abused her. friends and had a rum and Coke,” she said. “He sleep with is my personal problem, not yours.” felt I was in wrong company and didn’t want me While the details of these link-ups remain above: Though drinking, so he poured it on the table. Now I think unclear, far more information emerged about Salman has he did the right thing.” Ali, now a Miami-based Salman’s relationship with Aishwarya Rai, which largely remained activist for victims of human trafficking and reportedly began during the making of Hum Dil reticent about the allegations domestic violence, said that a journalist “blew it De Chuke Sanam, released in 1999. Two specific of abuse against out of proportion. It went from one thing to an- instances are well chronicled. In the first, from him, his father, other, that he broke the bottle on my head, that 2001, confirmed at the time by the Mumbai police, Salim Khan, has in he dumped it on my head, but he just poured it an intoxicated Salman barged into Rai’s flat one interviews spoken on the table and said, ‘You shouldn’t be drinking.’ night when she was not present, smashed win- patronisingly and He’s just overprotective, that’s how Salman is in dow panes and broke furniture. The police also disparagingly of the relationships.” She did not note that even her de- confirmed that Rai’s father registered a complaint women his son has dated. scription of Salman suggested that he was prone against him on 27 December. In the other inci- to intimidating, controlling behaviour, nor did dent, Salman reportedly went on a rampage and she point out the hypocrisy of a man known for rammed Rai’s car with his own during the shoot- drunken brawls objecting to his girlfriend drink- ing of Kuch Naa Kaho, in which she starred along- ing. In the same interview, Ali said, “He was be- side , and which was released yond wonderful to me … aside from the cheating.” in 2003.

NOVEMBER 2017 25 being salman · reportage

above: Salman’s Salman himself broadly confirmed both in- other way around, she explains. Salman kept call- 2003 film Tere Naam cidents in a February 2002 interview to S Bal- ing, but Ash refused to say where she was. But he spawned hordes akrishnan of when he said, overheard people near her mentioning the name of of imitators of “Yes, yes, there is truth (in these reports), but the place. Witnesses say that an inebriated Salman the protagonist’s they are all exaggerated.” His explanation for reached there and insisted that Ash go with him. floppy hairstyle, with a middle his behaviour was alarming. “If you don’t fight, Though she refused first, she relented after he hit parting. The film there’s no love,” he said. “I will not fight with an himself.” seemed to draw on outsider. Whatever fighting and possessiveness Rai’s interview was published on 27 September Salman’s reputation is there from my side and hers is all out of love. 2002. Salman’s car crashed into the American for violence with The banging of the car was wrong. But I banged Express Bakery in Bandra the next night. In an women. my car. I have now been told by the cops not to go example of how far Salman’s supporters reach to her building.” Conjecture that Salman used to for justifications for his behaviour, the journalist assault Rai was further fuelled by her appearance Jasim Khan wrote in his 2015 book, the eulogic at an awards function with a plaster on her arm Being Salman, “Was it a mere coincidence that and dark glasses. She, however, claimed she had Salman rammed his Toyota Land Cruiser onto injured herself in a fall. the pavement in suburban Bandra (Mumbai) just In another very public incident, in 2002, Salman a day after Aishwarya made her break-up public arrived on the sets of Aziz Mirza’s Chalte Chalte in in The Times Of India interview? A person lost his Pune’s Naraingaon town, where Rai was shooting, life in the accident and later Salman had to go to and created a scene there. In September that year, jail for his crime. Many of Salman’s friends and Rai spoke to the Times of India’s Afsana Ahmed colleagues visited the jail to show solidarity with and Smrity Sharma, confirming that she had bro- him, but not Aishwarya. This sealed the fate of ken up with Salman the previous March and that their relationship.” he had been stalking her ever since. “Ash also de- The disquieting sense of sympathy for Salman nies that she called Salman to the sets of Aziz Mir- apart, the writer also neglected to note that the

za’s film in Naraingaon,” the report stated. “It was turmoil continued into the next year. In April times / getty images / hindustan gupta vijayanand

26 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage

2003, the then rising star Oberoi Salman.” He then raised a challenge to Salman seemed to draw on this as- called an impromptu press conference those who claimed he mistreated wom- pect of his reputation in his 2003 film accusing Salman of hounding him with en. “His ex girlfriends called him a dif- Tere Naam, directed by Satish Kaushik, 41 drunken, abusive and threatening ficult man to get along with, in print,” the story of a hooligan, Radhe, who is phone calls in one night. At the time, he said. “But I ask them, ‘Why were you driven insane by his love for a tradi- Oberoi was said to be dating Rai. A few with him for 7 years?’” tional, college-going girl, and kidnaps days later, in a move without precedent Salim concocted an answer to his her in a bid to force her to reciprocate in Bollywood, Rai issued a detailed own question during an interview giv- his feelings. Earlier this year, I asked statement to the media calling the en in Mumbai in 2012 to Jasim Khan, Kaushik why he had romanticised Rad- “Salman chapter” of her life a “night- which is cited in Being Salman. “None he’s violence, and about the potential mare,” alleging that she had been “at of the girls who stole Salman’s heart impact of this on Salman’s followers, the receiving end of his abuse (verbal, were interested in raising a family,” who tend to hang on to his every word. physical, emotional).” She confirmed he said. “They had come into his life The director insisted that “rather than again in this statement that she had for their career. They wanted to reach romanticising his violence, it was much ended their relationship two years the top through Salman. They wanted more about Radhe’s trauma.” He added, earlier. only to pursue their ambition. All these “And when you are traumatic, you tend Back then, Salman chose to let his girls wanted to ride on his back to the to physically express much more. He family respond to the media’s ques- top. Whether they succeeded or not is a never hit Nirjara, he just gets up to hit tions about these allegations, following separate issue. But they had their eyes her but he controls himself and starts a pattern he has adopted whenever he set on stardom. So they never wanted bashing himself.” Kaushik did not note is in trouble. In an interview at Meh- to settle down with Salman.” His words that leading up to this moment in the boob Studio in Mumbai not long after once again positioned Salman as a vic- film, Radhe grabs the woman, forces the success of Wanted, I told him that tim, not a perpetrator of violence. her into his car, gags her and ties her to the first response I read from him to The director Shashilal Nair, too, a chair when they reach their destina- Rai’s statement came years later, and put forward a disconcerting justifica- tion, and roughs her up. It is after this asked why it had taken him so long to tion of Salman’s alleged assault on Rai that he raises his hand to hit her, and react. “You should never talk about an when I spoke to him this year. He said, then restrains himself. ex,” he replied. I suggested that it was “Between a boyfriend and a girlfriend I was reminded of Tere Naam and important for a public figure such as many things happen. I don’t count it as Bollywood’s nonchalance towards himself to address an important social very important if you raise your voice domestic violence during a conver- issue such as domestic violence. “By or raise your hand at the spur of the sation with a fiery Nagpur-based clearing yourself out, you’re putting moment. It happens. It’s normal.” I travel company employee called Tripti somebody else down,” he said. “And pressed him on whether he meant that Shrivastava. Shrivastava is a diehard guys can go to any extent to clear them- domestic violence was acceptable. He Salman fan and the treasurer of an as- selves out. Women have this one limi- said, “At the spur of the moment, you yet-unregistered charitable organisa- tation, ki kitna bolegi (how much will may lose the balance of your mind, but tion founded in the star’s name. She she speak)? Guys can go to a different that doesn’t categorise him as a person was introduced to me by a professional level altogether. And I don’t think that who is a woman beater.” Salman impersonator named Shan is right. So the best thing to do is keep Unlike Nair, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Ghosh, who features in the 2014 docu- quiet about these things and I’m sure who has acted with Salman in six mentary Being Bhaijaan. Shrivastava whatever anybody has said, have their films, struck a more careful balance, told me she had no doubt that a notori- reasons to say that.” not casting aspersions on the women ously hot-tempered man like Salman But Salman’s father, the legendary involved or condemning her friend. would hit girlfriends. And while she scriptwriter Salim Khan, has spoken When she asked Salman about the ac- did not support such behaviour, she patronisingly and disparagingly of the cusations against him, “He laughed it believed that the fault lay with the women his son has been involved with. off,” she said. “He was like, ‘You think women for not stopping him or leaving “Can’t people see anything good in that I could hit a woman?’ He really re- him. “Here, you are taking his beatings boy?” he said in a 2001 Cine Blitz inter- spects women. I see the way he is with as long as you need him and once you view quoted on the Bollywood website his sisters, his mum, with women in no longer need him, you are telling the Pinkvilla. “He must have been in love general. He is really overprotective.” whole world that he hits you,” she said, many times, on intimate terms with She added that “only two people in a painting a familiar portrait of Salman his girlfriends. Has he ever spoken ill relationship can ever really answer a as a victim of the women he strikes. She about any of them, even under provoca- question about the kind of relationship added, “There are so many families in tion? We have a tradition of respecting they are in.” Kundra added, “All I can our country where the husband beats women in this family. Salman has seen say about Salman, I’m not really taking the wife. Outsiders can do nothing his father do that. If Salman has a party up for him, is that I’ve never seen him about it. It is the wife’s responsibility or at home, I always escort the female physically abuse a woman. Beyond that the husband’s family’s responsibility to guests to their cars. It’s the same with I really can’t comment.” stop him, to change him.”

NOVEMBER 2017 27 being salman · reportage below: Salman’s Shrivastava’s comments were particularly un- veteran film journalist Rauf Ahmed recalled being father intended settling because the discourse on Salman fans is part of discussions in the Khan home, in Bandra’s that his brother dominated by stories of obsessive men mimicking Galaxy Apartments, on Salim’s plans for his sons. Sohail become their idol’s physical traits and sympathising with “The family was thinking of Sohail as an actor, an actor, while his perceived inability to cope with a world that Arbaaz as probably actor or director and Salman Salman become a director. Before does not understand him—as, they believe, it fails as director,” he told me in May. During one par- his debut role in to understand them. Tere Naam was an above ticular dinner at the house, he said, “Salman 1988’s Biwi Ho To average grosser at the box office, but for his core showed a bunch of his photographs to my wife and Aisi, he worked as following it was a career breakthrough. Hordes said, ‘If Sanjay Dutt can become a hero, what is an assistant director of fans across the country began copying the pro- wrong with me?’ Salim-saab berated him, saying to the filmmaker tagonist’s floppy hairstyle, with a middle parting, something like, ‘Don’t waste your time, we have Shashilal Nair. just as they had taken to bodybuilding after Pyaar decided you will be a director.’” Ahmed explained Kiya To Darna Kya, in which Salman first unveiled Salim’s reasoning. “You see, Salman was short and his ripped torso to the world. small built,” he said. “Not the muscular chap he is now. Whereas the big stars those days—Amitabh salman, whose full name is Abdul Rashid Salim Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and their successors— Salman Khan, was born on 27 December 1965, in were mostly tall, strapping fellows.” Indore, less than two months after a child named Salman had already found considerable suc- Shah Rukh in Delhi, and around nine months cess as a model before he sought an acting break. after one named Aamir in Mumbai. Part of his Though he could not remember the precise de- name comes from his paternal grandfather, Abdul tails, he told me he was around 14 years old when, . His father, Salim Khan, was once on his first job, he earned R75 as a back-up dancer an aspiring actor, but went on to become one half in a stage show at a Mumbai five-star hotel. He of the legendary scriptwriter duo Salim-Javed. appeared in his first television commercial in the Salman’s mother, Salma Khan—formerly known as early 1980s, when he was around 16 years old. The Sushila Charak—was Salim’s first wife, with whom advertisement was for the then popular soft drink he had three more children: Arbaaz, Sohail and Campa Cola, and was shot on a boat in the Anda- Alvira. When Salman was in his teens, Salim mar- ried again: his second wife is Bollywood’s famed dancing queen, . Soon after, the family adopted an orphaned baby girl named Arpita. Salman studied at the Scindia School in Gwalior, and in Mumbai’s St Stanislaus High School, and joined St Xavier’s College in the city before drop- ping out midway, marking the end of his formal education. He had no passion for academics, he told me, and recounted that, by 17, he began doing the rounds of producers’ offices—not seeking act- ing work, but carrying scripts he had written and that he wanted to direct as films. Thirty-five years later, he reminisced to me about those days in his mixture of fluent English peppered with colloquial Hindi. “I was a kid, yaar,” he said. “So who is go- ing to trust me with a R1-crore film? Everywhere I went, they’d say ‘actor bann jao’ to tarkao me (they would advise me to become an actor to fob me off).” The young man soon began to wonder if his destiny, in fact, was in acting. “When 15, 20 people told me that, toh, I thought ke they see something in me,” he said. “When I later realised that was their polite way of turning me down, I said, ‘theek hai, ab toh yeh hi karunga, dekhta hoon’ (alright, I’ll do exactly this, let’s see). And I decided ki agar ek saal ke andar ho jata hai toh theek hai, nahin toh kuchh aur karunga (if something happens within a year, then fine, otherwise I’ll do something else).” The primary obstacle in Salman’s way was that

his father could not envision him as an actor. archive

28 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage

“They wanted to reach the top this page: Salman bagged his through Salman,” Salim Khan first modelling assignment, for said. “All these girls wanted to a Campa Cola ride on his back to the top.” advertisement, after showing off his underwater swimming skills man Islands by the leading ad filmmaker Kailash to the model Surendranath. Kailash and his then girlfriend, the Aarti Gupta, who model Aarti Gupta were “the people responsible recommended him to her then for me being in this industry,” Salman said. “They boyfriend, the ad gave me my first job in front of the camera.” filmmaker Kailash The star told the teen vlogger Hanee Chavan in Surendranath. June that he got that job when he jumped into the pool of Hotel Sea Rock, in Bandra, and swam back and forth below the surface to impress a beauti- ful woman who was passing by. The woman, who turned out to be, who was struck by his display, particularly since Kailash (who is now her hus- band) was working on an ad for which he needed actors who could swim well underwater. The Surendranaths’ version of the incident is as amusing, though it sounds less like a karmic event. Aarti did indeed see Salman that day, but she already knew about him because her father, who ran a club in Sea Rock, was Salim’s friend and had asked her to recommend the boy to Kailash. In a conversation over the phone from her home in Mumbai this October, she laughed at what she called Salman’s “elaborate” and “dramatic” mem- ory of events. With days to go for the Campa Cola shoot, she said, the team was desperately looking for one young model who was a good diver. One day, Aarti visited the hotel “to see this boy my dad is saying is sweet.” She was wearing a red sari from a shoot she had just completed. Her father “had told Salman I was coming and he should meet me,” she said. As she walked down the stairs towards the pool, she said, “I see this young boy

with great V-shaped shoulders dive the perfect surendranath stills courtesy kailash dive, go underwater, and, as I walked past, he’s done the whole breadth underwater. I said, chalo, Miss India pageant by then, and was an estab- ladka mil gaya (we’ve got our boy).” lished model. Despite the favourable first impression he made Salim was sceptical about Salman’s acting pros- on Aarti, Salman did not immediately win over pects though he was doing well as a model. “When Kailash when they met the next day. “You’ve sent I told my father I want to act, he asked, ‘Tum mo- a child,” Aarti recalled Kailash laughingly telling halle ke dada bann sakte ho?’ (Can you become a her. She replied firmly, “Just make him take off his local don?) Toh I said, nahin (I said, no). ‘Tum po- shirt. He has a swimmer’s body.” Kailash did so, licewaale bann sakte ho?’ Toh I said, nahin. ‘Judge?’ and he too was convinced. Nahin. ‘Lawyer?’ Nahin. Those were the kind of Salman recounted that he was paid R750 for that films being made. ‘Voh bann sakte ho, ke dus aadmi ad. He went on to do other ads with Kailash, for ko uttha ke phek do tum?’ (Can you become a man each of which he was paid R1,500. These included who can lift and throw 10 men?) Nahin. I used to one for the soft drink Limca and a series for the weigh not even 50 kgs at that time.” footwear brand Lakhani, which featured Sangeeta Reasoning that working behind the camera Bijlani, who, Kailash told me, was paid a higher could provide him with insights on what to do fee than Salman because she had already won the in front of it, Salman became an assistant direc-

NOVEMBER 2017 29 being salman · reportage this spread: with JK Bihari, the director of 1988’s Biwi Ho According to To Aisi, starring and , in Salman, he was paid which Salman made his debut. During the shoot, K750 for his first ad Nair said, “the director used to always complain film with Kailash about this boy. He used to say he is good for noth- Surendrenath, ing, he would come on the sets and sleep, get up and K1,500 for only when his shot is ready and he was not in- subsequent films, including terested.” Nair said he confronted Salman about commercials for these complaints, and that the actor replied, “The the footwear brand director doesn’t know anything. The way he is Lakhani, with making the film, it is doubtful whether I should Sangeeta Bijlani. be part of it.” The discord between the actor and director con- tinued after the shooting, with Bihari hiring an- other artist to dub for Salman. “I told the director, ‘You can’t do this to a newcomer,’” Nair recounted. “But he replied, ‘You should hear the boy’s voice. He sounds like a girl. And I am the director, so I can decide.’” Nair said Salman “was very ashamed of his work” in the film. By the time Biwi Ho To Aisi was released, Salman was already being considered for the role that would launch him to stardom: that of Prem in Sooraj Barjatya’s directorial debut, Maine Pyar Kiya, or MPK. But, as the actor remembers it,

prasad gori / / getty images gori / hindustan prasad the experience of the earlier film had dented his confidence. “I told Sooraj, ‘Sooraj, I am so shit tor in the mid 1980s to Shashilal Nair, whom in the film, I am so shit in the film. I will come he met through Salim. Nair listed three films and be an AD to you, but do not mess your film to me on which Salman assisted him, although by casting me in it,’” he recalled. But Barjatya he was not credited on them: Parivaar, starring was not dissuaded. “Sooraj came out of the show and Meenakshi Sheshadri, and said, ‘Why are your eyes looking so big in released in 1987; Falak (The Sky), written by Sa- the film?’” Salman recounted. “I replied, ‘Boss, I lim Khan, starring Rakhee and Jackie don’t know, that’s all you need to say?’” To this, Shroff, released in 1988; and 1990’s Kroadh, fea- Salman said, the director declared, “‘Ya, you’re turing Sanjay Dutt, , Amrita Singh Prem. This doesn’t matter.’ He said when our and Sonam. Salman’s duties included fetching film comes out it will speak for itself.” He re- artistes from their make-up rooms and other membered thinking about Barjatya, “this gentle odd jobs, from which he “graduated to giving polite boy was the strongest man mentally on the clap for scenes and writing continuities.” this planet.” Nair remembers Salman as a hard-working In 2014, in an interview on the occasion of young man who enjoyed dressing well—he had a MPK’s 25-year anniversary, Barjatya told Rediff, soft spot for well-cut jeans and stylish boots. By “I remember him sitting in our office’s reception this time, he was already a regular at the gym. area. He was thin. I thought he was quite ordi- He also recounted that Salman would often bring nary. Then he showed me his photographs. They Bijlani, then his girlfriend, to the shoot, “asking were superb. The way he sat down and posed was me to give her a chance and make her a heroine. magical. His auditions and dancing were quite bad He had that thing to help and promote people but his photographs were beautiful.” even back then.” The young man made a good im- But it was not just his talent that impressed pression on the sets. “When I was shooting with Barjatya. “He would send his friends for the audi- Sunny and Sanjay, the crew and the crowds used tions, saying, ‘If I am not good, take him,’” he said. to always give Salman a second look because they “Because of his goodness, we took a chance and would mistake him for Sanjay Dutt,” Nair said. He cast him.” recounted that when he told Salman’s father this, Salman recalled that he was offered R31,000 for the writer said, “Don’t tell him that and distract MPK, a fee that was increased to R75,000 midway him. Let him concentrate on his work.” through the shoot. Nair remembered that Salman had a rocky As we reminisced at YRF Studios about his de- start in the industry, and that he did not get along but, a representative of Colors came over to inform

30 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage

a trend with a cover story headlined “Young Love Blooms” in May 1990, pegged on MPK’s block- buster run. Two years later, in 1992, a young Shah Rukh transitioned from television to films and stole the hearts of audiences from right under the nose of Rishi Kapoor, the joint male lead in Raj Kanwar’s Deewana, in which the late Divya Bharti played a woman who falls in love again after she thinks she has been widowed. The era of the Khans had arrived in Bollywood. But while Shah Rukh’s career was steady from the start, and Aamir found clarity and stability by the mid 1990s, Salman had a much more uneven jour- ney until the late 2000s.

Salman that the crew had finished setting up to shoot the next Bigg Boss promo. Salman switched off from our conversation in an instant. He got up from his chair and headed to the set wordlessly, no longer immersed in the 1980s and savouring the memories of early success, but back in the present, a megastar with multiple demands on his time, in- cluding, just that week, a journalist with a barrage of questions, a producer who had invested crores on a television show, a Jodhpur court hearing on the poaching case he had to attend a few days later, and meetings to conclude before commenc- ing a 50-day shoot with Katrina Kaif in Abu Dhabi for Tiger Zinda Hai.

Immediately after MPK, however, Salman’s su- perstardom seemed a foregone conclusion, with the media coining the term “Salmania” for his fans’ love for him. In May 1990, Mumbai’s most prestigious film magazine, Filmfare, put him on the cover with a story headlined “Salman Khan: The New Craze.” In November 1991, he was again Filmfare’s solo cover boy. A photograph of Salman was also the dominant one on a 1991 cover about the year’s achievers. But despite this slew of coverage, it was per- haps a sign that Salman would never be a critics’ favourite that at the recognising

the 1970s and 1980s were a time of angst in Hindi cinema, dominated by heroes of Amitabh Bach- chan’s Angry Young Man archetype. Other actors followed in this mould, including Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol and Anil Kapoor. Then, in 1988, the director Nasir Hussain produced Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, the directorial debut of his son Mansoor Khan. This adaptation of Wil- liam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet starred his nephew Aamir and the former Miss India Juhi Chawla as the star-crossed lovers at the centre of the story. MPK was released the following year, another intimate story of young love beating heavy

stills courtesy kailash surendranath stills courtesy kailash familial odds. India Today heralded the arrival of

NOVEMBER 2017 31 being salman · reportage below: After a achievements in Hindi films of 1989, while his off with his family and he did not turn up for the forgettable debut MPK co-star, Bhagyashree, was awarded Most awards the next year,” Ahmed said. He heard that in Biwi Ho To Aisa, Outstanding New Face and Barjatya the Most “they were upset because they felt I had delib- Salman was cast Sensational Debut of the Year, Salman’s arrival erately avoided giving the award to Salman. So I as the lead in went unrecognised. It marked the emergence of a said, it is not charity that I would give it to him. Sooraj Barjatya’s 1989 directorial narrative of Salman’s apparent victimhood at the The performance did not merit the award.” The debut, Maine Pyar hands of the media. Social-media chatter by the rift with the press would deepen further in years Kiya. The media star’s fans even today is testament to the fact that to come. wrote about him they have never forgiven the magazine for not giv- Although Salman debuted as a hero with an in glowing terms, ing their hero an acting debut trophy that year. all-out love story, it was Shah Rukh who quickly using the word Rauf Ahmed, who was then the magazine’s edi- earned the tag of King of Romance, while Salman’s “Salmania” to describe his fans’ tor, clarified that in fact Filmfare had no such act- filmography in his first decade was equal parts adulation. ing debut trophy at the time. “The Most Sensation- action, comedy and romance. In his first hit after al Debut of the Year was not meant to be only for MPK, Deepak Shivdasani’s Baaghi: A Rebel for acting,” he told me. The winner for that particular Love (1990)—in which he was credited for the indian express archive

award was picked after deliberations between the story idea—he was a college student braving mur- editor and his team. “We gave it to Aamir Khan derous pimps to save the woman he loves (played for 1988’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak because we by Nagma) from a life of prostitution. In Raj thought his was a good performance,” he added. Kanwar’s Jeet (1996) Salman was the honest son “For 1989, we gave it to Sooraj Barjatya for direct- of a dishonest industrialist, who marries the ex- ing Maine Pyar Kiya because he had made a sen- girlfriend (Karisma Kapoor) of a hitman (Sunny sational beginning with that film. We didn’t think Deol) who is assigned to murder Salman’s charac- Salman’s was a great performance, but they had ter. And in Rakesh Roshan’s reincarnation drama all assumed it would go to Salman because I had Karan Arjun (1995), the only time he teamed up earlier given it to Aamir.” According to Ahmed, it with Shah Rukh as a joint lead, he battled the was only from the following year that awards were crooks who killed him and his brother in a previ- given specifically for a debutant male and female ous birth. These films emphatically cashed in on actor. Shah Rukh bagged the prize for 1992. his fighting skills. Salman appeared deeply affected by the snub. In Judwaa (1997)—the start of an extremely “He stopped talking to me, there was a cooling fruitful and enduring partnership in the comedy

32 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage

Recounting his time as toshi’s Andaz Apna Apna (1994), an ensemble film below: Though co-starring Salman—though the former was only Salman found box- Salman’s co-star, Aamir Khan an average grosser and the latter a box-office dud, office success with both have since gained dedicated fans. In the mid love stories such as said, “In Andaz Apna Apna, Hum Aapke Hain 1990s, he transitioned into the selective artist his I had a very bad experience Koun!, of the three audience now knows him to be. The effect has Khans it was Shah working with him. I didn’t like been clear on the quality of his filmography and Rukh who acquired his enviable strike rate at the box office ever since. a reputation as him and I found him rude and Salman, meanwhile, seemed to be winging it, the leading actor inconsiderate.” saying yes to a slew of films such as Suryavanshi of romances in the (1992) and Majhdhaar (1996), which were critical 1990s. and commercial disasters. Shilpa Shetty Kundra genre with the director David Dhawan—he played conceded that he was not judicious in his choices identical twins separated at birth who land up in in those days. “Salman is a very emotional guy,” the same city, causing confusion all around. And she said over the phone from London in July. “He in Biwi No. 1, also directed by Dhawan, he was an used to work from his heart more than his mind. unfaithful husband whose determination to hide He did a spate of bad films with people to whom his infidelity from his wife (Karisma Kapoor) led he thought he owed something because of friend- him into a web of lies. ships. You can’t do that in this cut-throat industry.” There were romances too, including Saajan Many of Salman’s colleagues have recounted (1991), where he shared space with fellow super- that despite this large-heartedness, the experi- stars and Sanjay Dutt. Then came ence of working with him during those years was Hum Aapke Hain Koun! (1994) in which, much to a trying one. In a December 2013 episode of the the chagrin of his fandom, Dixit walked away with popular talk show Koffee With Karan, the usually most of the accolades; and ’s reticent Aamir Khan went so far as to tell the host, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), in which he won the producer and director Karan Johar: “In Andaz acclaim for his searing chemistry with his co-star, Apna Apna, I had a very bad experience working Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai. with him. I didn’t like him and I found him rude The stark contrasts between the parallel jour- and inconsiderate.” After this, he maintained a neys of the three Khans were evident from the cordial but distant relationship with Salman, he start. For every hit Salman delivered, he would added. “Over the years, I used to meet him and I also churn out several flops, whereas Aamir and was polite with him. I said ke after the experience Shah Rukh were more consistent at the box office. of working on Andaz Apna Apna with him I felt, ‘I Shah Rukh appeared to settle into a rhythm early just want to stay away ya, from this guy.’” on, at first risking anti-hero roles in films such as Anil Kapoor too remembers considering Salman Baazigar and Darr, both released in 1993, which an “attractive kid” who was “a little arrogant” paid generous dividends at the box office and with when they met on the sets of Kapoor’s then secre- critics. He became the go-to hero for prestigious tary Rikku Rakeshnath’s 1993 production Dil Tera studios such as YRF and Dharma Productions that were known for their glitzy projects, and with whom he delivered hits such as Darr (1993), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), the last of which featured a guest appearance by Salman. When Kundan Shah, the man behind the cult com- edy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), returned to film direction after a decade with Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993), it was Shah Rukh he sought out. When the Tamil auteur made his first Hindi film, Dil Se (1998), he cast Shah Rukh as his leading man. Aamir took a little longer to find his feet post- Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, signing up for a spate of films that were of indifferent quality but that are now crowded out of memory by his blockbust- ers of the time: Dil (1990) and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991). He also starred in Mansoor Khan’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) and Rajkumar San-

NOVEMBER 2017 33 being salman · reportage

Aashiq, which starred Salman and Madhuri Dixit. “He was a young, upcoming actor and I was doing a guest appearance as Anil Kapoor the star,” he said. “He was sort of a mastikhor and I felt he was overstepping the bounds with me.” Both men now swear by what they consider Salman’s innate goodness. On the same episode of Koffee With Karan, Aamir spoke of how his equation with Salman changed after his divorce from his first wife, Reena Dutta Khan, in 2002. “For about a year and a half I was just locked up in my house,” he said. “I was on a downslide. That’s when I bumped into Salman again and he said, ‘I’m gonna come over.’ So he came over and sat with me and we began drinking. I was drinking a lot at that time. Something connected there. Then it grew. We began spending more time together.” He felt that Salman had grown to be “a little more mature than he used to be in Andaz Apna Apna. He wasn’t that kind of brat that he was at that point.” Aamir went on to describe Salman as “gen- erous” and “a wonderful guy.” Kapoor, too, said he later came to believe that

Salman had a generous spirit. He illustrated this dinodia photo through a frank account of the making of his fam- ily production No Entry (2005). “Our company was “I used to say—we had that kind of relationship— going through a rough patch,” he said. “Boney”— ‘Bhenchod, you haven’t slept all night, you are look- his elder brother and the film’s producer—“was ing like a wreck.’ He would tell me, ‘Fuck off, just trying to make No Entry. He needed someone look at the shot.’” Salman, he added, “used to wear besides me to sell the film, a happening star like his glares, give his shot, and sure enough, when I Salman who suited the role.” But when Boney checked the monitor I would say, ‘This guy is fuck- finally managed to get in touch with Salman, the ing blessed, ya. He’s not slept the whole night, but star “asked for a ridiculous amount. He was try- he walks into the frame and translates into magic ing to avoid it. Since I knew him, I called him, and on stage.’” His friendship with the actor continued he promptly landed up at my house.” Kapoor told after the film, Kapoor said. “It helped that No En- Salman about the two roles that he could con- try became a big hit. Success is very important for sider: one, the lead, which would need 50 days of every relationship.” work, and another, a guest role which would need Shilpa Shetty Kundra told me of how Salman between eight and ten days of work. “He imme- accepted a supporting role in Revathy’s Phir Mi- diately agreed to do the role requiring minimum lenge—the story of a woman, played by Kundra, work,” Kapoor said. “Before I could tell him that if who gets HIV from her boyfriend—over an infor- he did not do the film it would not happen, I think mal chat while they were shooting for Puneet Is- he sensed it. He was sensitive enough to not make sar’s Garv: Pride and Honour (2004) in Rajasthan. me plead. If he had not said yes, No Entry would He was a big star at the time, while her career had have never happened.” hit a trough. “No one was interested in Phir Mi- That did not, however, mean that working with lenge because it was woman-centric and was not Salman was easy. “During the making of the film I an entertaining film,” she recalled. “I generally came to know him more, his attitude, his habits,” told him about it and he said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I said, ‘Are Kapoor said. “He was still not the quintessential you serious?’ and he replied, ‘Ya. It’s such a nice professional.” In the mornings, he continued, “I subject. Why wouldn’t I do it?’ It was as casual would go into his room and not really wake him and bizarre as that. None of us actors asked for up, but sit there so that he gets up, because I had a anything for that film.” The producer, Shailendra responsibility to the film as the producer. Money Singh, had said that if it did well, “he will give us was lot less, it was a sensitive kind of situation.” what comes out of it. Even Salman barely took Salman would wake up, “order breakfast, have anything for the film. We all did it in good faith. coffee in bed, and I would hang around prodding Salman has gone way beyond his responsibilities him, hoping to start the shoot as soon as possible.” as a human being with his charitable brand, and I When Salman finally arrived on set, Kapoor said, think he had already sowed the seeds from there.”

34 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage from around 2007 onwards, Salman seemed hui hai, baaki ke stars ki bhi itni badi flop hoey” (I this spread: While to take charge of his life. His NGO, Being Hu- hope every star manages to deliver a flop as big as Shah Rukh’s career man, was registered that year. Kabir Khan, the this one). As the film’s producer, Salman refunded settled into a director of , Bajrangi Bhaijaan and money to those who incurred losses, according to rhythm early on, Aamir found an Tubelight, believes that the charitable organisa- trade reports. artistic clarity in tion “formalised and institutionalised” the part There were other unexpected challenges to the mid 1990s that in Salman that “always enjoyed supporting the his increased prominence too. Salman encoun- marked him out. underdog, backing someone the rest of the world tered one in mid January 2014, when he visited Salman, by contrast, sees nothing in.” In 2008, Salman made a success- Ahmedabad in the middle of Uttarayan festivities had a relatively ful television debut with the game show Dus Ka to promote his film Jai Ho, which was scheduled uneven career graph Dum, which gave the public a chance to watch him to reach theatres later that month. The plan was for two decades. interact directly with the masses, without media- simple: he was to take part in the celebrations, tion by journalists. Both these developments drew get photographed by the media, and also meet the the attention of an audience beyond his traditional then chief minister, Narendra Modi, to seek an fan base. entertainment-tax waiver for his film in the state. He also began to choose scripts more carefully. By then, Modi had already been declared the Describing this change in his approach, Salman Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime-ministerial candi- said, “There was a time when I was thinking very date, and had mounted a months-long pan-India correctly but it was thinking for friends, wanting marketing blitzkrieg that drowned out every sales to work with them, help them out. But those films pitch from the opposition. Most opinion polls were not appreciated and friends eventually start pegged him as the electorate’s leading choice for taking you for granted.” His revised attitude, he prime minister. explained, was, “If you do a film with a friend, it One stain on his image, however, persisted: the has to be the most outstanding script. It cannot be 2002 targeted violence in , in which, ac- just, haan karenge, bana lenge (yes, let’s do it, we’ll cording to government figures, more than 1,000 make it). That time has gone.” people, most of them Muslims, were killed. Critics On 16 July 2008, Salman had a huge showdown accused Modi, who had been chief minister then, with Shah Rukh during Katrina Kaif’s birthday of everything from inaction during the violence party at Mumbai’s Olive restaurant—friends say to complicity in it. As he prepared for the general that fight gave him a new-found determination election, an appearance with, and perhaps even to take his career to greater heights. After years an endorsement from, one of India’s most popular of hostility with the media, he began interacting Muslim personalities, could prove powerful in more freely with journalists and promoting his work actively, where once PR personnel would struggle to get him to give interviews. This drive and strategy was quickly visible in his output. Wanted, in 2009, the first release in this new phase of Salman’s career, was an above- average grosser that attracted more critical and public acclaim for Salman’s performance than most of his earlier films. Dabangg was the highest grossing film of 2010. Since then, Salman has had a number of hits that have placed him in a dominant position on the box-office charts. The four films of his that appear in Film Information’s domes- tic Hindi top ten by net collections are Bajrangi Bhaijaan (R318 crore) at fourth place, Sultan (R300 crore) at fifth, Kick at seventh (R226 crore) and Ek Tha Tiger at tenth (R198 crore). He earns an aver- age of between R2.5 crore and R3.5 crore per day of work as a brand ambassador. Success brings with it its own peculiar prob- lems. In Salman’s case, it has meant his films are now being sold at such a high price to distribu- tors that this year’s Tubelight, despite netting between R125 crore and R130 crore, is not being deemed a hit. “They are calling it a flop,” Salman

said sardonically. “I toh hope ki jitni badi flop yeh dinodia photos / getty images

NOVEMBER 2017 35 being salman · reportage right: At a 2014 appearance with Narendra Modi, Salman gave evasive answers when asked whether he endorsed the politician for prime ministership. Despite this, according to trade analysts, the performance of his next film suffered as a result of the impression created among his Muslim fans that he had supported Modi. ajit solanki / ap

helping him dispel his anti-Muslim image. The the day, when Modi and Salman, both wearing symbolism of such an appearance was only en- sleek sunglasses, flew kites together on the ter- hanced by the fact that Salman’s visit coincided race of a residential complex, as an adoring crowd with Eid-e-Milad—the birthday of Prophet Mu- cheered them on. hammad, and thus one of the most important days Salman had had some political associations in of the year in Islam. the past. In 2009, to the amusement of poll-watch- A connection had already been made some years ers, he campaigned for the Nationalist Congress earlier between the politician and the star’s fam- Party’s Sameer Bhujbal in Nashik, for the Con- ily, by Zafar Sareshwala, a businessman with roots gress’s Satyajit Gaekwad in and Annu in Gujarat who had spoken out against Modi after Tandon in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, and the actor- the riots, but metamorphosed into a supporter turned-politician Vinod Khanna from the BJP after a meeting with the politician in London in in Gurdaspur, Punjab. In each instance, he said 2003. Sareshwala, who returned from the United clearly that he was backing a friend, rather than Kingdom to Ahmedabad in 2005, told me on the an organisation. In Ahmedabad, the media was phone in September that, in 2009, he introduced keen to see if Salman would pronounce support for Modi to Salman’s father. Salim and Modi had been Modi or the BJP. Any such move was sure to make in regular contact ever since, Sareshwala added. headlines across the country. Salman told me that his father had urged him to After the kite-flying, both Salman and Modi meet Modi during his visit to Ahmedabad in Janu- stepped up to a makeshift podium and faced a bat- ary 2014. tery of cameras and microphones. Over the hub- Modi and Salman had lunch together at a gov- bub came the expected question: “Salman-ji, will ernment guest house in the locality of Shahibaug you support Modi for PM?” in the city. Media access to the meeting was re- If Modi expected an unequivocal statement of stricted, and the only available footage from it support, he was likely disappointed. First, Salman shows them seated on sofas, posing stiffly. laughed awkwardly. “I think the best man for Another set of images, however, dominated tele- the country, for all of us, god should decide that vision channels and newspapers, and succeeded who is the best man for Bharat,” he said. “And the in projecting a sense of camaraderie between the best man for our country should be the PM of this politician and the actor. These were from later in country.”

36 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage

“Is Modi-saab the best man son told me that Salman had told them that he had expected to have lunch with Modi, without the for you here?” Salman asked. media present, then “go on his own for the kite- “In my constituency, Bandra, flying, which is a big public spectacle in Gujarat.” Modi’s appearance there “was a surprise thing, where it is my duty to cast my which the Modi PR machinery had planned but vote it’s Baba and had not told Salman.” (Salman is the only one of the three Khans who has not clashed with right- Priya Dutt”—both Congress wing Hindu groups. Aamir and Shah Rukh had politicians. already crossed swords with the BJP and its allies by 2014. In 2006, Aamir had antagonised Modi supporters by backing the Narmada Bachao An- The mediapersons pressed further. “Narendra dolan. Shah Rukh, in 2010, had rejected the Shiv Modi ko maante hai best man?” Did he consider Sena’s demand for an apology after remarking that Modi the “best man”? Pakistani cricketers should have been included in Salman was not to be pinned down. “Look, a the Indian Premier League.) good man stands before me here,” he said. “I came This, the friend continued, explained “why, here nine years back and then about four years when Salman is talking to the press there, you back. I have seen a lot of development here. You can see he doesn’t know what to say. If it was a tell me, because I am not from Gujarat, so whether planned PR meeting, he would have had a re- I do or don’t makes no difference. What you be- hearsed speech ready. Here, he was stuck.” They lieve matters.” Modi stood next to him with a added, “Salman was very upset because he fully waxy smile on his face. understood the positive fallout of such an event A few questions later, another voice asked if he for Modi. He told me that the moment Modi came would campaign for Modi. “Look, as far as vot- there, he thought to himself, ‘Oh shit, I know ing is concerned, it depends on the constituency,” exactly what’s happening here.’ He was never Salman said. “You should vote for the best man supposed to be with Modi at such a huge public in your constituency. Who is the best man for you gathering.” When I spoke to Grishma Trivedi, a here?” member of the BJP and an event-management Cries of “Modi, Modi” emanated from the professional who helped organise Salman’s crowd. “Is Modi-saab the best man for you here?” Ahmedabad appearance, and who also founded a Salman asked. What the star said next could not Narendra Modi fan club in the city that year with have pleased the BJP leader. “In my constituency, her husband, she denied that the joint appearance Bandra, where it is my duty to cast my vote,” he had been a surprise for the actor. said, “it’s Baba Siddique and Priya Dutt”—both I pointed out to Salman’s friend that when I Congress politicians, and, at that point, members watched the event live on television, I assumed of the Maharashtra assembly and the Lok Sabha, that both Salman’s and Modi’s publicists had respectively. “So you have to give Modi-saab the agreed this was an excellent, mutually beneficial vote, I have to give my people the vote,” Salman idea for their clients: Modi would gain from his added. Modi’s discomfort at the comments was association with a high-profile Muslim, and with apparent when, after a few questions, he grunted a the politician commanding airtime like no other quick “Chalein?”—shall we go? individual in the country, Salman’s film, too, might But Salman dived into another question. After benefit from the windfall of attention. Salman’s some more semantic gymnastics, he declared, “I friend disagreed. “Salman’s PR agency would not like Modi-saab very much. I’ve met him for the advise him to do such an event because, if any- first time today. I hope we continue to meet, and thing, it could boomerang,” they said. “For what- we get along.” There was still no clear endorse- ever reasons, Salman has a cult following among ment for the chief minister. Modi had by this time Muslim blue-collar workers. He’s their god. Sup- already turned away from the microphones. Per- porting Modi would not go down well with them. haps deciding that he had had enough, he began to So no, Salman’s people had definitely not planned walk off, bringing the press conference to a close. it that way.” From a member of the film industry who is close I asked Salman about his Ahmedabad appear- to Salman, I heard one explanation of how the ance with Modi and the possibility that it might star found himself in such a tricky situation. “That have benefited the politician. “I was going to all kite-flying meeting was totally engineered and state chief ministers to get Jai Ho tax-free,” he hijacked by Modi,” they said. “He was never sup- said. “If I’m visiting a state, and the chief minister posed to come together on that platform and get wants to meet me, I’ll meet him. I don’t think a projected like Salman is backing Modi.” This per- photo with me made a difference. That means all

NOVEMBER 2017 37 being salman · reportage the places I ever go to, they’ll all be- “It helped that the film was a hit,” Anil Kapoor come this powerful.” I suggested that a politician who had said about working with Salman in No Entry. an image of being anti-Muslim would “Success is very important for every relationship.” gain from being seen with him. “If he’s taking a picture with me, how is he anti-Muslim?” Salman asked. He then He threw himself down on his chair and travels to shoot, the organisation “usu- made a puzzling argument: “When the we began talking about Tubelight, while ally runs a full-fledged medical camp riots happened here in Maharashtra, a member of his staff brought vessels of for the underprivileged in the area, did anyone know that chief minister of food over to the table. “Come, let’s eat,” mostly focussed on ophthalmology, Maharashtra?” Arguing that investigat- he said. “You must be hungry. Try, it’s with a group of volunteer doctors.” If ing agencies had not indicted Modi, he from home.” I asked if I should continue follow-up surgeries were required, he added, “Who am I to say anything?” talking. “No, no, I wanna take a break,” said, “we get them done, too, at a local But Salman’s fans may not have per- he replied. He paused. “Eat,” he said hospital.” ceived the meeting as an innocuous then. “You take a break.” I realised it The actor told me of one. Komal Nahta, the editor of the would be foolish to pass up a chance Salman’s patience when they worked Mumbai-based trade magazine Film to taste Salma Khan’s famed cooking, together on her debut, Saawariya, in Information, believes—as do several in- which Salman’s friends and others in which he had a cameo. Even as she dustry members and watchers—that Jai the industry always raved about. struggled with her lines, “screwed Ho suffered at the turnstiles because Today, Salma had sent a chicken up his takes, not once did he lose his Salman alienated the Muslim commu- preparation, fried fish, spinach and rice, patience with me,” she said. Ali Abbas nity by engaging with Modi. “The team among other dishes. I expected Salman Zafar, Salman’s director on Sultan and of Jai Ho won’t admit it, but the film to pile up his plate and disappear into next month’s Tiger Zinda Hai, spoke of flopped because Salman’s traditional his trailer, as most stars would. Instead Salman’s endearing habit of learning Muslim fan following, who form a he sat with us—a journalist and a few of the names of everyone on a film set on sizeable chunk of his committed audi- his colleagues—and began to wolf down the first day, “whether it is a light boy ence, did not go to watch it,” Nahta told his food. As I served myself, a member or make-up artist or a junior artist’s me over the phone. “They were upset of his team said, “Now you can truly say make-up artist.” , his co- with him for that meeting with Modi. you have interviewed Salman Khan.” star along with Sonam on 2015’s Prem Exhibitors across India told me, ‘Mus- This was the softer side of the star, Ratan Dhan Payo, was struck by his salman nahin aaye film dekhne ke liye’ the part of his persona that the indus- magnanimity while they were shooting (Muslims didn’t come to see the film).” try and outside world had seen more and “a studio head from Fox came over Nahta conceded that the film’s of since the late 2000s, even as he also to meet Salman.” Her superstar col- content itself did not generate much showed a greater devotion to his work. league told the person he did not have favourable buzz either, but argued Anil Kapoor had told me that Salman the time to talk, but insisted that he that “Jai Ho was a slow starter even was “more committed now because he meet Bhaskar and “listen to the details before word-of-mouth took effect. It is enjoying his work, the success, the of her project Anaarkali Arrahwaali”—a did not even get a good opening, which stardom, the money.” Earlier, he sug- small-budget film in which Bhaskar is unusual for a Salman film, and that’s gested, “somewhere he felt he was not was playing the lead. (The film was re- because the community did not turn getting what he richly deserves.” leased earlier this year with the name up to see it.” He added, “On the face of Along with this transformation, the Anaarkali of Aarah.) “Salman gave this it, if you go by gross collections alone, number of positive stories emanating person the whole synopsis and recom- the film is on the list of the year’s top about the actor has multiplied. Anita mended it to him,” Bhaskar added. “The 10 earners, but that’s not how you mea- Kaul Basu, the producer of Dus Ka poor guy was forced to listen to the de- sure a genuine hit.” Jai Ho was made Dum, recalled Salman sending off a tails from me because Salman said it. I on a high budget, he explained, and the staffer at 4 am to fetch “R2 to R3 lakh” was really touched.” production and distribution company for a daily wage labourer who came on Positive and negative accounts of Eros had spent “approximately R100 Dus Ka Dum and who said he needed Salman have jostled with each other crore-plus on buying the distribution that money to free the land he had throughout his career; the big differ- rights from the producer”—Salman’s mortgaged to educate his daughters. ence now is that the grimmer stories brother Sohail—“and on promoting the Kajal Malhotra, the mother of Har- about him have faded into the back- film.” But, he said, “they did not recover shaali Malhotra, Salman’s child co-star ground and voices of criticism grown their money. The Khans made a killing in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, spoke of his genu- quieter. But the outbreak of the occa- as producers, but the distributors lost ine affection for children and the long sional controversy—most recently, with money.” stretches of time he spent with her then his “raped woman” comment—serves six-year-old daughter during the shoot. as a reminder even today that the as night fell, Salman returned to his From Dr Sandeep Chopra of Being Salman with a history of violence and tented reception area at YRF Studios. Human, I learnt that when Salman misogyny is still around. In response to

38 THE CARAVAN being salman · reportage his remark, the National Commission for Women, described to the media as “not at all conciliatory.” below: Salman or NCW, sent a notice to the actor, demanding an There was not “even a hint of an apology,” she has faced formal apology. When the then NCW chairperson Lalitha said. “In fact, he tried to find fault with the NCW charges in Kumaramangalam appeared on NDTV, she was for taking up the issue.” two cases: one pertaining to joined by her colleague from the BJP, Shaina NC, The commission summoned Salman to ap- an incident of who, while purportedly there to condemn Salman’s pear before it, but the actor ignored the order. deer poaching in remark, softened the blow with commendations For this, Kumaramangalam was slammed by the 1998,the other such as “all of us who know Salman know that union minister for women and child development, to an incident of he’s a great guy, he respects women.” The star had Maneka Gandhi. “Nothing came of it because we drunken driving in “made a wrong choice of words … but his intent have no power to enforce attendance,” Kumara- September 2002, in was not wrong,” she said, suggesting that “it could mangalam told me. “The minister felt it was a mis- which one person was killed. While be a slip of tongue.” take to send a notice to such a high-profile person he has received Shaina, who is one of the party’s national because if he didn’t appear before us, it would set a acquittals, the spokespersons, had appeared on television ear- bad precedent.” Gandhi, she said, “fired me, saying matters remain lier to speak up for Salman in the hit-and-run I should pick and choose my battles. I was disap- under trial or appeal case. She had claimed to be there in a personal pointed at her response, and said, ‘This is not a at various levels of capacity as his friend, not as a government or battle in which one can pick and choose. I am sup- the judicial system. party representative. When I interviewed Shai- posed to react to everything that is an insult or an na this May, I asked if she was not aware that affront to womanhood.’” irrespective of that caveat, the powerful visual Despite Salman’s indifference to the commis- going out to the judicial officers and other par- sion’s censures, Kumaramangalam said she has ties involved was that the BJP spokesperson was no regrets, because the NCW’s actions generated defending Salman. Her response was the typi- a debate on gender sensitivity. Still, she added, cally mundane argument of a politician. “If the the NCW was not “asking Salman to come and case is sub judice, I don’t think it is for me or you fall at our feet, but an acknowledgement that he or anyone to form a judgment,” she said. “Let the had made a mistake itself would have been a huge honourable courts decide, there is a due process thing from a man with his fan following.” of law. And let that legal process be based on In the audio of the interview that set off the con- evidence rather than sentiment or emotion or troversy, which is available online, one can hear contrarian opinion.” that after Salman says the words “raped woman,” Salman’s lawyers sent a letter to the NCW in there is a pause, then a murmur. Then we hear him response to its notice, which Kumaramangalam say “shouldn’t have”—but since it is an incomplete purushottam diwakar / the india today group / getty images / the india today diwakar purushottam

NOVEMBER 2017 39 being salman · reportage shaun curry / afp getty images above: Salman’s sentence, and there is no accompanying video, it ensuing controversy with a detailed clarification, refusal to clarify is hard to be sure what he meant. Salman’s team- retraction and apology on Twitter. Clearly, in the or withdraw his mates on Sultan insisted that he was withdraw- case of the “raped woman” remark, some calcula- “raped woman” ing his previous comment, and asking the group tion had convinced him that there was no need to remark suggests of journalists present not to publish it. Since this explain himself. that under the exterior of affability was not clear from the tape, all Salman needed to A cynical reading of the situation might sug- and professionalism do was to clarify this on social media and to the gest that after the Ahmedabad appearance with that he has NCW. Instead, his lawyers responded to the com- Modi, he felt he had won greater support among projected since mission by questioning its mandate to issue such a the masses of BJP workers and voters—and the late 2000s, the notice. They accused the NCW of assuming “that that it was this group that attacked him for the same regressive what is stated in the press report is both true, and Memon tweets. Further, the BJP’s victory made prejudices of “toxic masculinity” prevail. a complete reproduction of what our client said.” it risky for any star to take a stance against the In long-winded legalese, the response claimed party or its supporters. Liberals, on the other that if what was published was true, then it was hand, who protested the “raped woman” remark, clear from the recording that Salman had issued are neither a significant fan base for him, nor in an immediate retraction. It asked that action be the current regime a source of political power. taken against an “errant reporter” for publishing Since Salman himself is largely inscrutable when the remark. it comes to such matters, it is left to his viewers “Oh that’s because Salman does not believe in to guess at his motivations. But it does seem that issuing clarifications,” a director who did not wish his character in 2014’s Kick was perhaps being to be named told me. “He feels there’s no point. disingenuous when he addressed the audience Either people get you or they don’t.” directly and insisted he was an uncomplicated But this is patently untrue. In 2015, after tweet- individual. “Mere baare mein itna mat socho,” he ing in support of Yakub Memon, convicted of said. “Main dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein na- involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts hin”—don’t analyse me so much. I win hearts, not and sentenced to death, Salman responded to the the intellect. s

40 THE CARAVAN & Windows PC •A mArketing initiAtive•

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Government of India has announced a massive recapitaliza- of coal allocations, lack of co-ordination between coal tion plan of Rs. 2.11 lakh crores, spread over the next 2 years. production and thermal capacity addition, Greek crisis, etc. A sum of Rs. 1.35 lakh crores will be raised through recapi- provided the backdrop for final stage of the credit cycle talization bonds and the remainder will be done through (heightened risk aversion) budgetary support & market issuances by banks themselves.  Final denouement of this phase was the Asset Quality This move will be positive for all corporate funding banks and Review (AQR) initiated by RBI in December 2015. This led to go a long way to resolve the stressed assets problem in the a sharp increase in the reported NPLs of banks and also led economy. to the process of deleveraging being actively pursued by This is in line with the framework that we have been high- the stressed corporates. lighting since the past few years on the investment opportu-  We could well be in early stages of a new cycle when the nity in the financial sector. It goes as follows: excesses of the previous cycle are corrected. Investing in Banking sector and our views on investment opportunity in the banks/NBFCs with a higher exposure to the stressed this sector is along the framework of Hyman Minsky (a famous corporate and infrastructure sectors are likely to see their economist) to understand credit cycles earnings return to normalized levels in the next 1-2 years as  According to this hypothesis, instability is inherent in their provision levels moderate and their operational per- the financial sector. A boom phase characterized by high formance (chastened by their bad loan experience) improves. growth and stability is followed by one of instability and  Post the move of recognizing and providing for the stressed crisis. assets. This step by the government of India will lead to  In the boom phase, the cash flows of borrowers are strong substantially bolstering the capital position of the public and assessment by the lenders of their credit worthiness sector banks as these were the entities with higher propor- is proven right. This success encourages both the borrower tion of stressed assets. and lender to grow more confident in their capabilities and  Recent illustration of buying into distressed outlook increase the leverage. This is followed by a phase when the scenario and benefiting from it has been the retail lend- borrower increases his leverage to meet his cash flow com- ing NBFCs and banks space. Companies which were badly mitments by borrowing more rather than from his own cash impacted during the 2008-09 period, when the retail NPLs flows. This phase ends when the realization dawns that the spiked due to job losses and an uncertain economic envi- leverage levels have gone too far and leads to a sharp fall ronment bounced back smartly and investors made healthy in lending. returns as their operations improved and earnings normal-  Subsequently, a new phase dawns when the excesses of the ized. past cycle are corrected.  This is likely to be case for the stressed corporate sector  Strong growth between FY2004-08 and the sharp rebound banks in the next few years. Our portfolio construction fol- in FY2010,FY2011 post the financial crisis of 2008, led to lows from this strategic outlook. We reiterate our positive higher credit growth in the infrastructure sector (as expec- stance on this sector. tations were met or exceeded) mr. ramnath venkateswaran  Shocks to the system in the form of heightened scrutiny Fund Manager (Equity) reportage

How ’s only female superstar got back to work

LEENA GITA REGHUNATH THE SECOND COMING

48 THE CARAVAN reportage

on the evening of 19 February 2017, some of the powerful players in the industry, the self-styled biggest celebrities in Malayalam cinema gathered “janapriya nayakan,” or popular hero, — at the Durbar Hall grounds in Kochi. The prop- Warrier’s ex-husband. Dileep remained in custody erty is commonly used to host cultural events, for 85 days, during which time he was denied bail including film promotions and award nights, but four times; he was finally granted it on 3 October. on this day, the meeting was about something far The High court, on 24 July, explained the grimmer. It had been called to protest an incident grounds for denying him bail: “The case is unique, that had shocked the Kerala film fraternity, and considering its seriousness, meticulous planning, revealed some of its deepest fault lines. Among cruel nature of execution and being a crime ex- those present were high-profile directors such as ecuted to wreak vengeance on a woman by engag- Kamal and Lal, and the actors , Dileep ing criminals, to sexually abuse her. Courts have and . to be circumspect in granting bail in such cases.” “It is with a lot of sadness and even more anger The remand report—a document that provides that we have come together here,” Warrier began, reasons to keep the accused in custody—filed by when it was her turn to speak. Visibly shaken, she the police on 11 July before the magistrate court in continued, “I don’t think it’s possible to express Angamaly, stated that Dileep had personal enmity through words what I feel at the moment.” Two with the complainant for stoking marital dis- days earlier, her friend, a prominent woman actor, cord between him and Warrier. According to the had been waylaid and abducted on the national report, Dileep plotted the crime as far back as in highway from to Kochi. Seven men 2013, along with the prime accused, Sunil Kumar, sexually assaulted her for nearly two hours in a better known as Pulsar Suni—a moniker earned moving vehicle. The assault, which included oral because of his penchant for stealing Pulsar mo- rape, according to details reproduced later in a torcycles and making high-end modifications to bail petition for one of the accused, was report- them. Dileep consistently denied any association edly recorded on video. In it, the men can al- with Pulsar Suni, despite photographic evidence legedly be heard asking the abducted woman to of the two together. Dileep’s lawyers claimed that cooperate so that she is clearly identifiable in the the whole case around the assault was being built video. Presumably, it was meant to later be used without any evidence, and that their client had for blackmail and intimidation. However, after become a victim of a media trial. The bail petition the horrifying ordeal was over, the assault victim argued that the allegations were “nothing but sur- lodged a case at the Nedumbassery police station mises and conjectures of the most debased kind.” in , got herself physically examined at a The police, till date, have not found two crucial government medical college and appeared before pieces of evidence—the mobile phone that was a judicial magistrate and recorded her statement used to record the assault and a memory card—but in private. claim to have 19 pieces of evidence against Dileep. “There is a criminal conspiracy behind this,” Warrier published a handwritten post on Warrier continued. “Whoever is behind this Facebook on 29 July 2014 trying to stem the criminal conspiracy should be brought to light, harassment that she said a number of her friends and we all need to show our support.” Her short in the industry were receiving for being “home- speech made a significant impact—the media wreckers.” Referring to rumours that some of quickly picked up her assertion that this was not a her friends “were the reason behind some of my spontaneous attack, but a carefully planned crime. personal decisions”— presumably referring to her Investigators, too, probed the crime as one of decision to divorce Dileep—she said, “It is hurting conspiracy. them, and me. My decisions are mine and I am the In the following months, there was a widespread reason for its after effects too. None of them have outcry from the public, demanding justice for the forced or motivated me to take those decisions.” victim. The crime created numerous rifts within The gossip that swirled around her friends, she various coteries in the film fraternity and attracted added, was “adversely affecting their personal sustained media attention that ensured that the life and artistic work. I am hoping that with this conspiracy angle was not forgotten. The leading note I can put an end to all such gossip. I ask them Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhoomi quoted the for forgiveness for all the pain that I have caused celebrated lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Nam- them due to this.” boodiri as saying, “We have amongst us those who That she was taking pains to shield her friends are linked to goonda gangs. Our cinema has people was unsurprising given Dileep’s reputation as a who, like crocodiles, are capable of hurting others. man willing to go to great lengths to exact ven- They have played a role in this too.” geance. Among those who have described Dileep Four months later, in a sensational develop- this way is the prominent director , who,

courtesy manju warrier archive warrier courtesy manju ment, the police in Kochi arrested one of the most after a falling out with Dileep in 2008, found

NOVEMBER 2017 49 the second coming · reportage

people to watch both the films. “A single person is not a movie, it is the effort of many,” she said. “It is also the hard work of spotboys, cooks, and those whose names do not even make it to the credits.”

there is a direct correlation between the crests and troughs in Manju War- rier’s acting career and in her relation- ship with Dileep. Warrier burst onto the scene in 1995—young, vibrant and full of energy. She acted in 20 movies between then and 1999, in what is now popularly called her “first innings.” Her screen presence and acting prow- ess immediately distinguished her as an undeniable talent. In comparison, Dileep’s acting was widely consid- ered mediocre, his craft more honed

pti towards mimicry and popular enter- Dileep’s arrest got prime-time coverage as the media and huge crowds gathered to witness tainment than serious drama. Warrier the police taking him around Kochi and Thrissur to collect evidence. married Dileep in 1998, at the peak of her career, having already won a Kerala himself ostracised in the industry. Vi- Following his arrest, there were State Film award and Filmfare awards. nayan said in a newspaper interview, “I moves to expel him from these organ- She then followed an unwritten rule have always said that when it comes to isations, most notably from AMMA— in the Malayalam film world—once vengeance, Dileep is at a different level. ultimately the only body that followed women actors get married, they must His resolve to get back at people who through on these intentions. However, drop out of the public gaze. Soon after have antagonised him is incomparable. there was also a steady stream of com- he and Warrier got married, Dileep Show me one person in the industry ments from high-profile actors and oth- famously told a magazine that he did who has survived after falling out with ers painting Dileep as the real “victim.” not want his wife “hugging and acting” him. Wrecking careers is like having a His supporters started a campaign with others. Warrier gave up acting, cup of tea for him.” The late , called “avanodoppam,” meaning “with much to the dismay of several direc- a critically acclaimed actor and winner him,” on social media, to counter the tors who had signed her on for projects. of 11 state and national awards, would campaign to ensure justice for the sur- She became a stay-at-home wife and also find himself similarly shunned vivor, which was called “avalkkoppam,” mother, and avoided the limelight for by the industry for acting in a film or “with her.” The backlash against the next 15 years. directed by Vinayan in 2009. He said those who supported the victim, and Though Warrier repeatedly main- on television in 2011, “Those sitting at the way it polarised the film commu- tained that it was her own decision the top are a mafia that is engaged in nity, was a reminder of how heavily the to quit movies, everyone I spoke with organised crime.” Malayalam film world was weighed in the industry blamed Dileep for her Dileep had built up his position as a against the interests of women. 15-year exile. Most of them saw her as major power broker over the last two de- After Dileep was released on bail, the someone dethroned from her posi- cades in an ecosystem that relied heavily Film Exhibitors United Organisation tion in the industry as the only female on personal connections and influence. of Kerala, which had been set up under superstar. The director , He became central in creating new net- him, sought to reinstate him as its head, with whom Warrier was working on works of production, distribution and though he refused to take the position. two projects, had been on a shoot in fan associations, carving out his place The demand for bringing him back into a foreign location when the marriage alongside the industry heavyweights AMMA also grew louder. His latest took place. When he returned, he Mammootty and Mohanlal, who were film, , was running to packed was informed that Warrier would no themselves part of many of these circles theatres. Its main competition was longer be acting. “I had expected her to of influence. He joined many trade as- Warrier’s Udhaharanam Sujatha. Both continue with acting since Dileep was sociations, including the Association of films were released on the same day. also from the film industry,” Malayil Malayalam Movie Artistes, or AMMA, Supporters of the victim launched an said. “I didn’t see an issue with it.” The and other bodies such as the Kerala online campaign demanding a boycott director Kamal, also the chairman of Film Producer’s Association and Kerala of Dileep’s movies. This prompted the Kerala State Film Academy, told me, Film Exhibitors’ Federation. Warrier to issue a statement asking “It was with a lot of disappointment

50 THE CARAVAN the second coming · reportage

left: Dileep has been paired with Warrier three times—in Sallapam (1996), Ee Puzhayum Kadannu (1996), and Kudamattom (1997). They both also appear in Thooval Kottaram (1996), but not as romantic leads.

memberships in different associations for actors, directors, producers and film distributors. He understood the inner workings of the industry well and since he had influence and, according to mul- tiple accounts, went to great lengths to get his vengeance, few inside the indus- try could afford to cross him. “Everyone knows who tried to resist it,” Malayil said about Warrier’s come- back. “But how far can you stop her?”

the kerala film industry is one of the most prolific in India. Though Ma- Though Warrier repeatedly maintained that it was layalam speakers constitute about 3 percent of the population, the Malay- her own decision to quit movies, everyone I spoke alam film industry produces close to 10 with in the industry blamed Dileep for her 15-year percent of the total number of movies exile. Most of them saw her as someone dethroned made in the country. Out of the 64 national awards in the category of Best from her position in the industry as the only female Film till date, 11 have been claimed by superstar. Malayalam films. The National Film award for Best Actor has been won 13 times by Malayali actors. Many talent- and sadness that we received the news ity that once a woman is married she ed actors from other film industries in of her marriage. I even told Dileep that is off limits. Otherwise they are public India—including , , what you are doing is cruelty.” Kamal property. Once you are married you are Rajit Kapur, Nandita Das and Kamal had given Dileep his first break in Ma- private property.” Haasan—have performed in Malayalam layalam cinema as an assistant director. Divorce between public figures is cinema. Traditionally, the industry has But would directors still have cast usually a nasty affair, with the brunt placed a greater premium on good act- Warrier as a romantic lead if she had often borne by women. When , ing and strong scripts when compared continued to act after marriage? The a prominent leading actor who starred to Bollywood, which has relied more actor Rima Kallingal does not think so. in nearly 500 films through the 1980s on the glamour and star power of its According to her, Warrier would more and 1990s, divorced the actor Manoj actors. Scriptwriters and directors, and likely have been cast in various roles K Jayan, in 2008, what followed was often actors, in Malayali society are not that did not romantically link her to blatant character assassination. For just counted as celebrities, but also as the hero. Describing her own struggle the five years that they fought over the artists and public intellectuals in their to find work after her marriage, to the custody of their daughter, news reports own right. director in 2013, she said constantly reiterated that Urvashi was Many Malayalam films from the she had to work hard to prove that she not fit to be a mother because she was 1950s up to the 1970s were based on re- was “not going anywhere.” It took her an alcoholic. nowned literary works in the language, a couple of years to make the fraternity While Warrier faced her share of giving them strong philosophical roots see this. “So, I lost 2 years and I don’t slander after her decision to separate that continue to influence Malayalam think any male actor would have to do from Dileep, she went on to find new cinema today. The new wave films of that,” she said. life in Malayalam cinema—a rare the 1970s, led by auteur directors such I put the same question to the occurrence for an actor in her mid as , G Aravindan director and national-award winning thirties. It was widely rumoured that and TV Chandran, defined itself in con- cinematographer Venu, who directed when Warrier was struggling to make trast to commercial cinema, choosing Warrier in the 1998 film Daya, where her comeback, Dileep tried everything to focus on serious themes rather than she played a slave girl masquerading as to ensure that no one would sign her only providing entertainment. Eventu- a man to protect herself from thieves. on. He had by this time secured his ally this gave way to “madhyavarthi,” He said there is a “very male mental- position as a Malayali superstar, with or middle cinema, which combined

NOVEMBER 2017 51 the second coming · reportage right: Sallapam (1996), directed by Sundar Das (second from the right) was the first movie in which Dileep (right) and Warrier were cast together. The film ran for 125 days in the theatre, which was a marker of success. opposite page: Warrier (right) with the award-winning make-up artist PN Mani. In Daya (1998), Warrier played a woman who disguises herself as a man. courtesy sundar das courtesy sundar

elements from both art and commercial films. varam. In Thulabharam, she played Vijaya, who is Throughout this history, compelling women char- married to a trade-union leader. As the conditions acters were written, and performed on screen— of their lives get more desperate, Vijaya kills her but too often as extensions of the male psyche. starving children. The story was an unconven- Kerala, with a history of strong movements tional treatment of motherhood and a marked for social reform and socialist ideals, occupies a deviation from the silent, hapless heroines of most unique position within India in terms of human commercial cinema. development indicators. High female literacy The 1980s and 1990s saw a turn towards popular rates, low maternal mortality and a high sex entertainment, with the market beginning to ratio have given rise to the idea that the Malayali dictate the overall value and worth of a star. In an woman is more empowered than her counter- August 2017 article called the “Many misogynies parts in other states. However this has neither of Malayalam Cinema,” the scholar Meena T Pil- been reflected in the female workforce within the lai wrote, “Post 1990s, the rise of the ‘megastar,’ industry, nor in the representations of women in ‘superstar,’ and ‘people’s star’ consolidated the cinema. The industry continues to be deeply patri- significance of glamour and spectacle in cinema.” archal, with its directors, scriptwriters and tech- In this period, actors such as Urvashi, , nicians being overwhelmingly male. The movies and Parvathi became some of the most themselves largely showcase shifting patriarchal commercially viable performers. codes over the decades through representations This was the legacy that Warrier inherited when of self-sacrificing and ultimately dutiful women. she entered the industry in 1995. In the first five Further, women are scrutinised and policed for years that she acted, Warrier played a diverse ar- the way they carry themselves in public and pri- ray of roles. The characters she played were often vate, and more quickly condemned for not toeing powerful and unconventional, but their narratives the line of so-called “respectability.” did not usually escape the patriarchal system that However, stories and scripts which display com- created them—the women inevitably were tamed plexity in their engagement with themes such as or domesticated in the end. motherhood, chastity and women’s sexuality have In the 1998 romantic comedy Summer in Beth- regularly emerged from this industry. Through- lehem, Aami, played by Warrier, is introduced as out the 1960s and 1970s, the actors and a troublemaker—a sullen, selfish, wine-drinking, performed powerful, award-winning roles. jeans-wearing woman. In the late 1990s, when the Sharada won the National Award for best actress country had only recently liberalised its economy, two times, for her roles in A Vincent’s Thulab- a lot of these attributes were associated with a haram and Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Swayam- “modern” value system that brought with it the

52 THE CARAVAN the second coming · reportage

Warrier played various versions of an Throughout the history of Malayalam cinema, anguished lover, self-sacrificing sister compelling women characters were written, and and dutiful daughter, she managed to imbue the characters with a powerful performed on screen—but too often as extensions of agency that transcended the patriar- the male psyche. chal logic of the narratives themselves. As the scholar VC Harris wrote in an essay for the 2010 anthology Women in dangers of too much autonomy and advances of men and singlehandedly Malayalam Cinema, “She succeeded in individuality, which was made to seem warding off loan sharks. She appears creating the impression that these were particularly threatening in women. In to have no time for keeping up appear- somehow women-centric films.” most characterisations in films of this ances or acting feminine. But here, period, audiences were meant to judge too, the film’s strong first half, with its manju warrier was born in Septem- women of this type harshly. But not so feminist undertones, is overtaken by ber 1979 in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, to with Aami. The two men in her life— the patriarchal logic of the narrative. TV Madhavan and Girija Warrier. Her Niranjan, her Naxalite lover waiting for Vishwanathan, played by Mohanlal, en- father was employed at a chit compa- his execution and Dennis, a hanger- ters the household in order to absolve ny—a private banking practice—and on who is in love with Aami—appear himself of the guilt of accidentally was the only breadwinner of the family to take her for who she is. The script, killing Bhanu’s brother. In a key scene, of four. Warrier took to dance at a very however, still felt the need to justify he locks her in an embrace and kisses young age, and her parents worked Aami’s excesses. In the second half of her against her will, because of which hard to encourage and provide for her the movie, the audience learns that she her icy heart melts. From this point the training. Warrier recalled to me, when was putting on an act—simply pretend- film shifts its focus to the friendship of I met her on 30 March this year, that ing to be cruel and selfish—so that it Vishwanathan and his friend Johnny, her mother always wanted to learn would be easier on her family once she played by Lal. It ends with them de- dancing herself as a child, but that her committed suicide, which she intended claring their eternal brotherhood, and father had been against it. “She lived to do as an expression of solidarity with they become the paternal saviours of those desires through me when she got Niranjan. But Niranjan saves her from Bhanu and her family. me started on dance tuitions at the age this tragic fate by making her acknowl- Warrier’s most powerful perfor- of four,” she said. edge her feelings for Dennis. mance was in Kannezhuthi Pottum Her first stage performance was a In Kanmadam, for which she Thottu, for which she received a special Bharatanatyam recital as a four-year- delivered one of her most dynamic jury prize at the 1999 National Film old in a small temple in Manalikkara, performances, Warrier played the Awards. In the film, her character takes under the tutelage of her first teacher, hard-boiled and no-nonsense Bhanu, a revenge on her landlord for killing her Celine Kumari. Later, when she was single adult who runs a household that family, by seducing him as well as his in school, to pay for her training and consists mostly of women. She looks son. In other movies such as Sallapam, participation in the yuvajanotsavam, a after her two sisters and grandparents, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Krishna- youth festival, her parents sold the gold warning them against the unwanted gudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu, even as they had, took out a loan and subordi- nated many of their own needs so that they could reserve money for her dance tutorials.“They made a lot of sacrifices for me,” Warrier said. “I didn’t know the value of that back then. It took me a lot of years to realise their love.” I met her parents at her hotel room in Thalassery on 8 April. They were there to attend her dance performance in the nearby village of Pinarayi, the birthplace of Kerala’s current chief minister. While Warrier and her dance teacher sat stretched out on the double bed in matching kalamkari kurtis, I pulled a chair close to the couch where her parents sat and leaned in to catch their hushed voices. After observing the family together, it was not difficult to believe Warrier when she told me

courtesy manju warrier archive warrier courtesy manju that her stardom had not changed the

NOVEMBER 2017 53 the second coming · reportage

Unni, and Dileep’s current wife, , got their first breaks. “Dance got me everything,” Warrier said. She had won the title of Kalathilakam, the best overall performer, in the dance category in 1992 and 1995, also collecting prizes in Bharatnatyam, Mohiniattam, Kuchi- pudi, Kathakali and folk dance. “It allowed me everything, especially my entry into movies,” she continued, referring to how these titles helped her land her first movie, Sakshyam. But it was her second movie, Sallapam, directed by Sundar Das and starring Dileep and Manoj K Jayan, which put Warrier on the map. Its writer, Lohithadas, was a household name in Malayalam cinema, known for churning out scripts that turned into blockbuster hits. One evening, while taking a break on a shooting location for another project, Lohithadas and Das noticed the magazine Katha, which had on its cover a girl with a radi- ant smile. “Lohi joked that she would fit the role of the heroine in one of his films,” Das told me. Later, Lohithadas encouraged Das to direct the next movie for which he was writing a script, and asked him to cast the girl on the magazine cover— Manju Warrier. The climax scene of Sallapam (1996) is often used as a point to describe the early promise that Warrier displayed. Radha, the heroine, is seen running towards a moving train in an attempt to commit suicide after being spurned by her lover, only to be pulled back in time by Divakaran, played by Jayan. Divakaran holds on to her as the train passes, even as she tries to pull free. After courtesy manju warrier archive warrier courtesy manju taking the shot, the film’s crew noticed that War- rier was weeping on the tracks and Jayan was above and way she or her parents lived back home in Pullu, shivering besides her. “Brother, this would have opposite page: in the city of Thrissur. They were clearly comfort- gone out of my hands,” Jayan told Das. Warrier Warrier was trained able together, laughing, bickering and correcting had been pulling so hard that it had unnerved in dance from a each other as the interview went on. “Her mother Jayan, who had to work hard to hold her back from very young age had got a tutor to teach dance at home for Manju’s the train. and distinguished herself as a talent. brother, but it was Manju, who had not yet started “In hindsight, her very natural involvement in The Kerala Sangeet school, who started picking up the steps,” War- the scene was quite scary,” Das said. “Lohi had Natak Akademi rier’s father said. Every weekend, Girija Warrier then said that she will leave an imprint in Malay- honoured Warrier attended the dance classes with her daughter and alam cinema.” Das takes pride in having been the with the Kalashri tried to memorise the steps herself too, so that first to “discover” Warrier, and being the first to title for her she could take over her daughter’s training during cast her and Dileep together, creating a hit pair. contribution to Kuchipudi in 2014. the weekdays. “Amma would pester me to keep (The inequality in the pay for men and women was practising,” Warrier told me. “She would have to apparent from the start: for Sallapam, Warrier drag me for my dance classes. I don’t think at that earned R25,000, against Dileep’s R100,000.) time I enjoyed it much. But now I dance for myself, Warrier’s rapidly achieved popularity may for me.” Her father added, “It is completely to her have had something to do with the timing of her mother’s credit, this perfection that we see in entry into the film industry. Everyone I talked Manju’s dance moves today.” to, including Warrier, told me that she was ex- Warrier started doing films at the age of 16. tremely lucky because the industry at the time Her route into the industry was through the had a diverse range of powerful and talented celebrated annual talent event called the State actors, from maestros such as Thilakan, Youth Festival—through which many prominent and Jagathy Sreekumar, to young stars such as actors of Malayalam films, such as Vineeth, Divya Manoj K Jayan and . Scriptwriters

54 THE CARAVAN the second coming · reportage such as MT Vasudevan Nair, Sreenivasan and AK who worked a government job and was belittled Lohithadas were delivering consistent hits, and and undermined by her husband and daughter. (It many directors, such as , , Sibi was compared to the 2012 Bollywood film English Malayil, Sathyan Anthicad and Kamal, were in Vinglish, which saw another major star, , their prime. Warrier firmly established her place return to the screen.) When they leave her behind in this firmament. and move to Ireland, she is prodded towards a According to Das, Warrier is not “breathtak- journey of discovery by a friend who reminds ingly beautiful or the kind of woman who can her of the go-getter that she was before mar- make heads turn,” but her terrific screen presence riage. Warrier’s character then goes on to become and control, while performing scenes with high immensely successful, heralding social change emotional drama, made that irrelevant. Kallingal through organic terrace farming—an enterprise recalled how Warrier grew to become the “poster that has seen growing participation among many woman for a strong, fiery character.” She said, women in Kerala over the past decade. The paral- “Today, if you ask me, I have issues with a lot of lels between Warrier’s real and reel life were her characterisations in most of the movies. But evident. Like the character—who is “just 36,” as she was so natural in front of the camera that we she says in the movie—Warrier made a smashing all connected to her as a person rather than an comeback to life and success. actress. Everybody just loved Manju Warrier.” According to Antony Sony—who assisted As the director Kamal, who is working on a Rosshan Andrews, the director of How Old Are biopic of writer and poet Kamala Surayya, with You—the parallels were not deliberate, although Warrier playing the protagonist, put it, “Manju he agreed there were “emotional sequences” that was everyone’s addiction.” allowed the audience to “relate to her personal life.” The National Award-winning director Geetu on 24 october 2012, Warrier started her second Mohandas was not thrilled by the movie and the coming with her arangettam—the debut dance of a similarities it drew with Warrier’s life, which to student of Indian classical dance—in Kuchipudi at her seemed to be an attempt to justify her off- the Guruvayoor Sreekrishna temple, whose dance screen decisions. In a “world that is so quick to auditorium is visited by many Malayalis every year judge a woman,” Warrier should not have to “be for their inaugural performance. She had started apologetic about the way she lived her life,” she learning Kuchipudi under Padmakumar, a said. “It’s her life.” Kallingal was defensive about disciple of the acclaimed dancer Vempati Chinna criticisms that Warrier was seeking to market her Satyam, a year earlier. When I asked her whether she danced at home in the years she stayed away from films, Warrier answered, “I never did even once. And I don’t know why I have started doing this again.” Warrier called Padmakumar in 2011, not for her own training, but to ask her to give lessons to her teenage daughter. However, from the very first dance class, Padmakumar could sense that Warrier would soon return to dancing herself. Through Warrier’s “body language, the dancer in her was evident,” Padmakumar told me. “The way she excit- edly clarified the postures and steps, I could sense her interest.” Soon, Warrier asked Padmakumar for separate classes. Warrier’s parents were thrilled when she started dancing again. “My parents don’t particularly want to visit film sets,” Warrier said, “but they love to watch me dance. So, I always make it a point to take them along for my dance pro- grammes, whichever corner on earth it may be.” Less than two years later, after her arangettam, the well-marketed and widely advertised movie How Old Are You?—which acquired cult status among women in Kerala—re-established Warrier’s place within the film fraternity. The movie—with the tagline “Why should there be an expiry date

to women’s dreams?”—told the story of a woman anoop r l

NOVEMBER 2017 55 the second coming · reportage

opposite page: personal story as part of the movie. “That is the were well-rounded, there were strong roles for Warrier was cast only thing that we have, our tragedies,” she said. women, and the subject matter spoke to the ethos opposite Mohanlal “So what is wrong if we market that?” of a new generation. in her second Sony recalled the first day of the shoot with Two months after the release of How Old Are movie following Warrier, when he and other assistant directors You, Warrier and Dileep filed a joint petition for her comeback: Sathyan Anthikad’s tried hard to control the massive crowd, “the size divorce in the Kochi family court, which was Ennum Eppozhum of Thrissur Pooram,” that turned up to witness granted in January 2015. Warrier did not ask for (2015) , in which her return to the industry. He had only ever seen the custody of her daughter, who preferred to live she played a crowds of that size gathered for male superstars. with her father. News reports emerged portray- lawyer and a “We were shooting at Konkini street,” he said. “In ing Warrier in a negative light—several online classical dancer. the cinema, the frame shows a vacant street. But magazines blamed her for doing dance shows all around it and behind the camera the whole vil- and attending publicity events while leaving her lage had gathered.” Sony went on to direct Warrier teenage daughter in the care of her husband and in his debut movie, C/O Saira Banu, the story of a his family. Warrier managed the controversies single Muslim woman’s fight to save her adoptive around her divorce with a quiet grace, speaking up son from a legal mess. For this movie, Warrier occasionally but firmly, particularly when protect- took home over R60 lakh, a massive increase com- ing friends who were pulled into public battles. pared to her earnings for films in the first innings. “The way she brushed all these things aside was She is now among the highest-paid actors in the not easy,” Venu said. “She was not embarrassed fraternity, at par with Malayalam male actors, and by her actions ever, which is a great virtue. How the only woman in the industry’s top bracket. many people can say that?” The appeal Warrier Mohandas recounted the day How Old Are You has and the respect she commands in Kerala and opened in the theatres. “Teachers and bank offi- beyond is not easily explained. Malayali women cers and so many people didn’t go to work that day have embraced and loved her as one of their own, because that morning they had to watch the movie despite the fact that she married a partner against first day first show and make Manju a success,” she her parents’ wishes, got divorced and accepted her said. “That thought, that strength behind a large daughter’s decision to live with her father—the crowd, is the phenomenon. And that’s why the kinds of choices that are still disapproved of by the film worked. Any comeback film of Manju Warrier middle class in India. would have worked.” In the 15 years that Warrier was away, the when i met warrier in March this year, I asked industry had gone through some tectonic shifts her about the success of her comeback. “I have in terms of marketing, social-media outreach and to thank Malayalis, especially women, for this,” a boom in mobile technology, which changed the she said. “There were some who took leave from nature of shooting and distribution. None of her their offices to watch the movie. Old grandmoth- movies from the first phase needed promotions. ers who hadn’t made it to theatre in ages insisting But now she had to go live on Facebook with watching the movie at a theatre. Mothers who promotions and launches, do live chats and travel never go for any movies made it to theatre to see internationally to promote her projects. The kind me.” She added that she had “a lot to be thank- of storytelling that filmmakers were interested ful for. This life became much stranger than a in had also changed. In the late 1990s, the acting movie.” She grew emotional when she described profession did not have the respectability it does her return. “None of this was planned,” she said. now. Often, female actors were brought in from “Things are happening in quick succession in my other regional film industries. The big hits of the life. I never thought that I would get an oppor- decade in which Warrier was missing were Nara- tunity to experience all this ever. You know the simham, Ravanaprabhu, Twenty-twenty, Meesa- excitement of a kid who goes to the sea and runs madhavan and Rajamanikyam, all unabashed about grasping it?” celebrations of machismo, with no memorable I met her in a nondescript powder-blue cara- women characters. Dileep’s movies were popular van, which was parked in front of a row of hotels at the box office, but also critiqued for their mi- in Fort Kochi. She was shooting for an ad, and I sogynist storylines and a preponderance of “rape followed her around, observing, and chatting with jokes” that had everyone laughing and hooting her occasionally. I watched her through the day as in the theatres. More promisingly, however, at she waited patiently for her shots. The shoot was the start of this decade, a new crop of films has directed by VA Sreekumar Menon, the acclaimed made a strong foothold in the industry. Educated advertising man credited with being the public-re- women were participating in and changing the lations brain behind Warrier’s new avatar. In fact, face of Malayalam cinema. These films prioritised before her return to the movies, audiences saw her craft over showcasing a star actor; the characters in an advertising campaign for a jewellery brand,

56 THE CARAVAN the second coming · reportage directed by Menon, which brought her together with . This was seen as a canny marketing move that built up a buzz around her before her formal return to the industry. In Dileep’s bail application, Menon is men- tioned as someone who was “respon- sible for spreading false and scandalous rumours about” Dileep. The document goes on to state that, “for the past few years this person”—Menon—had fostered “grave enmity against the pe- titioner,” during “divorce proceedings initiated by him”—Dileep—“against Manju Warrier.” Warrier rarely met any of her old directors or scriptwriters during her hiatus, for the most part keeping to her

family. She did not attend industry gath- courtesy ennum eppozhum team erings or socialise within the fraternity. I asked her how she felt about her years away from the limelight. “It was very “Why are there so few women in the Malayalam easy for me to do nothing,” she said. “I film industry? Why are the Vishakha Guidelines, know equally well how to do that.” But and subsequent Justice Verma committee report, she is just as much at ease today with her chock-a-block schedule, drawing not applicable in our workspaces? If I’m a film publicity and audiences for her films, professional, do I have no maternity, health care or touring the world with Kuchipudi per- formances, working on her first music benefits?” album, experimenting with theatre and signing up for her her first non-Malay- to demand a safer working environ- The WCC works as a policy and alam and multilingual movies. ment for women. In an article for the advocacy group that aims to answer Warrier is happy about the diversity Indian Express, Bina Paul, a national- these questions, and includes a legal of the roles that have come her way and state-award-winning editor, tried cell and counselling centre. Mohandas, in her second innings, which include to explain the rationale behind such a who is also a member of the collective, those of a senior police officer, a vol- body: told me that soon after the assault case, leyball coach, an animator, a lawyer they felt that “the voices were not loud and a single mother. I suggested to her Why are there so few women in enough,” and that they were appalled that her new films did not have the the Malayalam film industry? Why to hear arguments blaming the victim, magic and aura of her earlier ones. She are the Vishakha Guidelines, and implying, for instance, that she should reminded me that she was no longer subsequent Justice Verma com- not have been travelling alone. “Most working with writers who were so mittee report, not applicable in our importantly, we have learnt that we prominent in that period. “Now the workspaces? If I’m a film profes- need to take steps to protect ourselves,” whole taste of cinema has changed,” sional, do I have no maternity, health Warrier said. she said. “The environment of cin- care or insurance benefits? Why Standing up to the rampant and ema has changed. The audience has does my contract not ensure that I institutionalised misogyny of the changed.” have certain basic facilities avail- industry will not be easy, according to able while I’m working? If I have a Venu, who is married to Paul. The first warrier remains guarded about her security issue while working on a thing people will ask, he said, is “Why personal life. She refused to comment, film, and not just on location, who do make a scene? But that is wrong. That or take any questions about what she I go to? Where are wage structures is a very weak person’s question.” Sly felt about Dileep’s alleged involvement which look objectively at contribu- comments and sexist attitudes towards in the crime. But as a response to the tion and commerce? What about the women are common, according to incident, she—along with Rima Kallin- (in)famous casting couch? Why are him. “Women actors who showed any gal, Vidhu Vincent, Sajitha Madathil, there no informal spaces of interac- kind of intelligence or knowledge were Bina Paul and many other prominent tion where women can participate laughed at by a lot of big timers in the names in the industry—formed the with dignity? Are there stories that industry, though maybe not in front of Women in Cinema Collective, or WCC, women need to tell? them,” he told me. “I know someone

NOVEMBER 2017 57 the second coming · reportage right: Rani Padmini (2015) was first imagined with a single female lead. But after Warrier announced her comeback, the script was reworked to bring Warrier and Rima Kallingal together as the two leads. courtesy manju warrier archive warrier courtesy manju

who said, ‘Avarkkoru thaadiyude koodi kuraveullu, is in the lead,” she said. “But the industry thinks bayangara budhijeeviya’”—all she lacks is a beard, otherwise. The mind-block is huge.” otherwise she is a great intellectual. “That’s how In an industry where 60-year-old male su- they dismiss a woman.” perstars play romantic leads opposite women That a certain gender bias is inherent in the in their teens, and where talented women are industry is evident from the example of the relegated to supporting roles of mothers and industry’s largest studio space. In the 1980s, the sisters, Warrier’s comeback has broken barriers Kerala State Film Corporation built a film studio for female performers, and also defied regres- in the state capital of Thiruvanthapuram. Named sive stereotypes about women and motherhood. “Chitranjali,” it claims to be “the second largest Her decision to honour the wishes of her daugh- floor in Asia.” However, it omitted one detail in its ter to live with her father was met with a tide floor plan—the 75 acre studio did not have a single of vitriol. However, with characteristic grace, women’s toilet in it. Venu told me that Paul was in a Facebook post in 2014, she wrote that her often the lone voice demanding one. It was only daughter would “always be happy and protected two years ago, that a women’s toilet was built, he under his care. And that’s why I don’t want to pointed out. “Now everyone calls it Bina’s toilet,” pain her over the rights and custody of her. This he said. “I mean, it was not in the design, it was mother is always a call away from her.” Dileep not in the plan. When the studio was designed on would go on to use his custody over their daugh- a piece of paper before it was built, this question ter in his bail petition to try and prove his good was not in anybody’s head. Lady’s toilet? Toilet? Of character. In interviews he put himself across as course, there is toilet. Ladies? Who are ladies?” a helpless beleaguered father left alone to take Kallingal explained to me how difficult it is to care of his child. market women-centric movies. She and Warrier Warrier, in the rare instances that she has starred together in a travel movie, playing the title spoken about her personal life, has not looked for roles of Rani and Padmini, two headstrong women sympathy or pity for her troubles. “I am starting chasing freedom. “Every single step, whether sell- everything from zero,” she wrote in the 2014 Face- ing the distribution rights or the satellite rights” book post. “My life and my earnings. In a way this was tough, Kallingal recalled, and they had to is a rebirth.” She went on to express her gratitude battle people’s mental blocks, which led them to for being given the chance to do so, adding that believe that such movies could not work. “I don’t even she could not have anticipated the extent think there is such a problem here, the audience is to which she would receive “criticisms, praises, ready for such entertainment irrespective of who wishes and love in this second coming.” s

58 THE CARAVAN

HIGH TEA SCALING ALTITUDE AND NEW HEIGHTS WITH THE FORD ENDEAVOUR

Anything that makes you happily take We started our short 500-odd-km the taste-buds — which is exactly what the route that’s longer than usual, to journey to Munnar from Bangalore. It happened during the two stops we made a destination farther than usual, is a takes you from the multi-lane motor- on our journey. good product in our books. To justify ways of Tamil Nadu to the winding roads And why just two stops, you may that, we take the Ford Endeavour to find of Kerala. Not only that, this route also wonder. That’s down to the Endeavour’s the highest tea estate in India. Having tends to amplify the sense of travel, exceptional ability to cover ground, ir- freshly brewed tea atop the highest with the frequently-changing land- respective of the terrain it traverses. plantation would be an achievement scape, a clear shift in language, and From the outside, the first thing one not only ours but also our chariot’s. We delectable food. Both Chettinadu and would notice about the Endeavour is its could sense that it was another extraor- Malabar styles of cuisine (belonging to size, and there’s no hiding that. But as dinary journey in the making already. TN and Kerala respectively) can please soon as it’s on the move, the 3.2-litre cups of tea. Ours were waiting for us somewhere amidst the lush landscape of Kerala. A few hours on the road and the En- deavour had established its supremacy. It stayed stable through the long cor- ners and didn’t even budge down to the very rare bad sections of tarmac we encountered in the latter part of the journey. The characterful 3.2-litre worked in conjunction to offer an insur- diesel engine makes 197 bhp and 47.92 mountable performance both on- and kgm, and can take on a variety of tasks. off-road. The 6-speed gearbox makes intelligent Our destination, the Kolukkumalai use of the abundant torque, and en- estate, at 7,900 feet above sea level, is sures your ride is smooth and jerk-free, about 14 km away and it needs some complementing the comfort the second- commitment to reach there. Cocooned row offers. by hills on either side, the tea factory Similarly, Munnar provides a comfort- uses the traditional method to process able break from the big-city life. De- tea; there’s no CTC involved here. Tast- spite being a major tourist attraction, it ing freshly prepared tea, right there, on has its calmness intact — once you’re off top of other tea estates, is, in itself, an the city market, that is. There are tea experience — an extraordinary one, if estates all around, and roads twist and you may. The tea available at the fac- turn amidst those. It’s hardly a surprise tory was light in colour, had a bit of an that the city was the Brits’ summer re- aroma, and was a much-needed respite sort in southern India. from the long trek we had made. engined SUV magically ensures that it’s As we made it to Kerala, the rain gods We couldn’t help but miss Munnar and easy to drive without worrying about didn’t hold back in making the scenery its ‘chai’ on our way back. Luckily, we getting stuck in traffic.The engine’s re- more beautiful. Patchy sunlight meant had a flask filled to the brim with our lentless ability to pull is complemented the estates were lit in parts, and the new favourite. Hence the Endeavour was by the comfortable, feature-rich cabin, never-ending rain meant that it was parked, its multiple cup-holders put to which goes on to make every journey greener than even. This is exactly why good use, climate control set to mimic effortless. In this case, to our credit one must buy and use an SUV as intend- Munnar’s weather, and the 10-speaker- we had done our trip-planning in such ed; it just takes you places other ve- system made to play our favourite a way that the roads were clear and hicles struggle to reach. The all-wheel- tunes. We completed yet another ex- the commuters were probably chilling drive system, large 18-inch tyres, and traordinary journey with the Endeavour, at their homes — with their piping hot the powerful engine of the Endeavour one sip at a time. essay

DIRECTOR’S CUT universal history archive / uig getty images universal

62 THE CARAVAN essay

The cinematic myth-making of Louis Mountbatten

MANIK SHARMA

“i didn’t want to vilify anyone,” the freedom struggle, its patronising pawn in Churchill’s game. The film British-Indian filmmaker Gurinder caricatures of Indian leaders, and its also takes liberties in its portrayal of Chadha declared in an interview in misleading portrayals of Mountbat- Mountbatten’s wife, Edwina. By most March about her historical film Vice- ten as a magnanimous viceroy and of accounts a fiercely independent person, roy’s House. Released in India on 18 Jinnah as the bloodthirsty architect whose close friendship with Jawaharlal August as Partition: 1947, the film is a of Partition. The second critique, by Nehru sparked a scandal, in Chadha’s dramatisation of Louis Mountbatten’s the British journalist Ian Jack, did not hands she is watered down to a sympa- time as the last British viceroy in India, agree with another of Bhutto’s charges, thetic figure, compassionate to her staff when he oversaw Independence and that the film had been particularly and anxious about the communal riots Partition. The Hindi theatrical trailer unjust in its portrayal of Muslims, tearing India apart. promised that it would reveal “hidden but took issue with one of the film’s The Mountbattens are not the only facts” about Partition—that the British implications—that Winston Churchill, recipients of Chadha’s benevolence. government pre-planned India’s new and not Mountbatten, was the mas- With the film’s opening sequence— borders, in cahoots with the founder termind behind the division of India. shots of Mountbatten’s uniformed of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, To Jack, Chadha’s “fake history” was staff, followed by a slow pan across and concealed them from Mountbat- as ludicrous as blaming Mussolini for, exquisite imperial architecture and ten. That this version of the events of and absolving Hitler of, the millions of along framed photographs of all the 1947 surfaces only in a widely contested deaths of the Holocaust. former viceroys—Chadha already book by Narendra Singh Sarila—a civil Chadha’s rebuttal to Bhutto’s re- has us ensconced in nostalgia for the servant and former member of Mount- view, also published by The Guardian, British Raj. The presence of a large batten’s staff—appears not to have opened with a platitude. “Everyone number of Indians in the film, most bothered Chadha, who said her film sees history through their own lens; of them in Mountbatten’s employ, was not intended for “experts” on Par- some only see what they want to see,” does not provide the impression that tition, but for those who know nothing she observed. She added that her film the film is about them. Only a few are about the subject. had been deliberately misconstrued as named, and most of those are relevant Two searing critiques published on an attack on Muslims, when, in fact, to a sub-plot—a romance between a The Guardian after the film’s interna- she had intended to portray all parties Hindu and a Muslim on Mountbatten’s tional release in March revealed that involved as guilty. She did not address, staff. Chadha has said she intended to Chadha’s take on Partition was not as though, why her film shows Mountbat- imitate the format of the BBC drama cautious as she suggested. The first ten—played by the English actor Hugh series Upstairs, Downstairs, which of these was by the Pakistani-British Bonneville—as a heroic figure, a man switches between the lives of British writer Fatima Bhutto. Describing the who a character in the film describes as aristocrats in a town house and their film as a “servile pantomime,” she having the ability to “charm a vulture servants living downstairs. Her film condemned its elision of the Indian off a corpse,” and also as a victim, a does cut between Mountbatten and his

NOVEMBER 2017 63 director’s cut · essay previous spread: wife in Viceroy’s House in Delhi and his chefs and they cement an impression of Mountbatten as a Historians are bellhops, but largely excludes from the purview of man who acted with selflessness and heroism in divided about “downstairs” the millions who lost their homes, the face of a Herculean task—arbitrating between Mountbatten’s and often lives, to Partition. In one scene, Indian various warring religious communities. precise role in employees manhandle and spit at a British house- In doing so, Chadha’s film, perhaps inadvertent- the planning of Partition, but keeper, who comes across as a victim of unjusti- ly, resumes a myth-making project that Mount- many suggest fied bullying by the brutish natives. Throughout batten himself began. Numerous scholars have that his unrealistic the film, Mountbatten, who is once pictured pointed to Mountbatten’s propensity for managing deadlines for British poring over reports about violence in Punjab at the public perception of his actions and the legacy withdrawal led to three in the morning, is absorbed in placating of the Raj. The historian Ramachandra Guha has chaos. his employers in London as well as the Indian called Mountbatten “a pioneer in what we now call National Congress and the All India Muslim ‘spin’ and ‘image management,’” and quoted the League, India’s main political rivals at the time. journalist Pothan Joseph as stating that Mount- That is, until Mountbatten discovers that the Brit- batten acted as his “own Public Relations Officer.” ish government, while headed by Churchill, had Even Chadha has admitted in interviews that the promised a separate nation to Jinnah. viceroy was “quite a vain chap.” Fortunately for These small modifications of history serve twin Mountbatten, manipulation of images had become purposes. First, they misrepresent British involve- a great deal easier in his time with the arrival of ment in Partition, purporting to reveal “hidden film, and he built up a good deal of clout in the facts” about what is, in reality, a topic that has worlds of cinema, television and news—so much so been hotly debated over the last 70 years. Second, that, at one time, his BBC broadcasts were viewed hartley library / university of southampton

64 THE CARAVAN director’s cut · essay

Key details, such as Mountbatten’s royal heritage opposite page: Chadha’s film continues and the fact that his ship was eventually sunk, A still from the Mountbatten’s myth-making were removed. Mountbatten worked diligently shooting of Nice on the film, organising trips for its producers and and Friendly, taken project. Throughout his career, in Hollywood directors, casting and training the actors, view- in 1922. From he used cinema and newsreels ing rushes regularly for four months and holding the left, Charlie to influence public perception of regular screenings for his fleet—an astounding Chaplin, Edwina level of involvement, given that he was also the Mountbatten and himself and the British Raj. Chief of Combined Operations for the war at this Louis Mountbatten, point. The film was a huge success, earning an standing with Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and Lieutenant Neilson and Eulalia by ten million people, and rated second only to becoming the second-most-watched film in Britain Neilson, who also television appearances by the British queen. that year. It also provided the Royal Navy with a appeared in the Mountbatten enjoyed cinema, and argued with hero, one that Mountbatten had, all along, worked film. Mountbatten India’s penultimate viceroy, Lord Wavell, about to ensure would be him. shared a lifelong its superiority over literature. He contributed to Two years later, Mountbatten appeared in friendship with propaganda films, documentaries and feature Burma Victory (1945), a documentary by the Chaplin and others in the film industry. films throughout his career, in India and beyond. English filmmaker Roy Boulting. The film dealt But his manipulation of images during his time with Mountbatten’s time as a commander in as the viceroy was among his most intrusive and Burma, and projected the now-familiar image successful interventions in the cinematic form, of him as a heroic leader. It was an image that and created lasting distortions of the history of the at least some in the navy might not have agreed subcontinent, the British Empire and of Mount- with. In a book on the British military presence batten himself. in Burma, the British historian Frank McLynn describes an admiral’s acerbic dismissal of in 1922, while on a six-month-long honeymoon, Mountbatten’s “egomania”: “The Supreme Com- Mountbatten and Edwina went to Hollywood mander and his staff ... doing film-star work and acted as a pair of lovers in Nice and Friendly, made me physically sick.” a short film directed by the English comic actor Still, Mountbatten by then had been singled Charlie Chaplin. This experiment cemented what out as an influential personality. According to would become Mountbatten’s lifelong friendship one of Mountbatten’s biographers, even Wavell, with Chaplin—Mountbatten later badgered Harold when informed that the British government Wilson, the British prime minister, to give Chaplin was replacing him with Mountbatten, conceded a knighthood—as well as his enthusiasm for films this fact. Mountbatten, who arrived in India in and filmmaking. March 1947 with instructions to supervise the At the time of the Hollywood trip, Mountbat- British withdrawal, wanted it to stay this way. As ten held a low rank as an officer cadet in the Partition approached, he felt it was imperative United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, and earned a to control the production of newsreels, which, fraction of his heiress wife’s lofty inheritance. if they captured the true violence of the event, But he was embarking on an illustrious career— could become an unwanted visual legacy of the he eventually secured the highest rank in the last viceroy. Royal Navy, of First Sea Lord. His formidable Newsreels became especially popular in India royal lineage—Queen Victoria was his maternal in the 1930s. A handful of American-owned, great-grandmother—gave him direct access to Eurocentric production companies—such as Buckingham Palace. He accompanied his cousin British Paramount News, a subsidiary of Para- Edward, the Prince of Wales, on several trips mount Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox’s around the world, including one to India in 1921. British Movietone News—were producing these (Edward later mused that “Dickie,” as Mountbat- in the colony, although they only had a handful of ten was affectionately known, was far more en- stringers. India News Parade, a weekly newsreel thused by polo than by India’s political problems focussed on Indian issues, was set up in 1943—the at the time.) same year that the British government passed the During the Second World War, Mountbatten Defence of India Act, making it compulsory for persuaded the English directors David Lean and government-approved newsreels to be played in Noel Coward—the latter was a long-time friend of cinemas. These functioned as a propaganda tool his—into making a propaganda war film. In Which for the British war effort, and, according to the We Serve (1942) had a protagonist heavily based film scholar BD Garga, also presented the British on Mountbatten, and chronicled the fate of the Empire in a positive light. Mountbatten noted the HMS Kelly, a submarine ship commanded by him. importance of them, and made it a habit to have

NOVEMBER 2017 65 director’s cut · essay

viceroy’s keen interest to have audio and video Mountbatten was the first and footage of his speech adequately synced: only viceroy to have a press attaché, a man named Alan After the speech when Lord Mountbatten came to our room where we had arranged the lights, Campbell-Johnson, who later the record of Lord Mountbatten’s speech was wrote a reverential book about played back. Lord Mountbatten started follow- ing the lip movement when the particular pas- Mountbatten’s time in India. sage arrived. … As for the other leaders the shots were taken without any recording.

them screened in Viceroy’s House. A few scenes Parkash’s correspondence with his editor in Chadha’s film—which uses both original and provides other insights about the level of control recreated newsreel footage—depict Mountbatten that Mountbatten’s office exerted over newsreels and his staff watching, in a small private theatre, too, despite the fact that they were US-funded. It British Movietone newsreels of riots in Punjab, also captures Johnson and Turner’s involvement and of Churchill’s speeches. in supervising newsreel footage. In a letter dated Mountbatten became the first and only viceroy 30 August 1947—two weeks after Independence, to hire a press attaché. He took on a man named when the violence of Partition had begun to Alan Campbell-Johnson to regulate his com- intensify—Parkash complained to Wright that he munications, appointments and publicity activi- was unable to film in Punjab and the Northwest ties—and, it would turn out, to oversee newsreels. Frontier Province: With three weeks to go to India’s independence, Mountbatten also requested a particular cam- I had been fighting for my rights to cover this eraman to cover the handover of power—John story but I was refused all reasonable facilities Turner of Gaumont-British News. Turner arrived by the Government of India. just five days before Independence, and, as the official representative of the Newsreel Associa- Arrival of Turner has made a good deal of dif- tion, put in place a rota system. This stipulated ference and the facilities and information which the use of just one cameraman at a time to capture the Viceroy’s House or the Press Information newsreel footage, and was previously used during Bureau used to provide us have been stopped. the Second World War to save film stock. Now it Unless you arrange to write a strong letter to allowed Turner to shoot most newsreel mate- Mr Campbell Johnson and to the Principal rial himself, or to delegate the work to select Information Officer, I am afraid, it may not be others, superseding the handful of cameramen possible to obtain usual facilities from the Gov- who worked for British Movietone and British ernment of India. Paramount News. Of all the footage from Parti- tion that has been restored or documented by the The “usual facilities” Parkash referred to were Colonial Film project—which compiled material security and transport. He goes on to add that in the possession of the British Film Institute, the information would only be offered to “one press Imperial War Museum, the British Empire and correspondent.” Unsurprisingly, this was Turner. Commonwealth Museum and the British Uni- Wright was opposed to Turner’s rota system, and versities Film and Video Council—a significant believed that it “kills initiative and incentive on chunk is ascribed to Turner. Another name that part of the men in the field.” occasionally crops up is that of an Indian stringer Another of Parkash’s letters to Wright men- hired by British Paramount News and British tioned that he had gauged—through Nehru’s secre- Movietone, Ved Parkash. tary—that the Indian government was not particu- Parkash, who started out as lawyer, became a larly pleased about Turner’s appointment either. news cameraman in 1939, and worked briefly with “I can tell you in confidence that Pandit Nehru is India News Parade before joining British Para- strictly against this,” he wrote. “I approached his mount News, in 1945. This March, I visited Par- Secretary, he is my friend and even to persuade kash’s son Rajiv at his studio, Ved Films, in central him to try and include my name”—in the list of Delhi. I browsed through a collection of his people who would cover Punjab, which was limited father’s documents, not expecting to find anything to Turner. “I had to pick up a fight with him at the in particular, and stumbled across a letter from conference. He frankly told me that Nehru was Parkash to his editor, EJH Wright, in London. It against it and did not like to publicise this story.” mentioned Mountbatten’s announcement of the Johnson eventually had to acknowledge Par- plan for Partition, on 3 June 1947, and stressed the kash’s complaints, but did so by writing directly to

66 THE CARAVAN director’s cut · essay

Wright. A letter from Wright to Parkash, dated 18 September 1947, reads:

We also received a cable from Campbell John- son this morning stating that you had not been near him for at least a month and, therefore, he could not understand your complaint about lack of official cooperation.

Evidently, Johnson was orchestrating from behind the scenes. Four years after Independence, he published a lengthy book titled Mission with Mountbatten, which was deeply reverential to- wards the Mountbattens. Of the viceroy’s discus- sion of the plan for Partition with the Congress, the Muslim League and Sikh leaders, he said:

Never was Mountbatten’s genius for informal chairmanship and exposition more signally displayed. … The atmosphere at the outset was undoubtedly tense, but his opening speech soon brought with it the sweet reasonableness and genuine goodwill underlying his whole sponsor- ship of the Plan. Not even Mr Jinnah’s formality and stiffness could resist Mountbatten’s will to succeed.

Turner—who continued to be a news camera- man after his work in India—spoke more openly,

and with less veneration, about Partition in his courtesy rajiv parkash 2001 memoir. In an interview given to the Broad- casting, Entertainment, Communications and with Nehru. The Pakistani historian Ayesha Jalal above: Ved Theatre Union in 1997, Turner, at the age of 82, has claimed that Jinnah never wanted Bengal and Parkash, an Indian acknowledged witnessing “terrible massacres.” Punjab to be partitioned. The Indian historian cinematographer, He spoke of “people, Sikhs, getting on trains and Joya Chatterji has written that Mountbatten set tried to capture footage of violence slaughtering everybody on, all the Hindus or unrealistically short deadlines for the Boundary during Partition, but Muslims, whichever side they happened to be on. Commission that plotted India’s new borders, faced bureaucractic This went on, I got quite a lot of material there I but also that viewing the division of Bengal as an opposition from don’t even know what happened to it, I never saw order from the British risks disregarding local Mountbatten’s any of it. Whether it was suppressed or not, I don’t groups, such as the Hindu bhadralok, that were press team. know.” Eventually, Turner agreed that it had, in extremely persistent in their demands for parti- all likelihood, been censored. tion. According to The Aftermath of Partition in Parkash, on the other hand, struggled to obtain , a collection of essays by the historians footage of the situations in Srinagar, Punjab and Gyanesh Kudaisya and Tai Yong Tan, Mountbat- Lahore. He did manage to shoot some footage of ten’s chief of staff, Lord Ismay, had warned him: riots in Delhi. It has survived, and is currently part of the British Pathé’s archive. But the Mount- There is a serious risk that history will do you a batten administration’s regulation of cameramen grave injustice unless very early steps are taken stopped a more comprehensive cinematic account to establish the fact that there is no substance in of the brutality of Partition from emerging. the charge that your decision to transfer power in India as early as 15 August 1947 was respon- the role mountbatten, and also Indian leaders, sible for the carnage that took place. played in negotiating Partition has been deliber- ated over ever since the British left India. Where Mountbatten did a sterling job of fortifying the naval historian Richard Hough lionised his reputation after leaving India. On 20 March Mountbatten in his biography Mountbatten: Hero 1969, he appeared on “Today,” a morning show of our Time, another British historian, Alastair on Thames Television, to discuss The Life and Lamb, has accused Mountbatten of conspiring Times of Lord Mountbatten (1968), a controversial

NOVEMBER 2017 67 director’s cut · essay

12-part television documentary being distribution, as well as the film-mak- broadcast on ITV at the time, in which ing itself, appealed to Mountbatten After leaving India, Mountbatten narrated the story of his the technocrat, the logistician, and Mountbatten continued life. Towards the end of the interview, perhaps above all, the networker and to participate in films and the host, Eamonn Andrews, asked wheeler-dealer. Mountbatten, “What is it you hoped or television shows which thought the series would say to people, Smith details how, after leaving glorified the British the message this showing of history behind a fractured India, Mountbatten would send?” Mountbatten, who had by continued to contribute enthusiasti- empire. then answered tough questions about cally to cinema. He ensured complete the handover of power and the violence Admiralty cooperation for war films that followed it, replied with consider- such as Sink the Bismarck! (1960), which ten appeared in 1969. Brabourne used able elan, “I think the message that I recounted the Royal Navy’s pursuit his influence again in 1977 to procure thought would come through was that, and sinking of a Nazi battleship, and another interview for Mountbatten on on the whole, this era that we have The Longest Day (1962), based on the the television show “This is Your Life.” lived through shows that our country Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. These television appearances helped was great and that we had something Mountbatten was also a regular at film Mountbatten articulate his version of to be proud of in history. And I in my premieres, held private film screenings historical events. humble way wanted to contribute to for the navy, and, in the 1960s, was the One more highly selective repre- an understanding of history. Don’t you president of the Kinematograph Rent- sentation of Partition came with Lord feel a little bit better for yourself, after ers’ Society of Great Britain and Ire- Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (1986), having seen it?” Andrews answered in land, a film-distribution organisation, a six-part series which covered nearly the affirmative. That Mountbatten be- and the Royal Naval Film Corporation, all of Mountbatten’s time in India. In lieved a documentary on himself could a company that arranged recreational the first episode of the series, three encapsulate the Raj’s 200-year rule in screenings for officers. Hindu-Muslim riots appear, one each India speaks of his arrogance rather A large part of Mountbatten’s foray at the beginning, middle and end. At than political know-how. into cinema was facilitated by his son- one point, an actor playing Nehru It is likely that Mountbatten was in-law—a film producer named John refers to the British Raj’s “divide and motivated to participate in the ITV Brabourne, who married Mountbat- rule” approach—which included grant- documentary series for reasons other ten’s oldest daughter, Patricia, in 1946. ing Indian provinces and princely than extolling the British Empire, as Brabourne made his first big mark states additional powers to prevent the he suggested to Andrews. Film held with Harry Black (1958), a feature film growth of nationalist politics. But his a magnetic attraction for him. The about a professional hunter in India. He limp, brief explanation does little to historian Adrian Smith, in a 2006 essay later produced Sink the Bismarck! and build an understanding of the Raj’s role titled “Mountbatten goes to the Movies: the immensely popular Murder on the in exacerbating the riots. Nothing is Promoting the Heroic Myth Through Orient Express (1974) and A Passage to said of how Mountbatten’s impractical Cinema,” writes: India (1984). He was also instrumental timeline for the British withdrawal in- in the rebirth of the British Academy tensified the chaos, or of how he might Movies offered modernity, mystique, of Film and Television Arts, in 1973. have interfered with the barrister Cyril meritocracy and a medium in which Most importantly, he was a stakeholder Radcliffe’s etching of the boundaries the mechanics of production and in Thames TV, on which Mountbat- dividing both Punjab and Bengal.

68 THE CARAVAN director’s cut · essay

opposite page: Mountbatten was enthralled by cinema and hosted private screenings for the navy. The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten was one of several dramatisations of his life. left: Reviews of Viceroy’s House accused it of caricaturing Indian leaders and inaccurately claiming that Partition was a conspiracy hatched by Churchill.

Another episode begins with Mountbatten, from commenting on the part the British played at his retreat in Shimla, telling Edwina: “Surely in it. Mountbatten’s appearance in the film was Indian leaders can take care of things now that fleeting. The Jewel in the Crown (1984), an adapta- power belongs to them.” The very next scene tion of the first of a quartet of novels dramatising depicts yet another communal riot. At several the British Empire’s final days in India, blamed points, the series deliberately glorifies Mountbat- the horrors of Partition largely on the divide ten. In a scene showing his visit to the Northwest between Hindus and Muslims—whom, it im- Frontier in April 1947, thousands of Muslims shout plied, the British rule had managed to keep from “Mountbatten zindabad!” The only record of such fighting over the long years of their rule. Indian an incident actually having taken place comes films such as ’s Megha Dhaka Tara from Campbell-Johnson, Mountbatten’s press at- (1960) and ’s Tamas (1988) did taché, in his book. The scene was also depicted in acknowledge the communities that suffered the the 1968 documentary on Mountbatten, and in the most as a result of Partition. Even little-known 1986 television series, which Campbell-Johnson productions such as the American director Ken co-wrote. The script for Lord Mountbatten also McMullen’s Partition (1987), a loose adaptation improvises freely: it shows the viceroy offering to of Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story “Toba Tek resign before Vallabhai Patel, the future deputy Singh,” addressed the role played the British. But prime minister—for which historical evidence is many filmmakers, including Chadha, have walked scant—and being offered the position of the gov- an apologist line. ernor general of Pakistan by Jinnah, which never Towards the end of Viceroy’s House, Edwina happened. Yet Lord Mountbatten camouflages its Mountbatten addresses the hundred or so workers glaring factual mistakes with the use of a fair deal of the viceregal household, and anticipates a time, of accurate dates and quotes. decades later, when her descendants would ask The elision of certain historical details and what the British did in India. “We must ensure we the amplification of others comes to suggest that can be proud of what we say,” she exclaims, some- British intercession was vital to mitigating India’s what desperately. Campbell-Johnson and others in political upheaval. As the academic Edward Said Mountbatten’s entourage made certain, for years argued in an analysis of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, after Partition, that there was a strong case for the the reassurance that colonised countries needed benevolence of India’s final viceroy. Even contem- European intervention helped make imperial- porary films evidently have not stopped doing the ism acceptable to its perpetrators. Several films same. The irony that Chadha’s sycophantic film on India from the 1980s—an era that witnessed a begins with Churchill’s infamous statement, “His- wave of Raj nostalgia—also omitted much of the tory is written by the victors,” has not escaped its British role in Partition. Richard Attenborough’s irate reviewers. If Viceroy’s House is a salute to the enormously successful Gandhi (1982) set up Parti- self-made Mountbatten legend, the reference is tion as a backdrop to Gandhi’s life, but shied away disquietingly apt. s

NOVEMBER 2017 69 TrieD AnD BesTeD A walk down a path that’s as familiar as it is new, courtesy the irrepressible new Dzire

Ridding yourself of the shackles that into casual conversation, and we’re in the chase itself makes up for the wait mercilessly bound you in the hustle absolute agreement. for freedom in its truest sense. and grind of the rat race we subject To prove them right, we made our There aren’t any hard and fast rules ourselves to is the dream, isn’t it? It’s a way to a place that we figured embodies to the journey, and nowhere does it pipe dream for most, if I’m honest. It’s a that bit of truth about the chase to the state that the journey has to be riddled bitter mirage in the horizon that, true to hilt. The Sula vineyards in Nashik, Ma- with hardships. In that sense, the Dzire the nature of freedom itself, we relent- harashtra, then, was keyed in, and with makes for an able-bodied companion. lessly chase day after unforgiving day. the ample help that the wonderful new It’s the essential bit that ensures that It’s the chase that’s important, though, Maruti Suzuki Dzire provided, we began you get ferried to and fro in admirable as the wisened lot will be sure to slip our unquantifiable quest to prove that luxury and comfort, and if you speak to land in Sula’s name sees crops, an entire building that houses a wine-tasting deck and storage and processing chambers for their wine, and The Source itself where visitors are treated to a luxurious stay. It’s an impressive setup, and an ideal one if what you’re looking for is a weekend getaway to appease the senses. If you go to think about it, the Sula property and the Dzire propogate the same message; there’s the same sense of familiarity and comfort, an unashamed need to pamper you all through, and they’re both as appealing on the outside as they are on the inside. As we packed our bags and started to make our way home, I couldn’t help but pause and take another look at the Dzire any current owner, they won’t shy away the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay integra- parked there in the soft glow of the from attesting to the fact that the Dzire tion made hands-free communication evening sun. It’s not every day that we is a triumphant effort by Maruti Suzuki a breeze on our way to Nashik. Maruti’s take notice of something that’s become to encapsulate an inordinate amount of gotten something seriously right with part of our routine, but the Dzire some- features at a cost that won’t strangle the Dzire. The one we have for this trip how manages to do just that. It man- your day-to-day. The alliance of the comes with a refined diesel engine that ages to seamlessly transition into your softly-sprung suspension (crucial for produces enough power and torque life and still makes you wonder how it our pothole-littered roads), the light to satiate quick trips down a long and goes about what it sets out to do with and effective flat-bottomed steer- serene highway, and it has more than such ease. This may just sound like the ing, the ample cushioning in the seats, enough in reserve to overpower traffic confessions of an admirer, but the fact and the convenience of an automated and irregularities on the road. remains that anyone who’s had a tryst manual transmission is a formidable The Sula vineyards kept this theme in with the Dzire will be subjected to the one. While the journey from Mumbai line. Well, more specifically, our stay at same. It makes you stop and take stock to Nashik isn’t exactly what you’d call The Source, as their flagship property is of things. It’s calming in its own way far (it’s around four hours away), at no called, kept things flowing. As you might and irresistibly adept at any challenge point did the Dzire coax us into a forced have guessed, the name stems from the thrown its way. If the journey’s what rest stop. The lovely sound system kept fact that the property is built right on matters to you, as it should, there’s no our tempo going, the touchscreen made the grounds that started the Sula story way around it – the Dzire is your best life convenient even on the move, and in Maharashtra. Roughly 50 acres of bet to freedom. DEADLY RISK Unsafe abortions through the ages which is due to be launched in Novem- ber at the Paris Photo Fair. PHOTO ESSAY / HEALTH Abril visited several countries, including El Salvador, Spain and the PHOTOGRAPHS AND CAPTIONS BY LAIA ABRIL Netherlands, and interviewed women TEXT BY TANVI MISHRA who had had unsafe abortions, al- though some of them did not want their identities revealed. She photo- graphed one section of On Abortion described it as a “conceptual umbrella at the Museum of Contraception and under which various chapters will be Abortion in Vienna, , where treated in a different manner.” Other she captured objects historically used series for the project explore similar for abortion and contraception against issues relating to gender, sexuality and a plain background. The resulting health: Menstruation Myths, which will collection is telling of the fact that the lead into a chapter titled On Hysteria, manifold dangers facing women who examines how taboos surrounding are denied safe abortions have been menstruation influence young girls, and present throughout history. For Abril, Las 17 focussed on 17 women serving demonstrating the passage of time was sentences on charges of abortion and integral to the project, to show that murder in El Salvador. though abortion methods may have On Abortion expands the definition changed, the degree of risk remains the of the “image” in photographic work same, and, in some cases, has wors- in an image captured by the Spanish with its broad range of visual material. ened. There is little reassurance, she artist Laia Abril, a white coat-hanger Apart from Abril’s own photography, explained, in the thought that “what is pictured against a grey background. which alternates between studio still- was before was worst, and we will be While it might appear to be an innocu- life, documentary reportage and con- safe from here on.” ous household object, the coat-hanger structed images, it includes found pho- Recording acts—such as swallow- is a frequently used symbol for self- tographs, ultrasound images, posters ing a pill—that do not lend themselves induced abortions, conducted by insert- of pro-life religious propaganda, copies easily to being captured on a camera, ing the metal wire up the cervix and of advertisements publicising abor- because they are fleeting, or often done damaging the foetus. tion services, and US Federal Bureau in secret, is a somewhat paradoxical For the first showing of Abril’s work of Investigation advertisements, from excercise. Abril said that attempting On Abortion, in 2016, at a photography 1999 and 2001, for the arrest of anti- to visualise the invisible—“invisible festival in Arles, France, she trans- abortion extremists. Abril moulded the because it is hidden, or in the past, formed the clinical two-dimensionality form of her material according to the or taboo, or psychological”—is an of this photograph into a disturbing demands of publication spaces. For in- undertaking common to many of her multisensory experience. A dense pile stance, in her exhibition, she included projects. She used various techniques of mangled coat-hangers lay in the sound installations such as a voicemail of reconstruction to overcome the centre of a room, assuming an almost recording of pro-life campaigners drawback of not being able to film cer- sculpture-like quality. Viewers encoun- harassing employees at an abortion tain events. For instance, she presented tered the coat-hangers repeatedly while clinic in the United States. She also detailed case histories of women who exploring the exhibition, their menac- incorporated a staged confession of have undergone illegal abortions as ing pointed ends serving as a reminder an abortion from the Extraordinary “photo novels.” She also created visual of the danger that women face if they Jubilee of Mercy—a year-long period of metaphors, such as an image of a bath- are forced to have unsafe abortions. prayer for Roman Catholics starting in tub with steaming water, which left On Abortion, which examines the re- 2015, when, according to Pope Francis, viewers imagining the horrific method percussions of this lack of access to safe priests across the world had the “dis- it represents—in this case, women and legal abortions, is the first chapter cretion to absolve of the sin of abor- bathing in scalding water, relying in Abril’s ongoing, long-term project A tion” women who sought forgiveness on the superstition that this induced History of Misogyny. It includes video, for it. The confession was transcribed miscarriages. Abril’s retrospective evo- photography, text and sound—she for the book version of Abril’s project, cation of abortions, which recurs very often in this series, also challenges the notion that only photographs of events that are captured in real time can serve as empirical evidence. On Abortion covers a wide range of countries where abortion is illegal, such as Poland, El Salvador and Ireland, Abril did not initially intend for as well as those—such as the United On Abortion to be the first chapter of States, Chile, Italy and India—where A History of Misogyny, but said she women face moral, religious, finan- decided on it because of the urgency cial or social barriers to it. Although of the issue. “Human-rights, women’s- abortion was legalised in India in 1971, rights are always at stake, and espe- unsafe methods are still in use, and, cially in these moments of political according to an article in the Indian insecurity, are the first to suffer the Express this September, are responsible consequences,” she said. Her multi- for 10 percent of all maternal deaths disciplinary project contributes to the below: Around the world and across in the country. Abril pointed specifi- ongoing, and often invisible, battle centuries, desperate pregnant women cally to the example of Italy, where she that women are fighting for the right have been known to jab themselves with thinks that abortions should theo- to make informed decisions about whalebone, turkey feathers, umbrella rods and—infamously—household items such retically be easy to access. “But then, their bodies. One of the most critical as knitting needles and coat-hangers. the hospitals are full of objectors of aspects of this struggle, Abril ex- Using these items can cause infections, conscience,” she said. “Even Catholic plained, is confronting pro-life groups haemorrhage, sterility and death. Abortion- or conservative women do it at home campaigning to ban abortion. “It’s rights advocates worldwide have long used because of shame and repercussions.” quite obvious that if at least 47,000 the coat-hanger to symbolise dangerous Abril said she had heard the phrase “If women die every year because of not abortion methods, whose existence has been avoided by the pro-life movement. you do it at home, it’s not really an abor- having access to safe abortion, the Risky do-it-yourself methods are now seeing tion,” from women who had starved solution of just illegalising it is not a a resurgence in the United States, with themselves in attempted self-abortions. real solution,” she said. reduced access to safe and legal abortions.

73 below: Tools such as those in the assortment pictured here were used in illegal abortions throughout the twentieth century in Europe. Among them are urinary catheters, a bottle with soap solution, a forceps and a speculum—the latter two continue to be used in routine gynecological examinations and operations to open the cervix. During abortions conducted late into a pregnancy, sharp, pointed instruments such as urinary catheters and coat-hangers were used to poke the uterus. These instruments are extremely dangerous, and the procedures risk puncturing the uterus, bladder or intestine.

opposite page top: In Europe, the douche was one of the most common contraceptive methods of the nineteenth century, although it was extremely ineffective. It consisted of a hose and a cylindrical pump made from metal or porcelain, which would hold water, sometimes mixed with citric acid. A woman hoping to avoid pregnancy by using a douche would insert the tube into her vagina and turn on the tap, letting fluid rush in and eventually fall into a bucket on the floor—in theory taking sperm with it.

above: This photo was taken at the Museum of Contraception and Abortion in Vienna, Austria, which carries educational exhibits on birth control and the history of abortion. It shows a cross-section of a three- dimensional model illustrating an attempted abortion with a knitting needle. This life-threatening procedure entails inducing early labour by pushing the needle, or another similar pointed instrument, through the cervix and into the embryonic sac. In places where abortion is illegal, women have been known to wait for 15 to 18 weeks—until the pregnancy becomes visible—before conducting such abortions. below left: From the top, crocodile dung, a vinegar-soaked sponge and a halved lemon. Crocodile dung was used as contraception in ancient Egypt; it was inserted into the vagina before intercourse. In ancient times, it was also thought that sperm died rapidly in acidic environments, and women occasionally used vinegar-soaked sponges and tissues before sex. Casanova is credited with having discovered the use of lemons as a contraceptive in the eighteenth century. A lemon was halved and squeezed, and the rind was placed inside the vagina to block sperm during intercourse. All of these methods are ineffective and unsafe—such materials cannot be positioned precisely in front of the uterine entrance, nor are they likely to stay in place during intercourse. They can also be dangerous, particularly if they come into contact with the cervix or are pushed into the uterus. below right: Condoms made from fish bladder were among the earliest prophylactics to be invented in Europe. Both catfish and sturgeon bladders were commonly used. Other materials that were used include cleaned, split and dried lamb intestines. Since such materials are not very elastic, early condoms often had to be secured to the penis with a ribbon. They were also expensive, and would be washed after use, then dried, and rubbed with oil and bran to prevent cracking. above: “I was lucky my mother is a feminist and I have a good network. But the only doctor we knew was in prison, so I did not know the people who actually performed my abortion. The whole procedure turned out to be not very medical: You have to go alone and bring €500 in cash. You end up in someone’s house, where the nurse doesn’t dress like a nurse and her nails are painted. You never meet the ‘doctor’ beforehand. I remember huge statues of saints, and posters of Jim Morrison and Homer Simpson. They gave me tea with tons of sugar and contraception pills from the 1960s.”

above: Lucía, 37, Chile “It happened when I was 24. I had been sexually assaulted, and I found out I was pregnant after just four or five weeks. At that time, abortion in Chile was illegal under any circumstance. Getting it done was a hell of a process; I was afraid the so-called doctors who did it would botch the job or kill me and cut me into pieces. But in the end, everything went well and I threw a party to celebrate with the people who helped me.”

above: “I remember thinking that my foetus was the size of a plum stone, and wanting to cover my vagina with my hand for a couple of days after the surgery. Despite being stunned by sleeping pills and knowing that a stranger had reached into my body and taken something, I felt relieved and satisfied. But in an illegal situation, you never stop being vulnerable. Two months after my procedure, I recognised that same clinic on television; it was being dismantled by police. I prayed they wouldn’t find any information about me. I hadn’t just risked my life, but also my freedom.” below: Marta, 29, Poland “On 2 January 2015, I travelled to Slovakia to have an abortion. I was too scared to take DIY abortion pills alone. What if something went wrong? So I decided to get a surgical abor- tion in a clinic abroad. I felt upset about borrowing money for the procedure, and lonely and frustrated because I couldn’t tell anyone what was happening. The hardest part was fac- ing my boyfriend, who opposes abortion. All the same, I felt stronger and more mature afterwards.”

above: “I got pregnant during Christmas, then I had to wait a few weeks before I could make the trip. I was so anxious to avoid the process and save the money, that I first tried to end the pregnancy myself. The night before departing, I took a bath in very hot water and swallowed many aspirin to induce miscarriage. I wanted to feel stronger than the law. But I did not succeed because I was afraid of hurting myself. When I packed for the 15-hour trip, I took only underwear, this nightdress that I hate and €445 to pay for the procedure (all the money I had at that time).”

above: “I was seven weeks pregnant when I finally made the trip. I waited at a gas station in Krakow, and then jumped into a van with two other pregnant girls. We drove about three hours into Slia , where there’s an abortion clinic that welcomes Polish women. I called my (now ex-) boyfriend from the road, and he begged me not to do it. When I mentioned the stuffiness and how packed it was with people, he answered, ‘That seems right, murderers should be treated like cattle.’” below: In February 2015, a 19-year-old pregnant woman took abortion pills in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, and later visited a hospital because of abdominal pain. After treating her, her doctor had her handcuffed to the bed, before calling the police and forcing her to confess that she had attempted an abortion. Denunciation by doctors is not uncommon in Brazil, Peru or El Salvador. Women who are reported for attempting abortion have sometimes been detained in hospitals for weeks or months. Doctors often claim that they are required to notify authorities when they suspect an abortion. top: In February 2015, Purvi Patel was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Indiana, USA, after she confessed to leaving her stillborn foetus in a dumpster two years earlier. Patel had used abortion pills illegally ordered online from a pharmacy in Hong Kong. “My fam would kill me n him,” she texted a friend when she discovered her pregnancy. “I’m just not ready for it.” Patel was released two years later, after an appeals court overturned her foeticide conviction. middle: In March 2011, Bei Bei Shuai attempted to commit suicide by eating rat poison in Indiana, USA. She was 33-weeks pregnant at the time. The 36-year-old survived and gave birth via caesarean section, but her baby died two days later. Shuai spent a little over a year and two months in jail, charged with foetal murder and attempted foeticide. After a public outcry, state prosecutors eventually offered to drop her charges in exchange for a guilty plea to the misdemeanour of criminal recklessness. bottom: In September 2015, Anna Yocca attempted to give herself an abortion with a coat-hanger in Tennessee, USA. The 31-year-old was 24-weeks pregnant at the time. Worried about her heavy bleeding, Yocca and her boyfriend went to the hospital, where she gave birth to a 1.5 pound baby, who survived and was placed in foster care. In December 2015, Yocca was charged with attempted murder. The charge was eventually dismissed, but she was charged instead with three counts of felony: aggravated assault with a weapon (the coat-hanger), attempted procurement of a miscarriage and attempted criminal abortion. She pleaded guilty to the second charge in exchange for immediate release from jail. left: The local plants pictured here, ruda and chipilin, were infused and prepared into a cocktail in a common abortion method used by some Salvadorian women during the first trimester. This is just one of a seemingly endless list of drugs and foods that were thought to induce miscarriage, including clover mixed with white wine, squirting cucumber, stinking iris, slippery elm, brewer’s yeast, melon, wild carrot, aloe, papaya, crushed ants, camel hair, lead, belladonna, quinine and pomegranate. Self- starvation was another method. below: “Samita, a 35-year-old mother of two, lives near Calcutta,” Ninuk Widyantoro—the head of Indonesia’s Women’s Health Foundation, who has worked on abortion cases around the world—told me. “Since the birth of her first son ten years ago, she has taken extreme measures to self-induce abortion on three occasions, including once inserting a small grapevine stalk into her uterus, causing heavy bleeding and intense pain. She ended up in the hospital, where a doctor told her that delaying medical help for even one day more could have killed her.” India has some of Asia’s most progressive abortion laws. However, that does not guarantee access to safe or sanitary abortion services. A woman died every two hours due to an unsafe abortion in India in 2013. below: For generations, a scalding bath has been associated with miscarriage and abortion. An eighth-century Sanskrit text recommends squatting over a boiling pot of onions, while Jewish women used a similar technique in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early 1900s. Pain and shock have long been thought to induce miscarriage. As late as 1870, some abortionists would pull out patients’ teeth without anaesthetic. The Roman and Greek authors Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides and Pseudo-Galen cite similarly ineffective “shock” abortion methods, including being bitten by a dog. below: Neide Mota Machado’s family-planning clinic in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, was revealed as an abortion provider by a television news exposé—of the thousands exposed in 2007. Reporters carrying a hidden camera had posed as a couple looking for an abortion service. Facing up to 79 years in prison, the clinic director later committed suicide in her car. In 2008, public prosecutors used the clinic’s files to find and punish past patients. The clinic had kept records of about 9,900 illegal abortions conducted over 20 years. opposite page left: According to a report published in April 2017 by the National Abortion Federation—an organisation of abortion providers in the United States—anti-abortion extremists have committed more than 350 acts of terror, including arson, bombings, and murders, in the United States since the country legalised abortion in 1973. Family-planning clinics have been picketed more than 252,470 times since 1977, and around 34,000 arrests have been made of pro-life protestors blocking clinic entrances. Abortion providers have reported more than 16,000 cases of hate mail or harassing phone calls, and 545 death threats. There have been at least 11 murders and 26 attempted murders related to anti-abortion extremism. “Wanted” posters made by anti-abortion extremists have revealed the personal information of suspected abortion providers and their families. In 2009, a doctor named George Tiller was accused of providing abortions in one such poster, and was later shot and killed while attending church in Wichita, Kansas. His murderer, Scott Roeder, eventually confessed. He was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated assault. above right: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Wanted” poster for James Kopp, a member of the anti- abortion extremist group Lambs of Christ. In 2003, Kopp was convicted of murdering Dr Barnett Slepian at his home in Amherst, New York. He was later convicted at the federal level for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994. Kopp received the maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life. right: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Wanted” poster for Clayton Waagner, a member of the anti-abortion extremist group Army of God. “It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a nurse, receptionist, book-keeper or janitor; if you work for the murderous abortionist, I’m going to kill you,” Waagner wrote in one message on the group’s website. After sending 554 letters containing fake anthrax, Waagner was convicted in 2003 of threatening use of a weapon of mass destruction, among other charges. above: In November 2015, a 9-year-old girl named Inocencia gave birth to a boy in Nicaragua. He was the son of her biological father, who had raped her repeatedly, starting when she was seven years old. Many countries, including Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, Somalia, Egypt, Iran and Lebanon, do not consider rape a legitimate reason to abort, and permit abortion only when the mother’s life is at risk. Stricter still, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Malta and the Vatican are five nations that prohibit abortion under all circumstances. opposite page: This image, depicting Jesus crying over an aborted baby, is part of the iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which believes that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder. However, if a woman whose life is at risk terminates her pregnancy, she will not be excommunicated for the sin, but she must confess and fulfil a penance.

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The Streets of Desire Old Delhi’s subversive love-letter manuals / LITERATURE

KANUPRIYA DHINGRA

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANURAG BANNERJEE on sunday mornings, in Old Delhi, the pavements of the neighbourhood of Daryaganj and the thoroughfare of Nai Sarak are transformed into one of the largest book markets in India. All kinds of books eventually reach the footpath stalls here. I once found an out-of-print copy of Arun Kolatkar’s Jejuri, which won the Common- wealth Poetry Prize in 1977, for a pit- tance amid piles of test-preparation books. Most of the books here arrive in bulk, having been discarded by their owners and lugged away by kabadi- walas. Pocket books, however, have the footpaths as their principal ad- dress. Most are published and sold locally, and are rarely found in book- shops. The Sunday market in Old Del- hi can be seen as a footpath archive of the Indian pocket-book industry. These cheap, colourful books have long served as guides on everything from cooking to medicine, astrology to sex. It was among them that I first found a copy of Prem Patra: Love Let- ters, a volume dedicated to the art of love-letter writing.

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The blurb on its rear cover read: lover,” “A middle-aged man’s love letter love. But the books were more than just “Mann mein meethi meethi gudgudiyan to a nurse,” “Steno-typist’s love letter,” instruction manuals. They could just as uthati hain, panne par panne fatte jate and more along these lines. The titles well be read not for instruction but for hain par prem patra nahin likha jata” alone were poignant, full of yearning, pleasure. Much like Hindi films, which (Our mind is tickled by sweet desires, and frequently ridiculous. incorporate classical Urdu poetry and and pages and pages keep getting torn, The letters themselves often em- Hindu mythology and digest these and yet no love letter gets written). ployed elaborate forms of address. In genres to create something new, these Inside were sample letters for a wide a manual titled Manbhavan Patra, I manuals too drew on a wide variety of range of possible amorous situations, found letters addressed to Priyatame sources—from Ghalib, Shakespeare, along with practical advice on how to and Praneshwari—Beloved and My Balzac and even Bollywood—and com- write letters to potential lovers. I found Love—and also to “mere prem-path ke bined them in a form all their own. other similar books too, with their chiraag Jijaji”—the fire along my love Take this example, from Prem Patra: contents categorised by various roman- path, Brother-in-law—and my favou- tic situations in which one might find rite, “mere Cupid, mere prem devta”— By what name should I address you, I oneself, with sample letters for each. my Cupid, my love god. don’t know. I saw you on your terrace In one book, the table of contents listed The manuals also contained sample when you were putting your clothes “Tanu’s letter to Shailesh after his lover letters attributed to famous personali- up to dry and I kept staring at you— goes astray,” “A flirt writes to her ex- ties, as well as instructive essays on such beauty and grace that I couldn’t take my eyes off you! I drank up the beauty that you carry till the time that you left the terrace. By then, my condition was such that—

All my aspirations have been buried under your feet My soul will remain attached to your form

When I couldn’t control myself, I had to write a letter. I think you are the goddess of the temple that is my heart, for whom I have waited since eternity. There are many women of your age in our neighbourhood—each thinks of herself as a Madhuri Dixit or another . But I never gave my heart to them. I have rested all my hopes on getting a reply to this letter.

I am sending my heart with this mail. Keep it by your heart, if you will; or break it and throw it away.

Wishful of your sight, Romi

The scenario here, of a furtive love between two neighbours, recalls the

NOVEMBER 2017 87 the streets of desire · books plot of the classic Bollywood film Pa- dosan. The couplet in the middle—dafan ho gaye arman, kadmon tale tere/ rooh lipti rahegi meri, badan se tere—seems straight out of a shayari by an aspiring Ghalib. The paragraph after it refers to two Bollywood stars. In three para- graphs, “high” and “low” culture are combined to produce a new language of desire. Much like Hindi films have pro- vided generations of Indians with a fan- tasy world through which they imagine how to fall in love, these works are also, as the literary scholar Francesca Orsini writes, “an archive of ideas and stories about passionate love.” In her 2009 book Print and Pleasure: Popular Literature and Entertaining Fictions in Colonial North India, Orsini argues that we need to expand our nar- row notions of literature to appreciate the wide range of fiction that was being produced and consumed in India in the years before Independence. Then, just as today, works of literary fiction and highbrow social or political tracts formed only a sliver of the books that were printed and read. Publishers, in pursuing their commercial interests, nurtured a mixture of “high” and “low” sensibilities, and created more varied for what they can tell us of the times rated copies of the love poetry of John and hybrid popular tastes than most when they were produced. Donne and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The love- scholars of Hindi or Urdu today recog- letter manuals—I found ones in both nise. This, Orsini writes, is because they in ishq mein shahar hona, a collec- Hindi and English, but the Hindi vol- ignore the vast supply of chapbooks tion of short love stories, the journalist umes seem more numerous—set them- widely available and read across north and writer Ravish Kumar draws on his selves apart from all of these. They of- India from the late 1800s on. Readers of experiences as a young man in Delhi in fer direct, practical advice on romantic Premchand or Ghalib also enjoyed qis- the 1990s to give readers a sense of how, affairs. And, almost universally, they sas and nautankis, theatre scripts and for his generation, Indian cities seemed are not pornographic, and warn against horoscopes, compilations of advice on specifically designed to prevent love af- open eroticism in courtship. matters financial, theological and sexu- fairs. The stories focus on lovers’ quests “Write a love letter only to the person al, all published in chapbook form. for privacy in a city that offers little or you are sure you like and could be your Orsini’s argument can be extended no private space. Without cell phones, life partner,” the author of Prem Patra to the present. Current notions of what private communication was difficult. advises. “You must know them. You qualifies as literature also ignore much Social and familial surveillance were must make sure not to use improper of what is actually popular, including constants, especially for young women. statements, rubbish poetry and sex- many forms of books that are cheaply In this milieu, letters were almost the related words. This is not considered made and widely consumed, for prac- only means for expressing romantic proper vis-à-vis letter-writing. Do not tical advice and for entertainment, interest, and love-letter manuals were a write bad things in the letter, even if by large numbers of Indian readers. vital source of romantic education. you have had a physical relationship. Among the plethora of such books The other books on love and sex Always be aware of the decorum of available in markets such as Daryaganj, that were available at the time now lie language.” the love-letter manuals are some of the alongside the love-letter manuals at the Prem Patra begins with a series of most important. They are entertaining Old Delhi book market: Mills and Boon letters, likely to have been exchanged and engaging reads, and, booksell- romance novels, sex manuals with ad- between two classmates, that are ers told me repeatedly, were in high vice on everything from intercourse to meant to show how to start an affair. demand for decades. Though they are erectile dysfunction, erotica in Hindi The initial letters only mention some now dying out, they deserve attention and English, and second-hand and pi- details regarding an exchange of notes

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“Just as spiritual forces sometimes have army,” from a young man to a European to work through a less pure medium, so a waitress. Needless to say, especially in the decades when the manuals were union of souls may require a coupling of most popular, the possibility of a young bodies. Our blood which is an essential north Indian encountering a European part of our bodies labours to produce waitress would have been slim. It is not spirits which are helpful in uniting the difficult to imagine, then, that much of what these books lay out is a series of body and the soul….” love stories, to be enjoyed rather than acted upon. “I hope you shall not be offended because The letter-writing manuals are part what I have written is a philosophical of a larger twentieth-century north Indian literary tradition where the truth advocated by thinkers like John interplay between fantasy and real- Donne.” ity, advice and entertainment is never straightforward. Francesca Orsini, in a chapter titled “” in the edited volume Love in South Asia, notes that the first Indian love-letter-writing between the two. From there the cor- The letters reproduce many of the manuals appeared as chapbooks in respondence burgeons alongside the risqué tropes common in Hindi and the early 1900s, in Urdu, at around romance. Urdu literature, such as the pairing the same time as the “social romance” There are elaborate introductions in of a dewar and a bhabhi—an unmar- novel emerged in Hindi literary fic- the manuals that interpret the idea and ried young man and his older brother’s tion. Many of these novels were set in the known forms of love through didac- wife—or of a worn-out old man and a cities such as Calcutta, where men and tic meditations, and advise readers on lustful young wife. Correspondence women were living away from their appropriate, ethical and proven ways between such pairs is among the most families for the first time, often in for approaching one’s beloved. Both common in the manuals I found. single-sex hostels. But the city offered Manbhavan Prem Patra and Prem Patra In a “Love Letter from a 48-year-old little chance for casual interaction pose the question “prem kya hai?”— husband to his 20-year-old–wife,” pub- between them, as most spaces were what is love?—with utmost seriousness, lished in Manbhavan Prem Patra, one segregated by sex or under strict social and attend to it rather intricately. While Ramnath Yadav chides his dear Shashi, surveillance. Thus they required a new love is characterised as a spontane- “Bahut pyas hai tumhari. Main to thak method of communicating love: love ous act (swabhavik kriya), these pocket jata hoon. Itni chhatpatahat theek nahin. letters. Orsini notes that many of these books also insist on providing instruc- Kam se kam kuch to maryada rakho” novels were epistolary—that is, with tions and know-how. (You are too lustful. It really tires stories presented through a series of Both Manbhavan Prem Patra and me out. It’s not okay to be so restless. love letters, much as you would find in Prem Patra warn against “avaidh sam- You should maintain some dignity, at the manuals. bandh,” or “illicit bonds”: least). Yadav then demands an account The Urdu love-letter manuals em- of R600 he had sent earlier, and gives phasised the literary qualities of letter shuru mein toh bada hi achha lagta instructions on caring for the family writing. They instructed readers on the hai, par bad mein… avaidh sambandh elders, clearing the milkman’s account use of metaphor and simile, and gave ho bhi jayein toh zyada badhava na and being careful when giving clothes clear instructions on how to write a let- dein. Kadam pichhe hata kar prayas- to the washerman. ter, since they were addressing an audi- chit kar lein. In sambandhon ke prem- The letter is followed by a note from ence of readers who had mostly never patra bhayanak praman de sakte hain. the manual’s author: “Such dry letters written anything before. At the time, are a result of unmatched relationships. munshis and professional letter-writers (It might feel quite good in the begin- If, fortunately or unfortunately, one performed most official writing func- ning, but later… even if such illicit ends up in an unmatched relationship, tions. The exigencies of love turned bonds materialise, then you must one must still try to keep love flourish- many readers into writers for the first not advance them. Take a step back ing.” time. and repent. The letters exchanged in There are many such letters in these these relationships could bear hor- manuals that barely qualify as instruc- love letters feature in many works of rifying results.) tive “samples.” They teach nothing, but modernist Hindi fiction. The authors of are very amusing. There are missives these, however, have often mocked the But such portents of doom are like from a widow to her best friend’s hus- pretensions of love-letter writers, and the warnings on packets of cigarettes. band, from a “rich and highly educated the works which inspire them. Shrilal They rarely dissuade the user. woman to an ordinary soldier in the Shukla’s classic satirical novel Raag

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Darbari, for instance, includes a charac- “You may wonder how a woman of my ter who writes this love letter: education and social status can ever O sajna, bedardi baalma, tumko mera fall in love with an ordinary soldier man yaad karta hai … tumhein kya like you. But you must know that love pata ki tum hi mere mandir, tumhi is blind. None can deny the fact that meri pooja, tum hi devta ho, tum hi common soldiers like you fight and die devta ho. in the battlefield for the defence of the (Gone, my sweetheart, my cruel be- motherland. loved, I miss you so … You do know that you are my temple, you are my Bir Bahadur, I love you for many reasons. worship, you are my God, you are my God.) I love you because you are strong and stout, brave and handsome. You rarely All the lines in the letter are bor- come in touch with women. How can a rowed from Hindi film songs. The letter young person like you decide to live a writer in the novel is everything that a literary writer such as Shukla is not: bachelor’s life?” she copies instead of producing original thought, she relies wholly on cliches. What distinguishes Shukla from a mere reader is that the author creates some- thing new, while the reader rehashes this prolific author only led me in manuals. In these, Balzac is presented others’ creations. circles. No one could provide any infor- as a “Russi kathakar,” or Russian story- More recent, postmodern under- mation about him, or proof that he even teller, who sees Natasha at a party. He standings of literary texts have a dif- exists. The names of many of the manu- is about to go up to introduce himself, ferent view, seeing them not so much as als’ authors, such as Abul Hashem, are but someone named Count Sakharov completely original works, but as prod- generic to the point of being untrace- blocks his advances. He sends a letter ucts of pastiche or bricolage, assembled able. through a trusted servant to let Nata- from prior things. The author, then, is a The borrowing of style and content sha know of his love—“Please let [the reader and a combiner. Like post-mod- in the manuals is fairly obvious and servant] know if you do not approve of ern critiques of modernist literature, unsurprising. Love Letter, a manual in it. I will not demonstrate such foolhar- the love-letter manuals challenge the English, has letters with titles such as diness in the future.” basic barriers that exist between author “Wooing a girl,” “A heart-throbbing Natasha writes back in admiration. and reader, and between what is a cre- appeal to a cute dame,” “A prelude to Her father has gone to St Petersburg, ation and what is copying. courtship” and “Love combat,” and she writes, so she can come out to meet Prem Patra, like all the manuals I shows a clear familiarity with Europe- him. The letter ends: “Promise me that found, has a sense of coherence and an literary traditions. It lists “Rashmi you will not destroy my dreams. All organisation that suggests the presence Singhla” as its author. Gagan Gupta of that I have is yours.” of a single mind behind the work. Yet Manu Graphics, Love Letter’s publisher, On the internet, one can easily find it names no author. “There is no author informed me that the author could not Balzac’s love letters to a Madam Hans- as such,” DA Sharma of Pawan Pocket be contacted any longer, since, he said, ka. But I could not find correspondence Books, the manual’s publisher, told me. she is “from abroad.” He could tell me between Balzac and any Natasha in the “We compile by borrowing material nothing about her, or the way in which writer’s collected letters. Moreover, Bal- from here and there. We could not have the book was produced. “I don’t think zac was French, not Russian. The let- written the entire book on our own.” that it will help you even if you contact ters in the manuals seem to have been A manual titled Love Letters, pub- the author,” he told me. “Nobody reads wrongly attributed, or just made up. lished by Ramesh Publishing House, this manual. We have not printed it Prem Patra includes letters that it names one Abul Hashem as its author. since 2009 or 2010.” claims were exchanged between Mu- The same person has also “authored” Many of the manuals contain “fa- hammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of such titles as General English (with mous” love letters attributed to re- Pakistan, and one Jabina. I could not multiple-choice practice questions), nowned political leaders, scientists, find these anywhere online either. MBA Entrance Examinations Guide poets and novelists. Not all of these Apart from declarations of love, these (“Popular Master Guide,” says the sub- are authentic reproductions. Consider letters also contain details of the two title) and Interview Manual: Interview a pair of letters ostensibly written by meeting in actual locations, lending a Techniques & Models. My repeated the author Honore de Balzac to one strong sense of authenticity to what are phone calls to the publisher to trace Natasha, which can be found in several almost certainly fictions.

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Literary critics long derided chap- books as trash. But starting in the 1970s, in the West, cultural historians began to pay attention to them, and to collect and archive them as documents of popular culture and conscious- ness. This led to scholarly interest in chapbooks from colonial India too, as artefacts of a kind of subaltern con- sciousness that was absent from high- brow literature. Colonial-era Indian chapbooks—in Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Bengali and other languages—are now objects of serious study in India and abroad, and can be found in collections at the British Museum, the University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Even the booksellers in Daryaganj know they are collectibles and price them accord- ingly. But pocket books—today’s ver- sions of chapbooks—are rarely the sub- jects of serious study or seen as having any value beyond their sticker price. Today, India’s growing base of read- ers buys and reads huge numbers of books—pocket books among them—that are not considered literary, while lit- erary scholarship and archiving are focussed on a small number of books of “serious” nonfiction or “literary” fic- A formal disclaimer in one of the guage that the ordinary readers who tion. manuals states that the publisher and bought chapbooks could never conceiv- Pocket books on astrology, money- author are not responsible for its con- ably encounter in real life. For instance, making, horoscopes, famous scandals, tents: some letters described, in aristocratic and myriad other topics, continue French, the etiquette required between to find buyers in Daryaganj. But the All the characters in the given man- nobles engaged in an affair. Chartier love-letter manuals have almost dis- ual are fictitious. They are included concludes that these letters were not appeared. Nobody writes love letters at the writer’s discretion. Anyone’s meant to provide practical advice. They these days, booksellers told me. The name corresponding to the ones in were read as fictions, and catered to a manuals are windows into a world be- the letter is purely coincidental, and need for entertainment among a rising fore WhatsApp and Facebook, smart not the responsibility of either the number of literate people. phones and OYO rooms, when spaces publisher or the writer. In India, chapbooks took root in the for lovers were few and ways of com- mid nineteenth century, under colo- municating even fewer. Such books are the world’s first love-letter manu- nial rule. These freely mixed practical no longer required by lovers as the bar- als emerged as early as in the seven- advice with fiction, and often had sala- riers that made them necessary have teenth century, in France. They were cious content produced at the behest begun to come down. part of a growing chapbook industry of publishers by authors who were We have new ways of communicating that developed in Europe and North largely anonymous. The Urdu scholar love and romantic interest, and our in- America between the seventeenth Frances Pritchett describes them as a timate messages are no longer expected and nineteenth centuries, helped by form of ephemeral literature, published to show the sincerity and decorum easy access to printing presses. The on cheap paper, to be enjoyed and dis- they once did. There is no more use for chapbooks covered a wide range of sub- carded. Here, as elsewhere, chapbooks moral and ethical guidelines on the art jects—comedy, adventure, horoscopes, were targeted at a growing population of seduction. If the manuals are an ar- palmistry, politics, religion and love. of readers, and they became a medium chive of our shared notions and narra- The historian Roger Chartier, writing for the transformation of oral culture— tives of passion, as Orsini writes, their about early French love-letter manu- popular songs, myths, folk tales and decline then also marks the death of a als, has noted that most of the letters more—into written literature for the certain poetics of love. Now, you swipe in them presented situations and lan- first time. left or right, and that is that. s

NOVEMBER 2017 91 THE BOOKSHELF

MRS OSMOND THE SPARSHOLT John Banville AFFAIR Alan Hollinghurst

Henry James’s classic novel Alan Hollinghurst’s sixth The Portrait of A Lady, about novel is concerned with the an independent woman’s passage of time and choices experience in an abusive whose consequences are felt marriage, ends ambigu- by later generations. The ously, leaving readers unsure central figure is the attrac- whether the protagonist, tive David Sparsholt, whom Isabel Osmond, leaves her we first encounter as an undergraduate in Oxford in 1940. husband. Mrs Osmond is framed as a sequel, in which Isabel The novel, all rendered in Hollinghurst’s characteristically travels across Europe and tries to decide between pursuing stylish prose, traces shifts in British social mores, attitudes independence and sticking to her duty. At one level an explo- to homosexuality and ideas of privacy through Sparsholt’s ration of character, this novel is also a tribute to James’s style, journey as a student, war hero and industrialist, as well as a which Banville makes his own through unspooling sentences father to a gay and dyslexic son. that indicate minute changes in Isabel’s temperament. viking, 384 pages, S599 pan macmillan india, 448 pages, S650

WATERCOLOURS MANAKU A STORY FROM OF GULER AUSCHWITZ THE LIFE AND WORK Lidia Ostalowska OF ANOTHER GREAT Translated by INDIAN PAINTER FROM Sean Gasper Bye A SMALL HILL STATE BN Goswamy

A Polish journalist chroni- cles the life of Dina Gottli- ebova-Babbitt, a Czech Jew- Indian miniature art has ish artist who painted scenes largely been classified by from the Disney film Snow the royal courts for which White and the Seven Dwarves it was produced. The artists themselves have been rendered in the children’s barracks anonymous, unlike in post-Renaissance European art. BN while imprisoned at Aus- Goswamy’s life’s work as an art historian has been, in part, to chwitz. Joseph Mengele, an SS doctor, later commissioned recover the identities of those who painted these acclaimed watercolour portraits of Roma prisoners from Gottliebova works. A decade ago he published a thoroughly researched in exchange for sparing her and her mother’s life. After the book on Nainsukh, a seventeenth-century miniature painter war, Gottliebova moved to the United States, worked as an from Guler in Himachal Pradesh. Goswamy’s new book re- animator for Disney and married the animator Art Babbitt— constructs the life and work of Nainsukh’s brother, Manaku, the creator of Goofy. In the 1990s, she began an unsuccessful a brilliant miniature painter in his own right, of whom much campaign to recover her watercolours from Auschwitz. less is known. zubaan 300 pages, S495 niyogi books, 512 pages, S4,000

92 THE CARAVAN THE BOOKSHELF

THE BOOK BORN A CRIME OF DISQUIET STORIES FROM A THE COMPLETE SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION CHILDHOOD Fernando Pessoa Trevor Noah Edited by Jerónimo Pizarro Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

Trevor Noah, a South Af- The Portuguese writer Fer- rican comedian and the nando Pessoa’s The Book current host of The Daily of Disquiet is regarded as Show, was born to a white a groundbreaking modernist literary work. Written in the father and a black mother in form of diaries by different fictional characters, whose names apartheid South Africa, at a time when interracial relation- Pessoa also used as pseudonyms, it presents an array of anec- ships were banned. Born a Crime, his memoir of growing up dotes, incidents, observations, aphorisms, conspiracy theo- in Johannesburg in the 1980s and 1990s, provides a ground- ries and occultist ideas, through which the author explores level view of the violence and absurdity of everyday life under the multiplicity of modern life. The book was first published apartheid. It also tackles the enormous challenges facing posthumously, in 1982. This newly edited English edition is the post-apartheid democratic state, including transcending set to become the definitive version of Pessoa’s masterwork. race-thinking and building an inclusive society—but Noah explores these serious issues with irony and wit. new directions, 488 pages, S1620 hachette india, 304 pages, S399

A FRAYED HISTORY BAREFOOT THE JOURNEY OF TO BOOTS COTTON IN INDIA THE MANY LIVES OF Meena Menon and INDIAN FOOTBALL Uzramma Novy Kapadia

Most farmers growing cot- Few people remember to- ton in India are trapped in day that until the 1950s, debt. Thousands have com- India’s national football mitted suicide, and Indian team competed with the cotton weavers are barely best European teams. In this surviving as well. This book is a comprehensive and well-re- book, the sports commenta- searched account of Indian cotton from precolonial times to tor and journalist Novy Kapadia shares a lifetime’s worth of the present crisis, and draws on transnational debates about knowledge about the game, and, in the process, uncovers the the use of artificial fibres, fair trade and biotechnology. Me- forgotten history of Indian football. Barefoot to Boots, which non and Uzramma also offer practical solutions which could carries a foreword by the former footballer Bhaichung Bhu- help Indian cotton farmers and weavers survive in a global tia, presents riveting descriptions of on-field action, memo- capitalist market. rable matches and club rivalries, as well as interviews with legendary players and officials. oxford university press, 418 pages, S750 penguin random house 348 pages, S399

NOVEMBER 2017 93 SHOWCASE Art The Curious Seeker

21 SEPTEMBER TO 30 NOVEMBER DAG MODERN, DELHI

The Curious Seeker is a retrospective on the artist , com- prising works that represent each phase of her five-decade career and highlighting such things as her roots in folk tradition and the influence of the Swiss German artist Paul Klee on her early work. Hailing from a small village in Gujarat, Parekh was introduced to Western artists by her husband, the artist Manu Parekh. The exhibition is accompanied by a book that contextualises and traces the evolution of her work.

For more information,

all images courtesy dag modern courtesy dag all images write to [email protected] Theatre Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream

12 NOVEMBER For more information, THE MUMBAI ASSEMBLY, MUMBAI write to [email protected]

This play, based on Canadian writer James Alan Gardner’s story with the same title, high- lights the problem of difference in a conformist society. The play is a comment on the growing intolerance against practices and cultures which are unfamiliar to

the mainstream. chandra courtesy yashas all images

94 THE CARAVAN SHOWCASE Exhibition Essence of Being

11 TO 19 NOVEMBER For more information, write to INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, DELHI [email protected]

Essence of Being is the artist and fiction writer Ranjan Kaul’s debut exhibi- tion. His work uses textured surfaces and semi-abstract figurative forms to capture images of common people and their myriad moods. The textures re- flect the frayed, complex lives that his subjects lead, while the backgrounds are often muted to emphasise form. all images courtesy ranjan kaul courtesy ranjan all images Music 10 TO 12 NOVEMBER For more information, write to Sama’a: The NCPA, MUMBAI [email protected] Mystic Ecstasy

Sama’a is a three-day festival of Sufi music. It will present qa- wwalis and ghazals by Munawwar Masoom & Group, sufiana songs by the singer , and a collaborative perfor- mance between the Israeli performer Shye Ben Tzur and the Indian musical group Rajasthan Express. The festival also features the screen- ing of Sufi Soul—The Mystic Music of Islam, a documentary writ- ten and presented by the Scottish writer William Dalrymple and directed by Simon

all images courtesy ncpa all images Broughton.

NOVEMBER 2017 95 CLASSIFIEDS

EDUCATION please write to: [email protected] or call: – 41398888 011 Ext. 335 CLASSIFIEDS Want to sell, but not To advertiseTo in theClassifieds Caravan sell out?

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Editor’s Pick

in november 1913, women made their first appearance in In- dian cinema with the film Mohini Bhasmasur. Directed by the Marathi filmmaker Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, it featured the Marathi actor Durgabai Kamat, and her daughter Kamlabai Gokhale, who was 14 years old at the time. Mohini Bhasmasur is a silent film based on the myth of the destruction of the demon Bhasmasur by Mohini, Vishnu’s female avatar. In the story, Shiva granted Bhasmasur the power to turn people into ash by touching their heads. When Bhasmasur threatened to use his new-found ability against Shiva, Vishnu assumed the form of Mohini and enchanted Bhasmasur, coaxing him to dance and match her every move. She placed a hand on her head, and Bhasmasur, in imitating her, reduced himself to ashes. In the film, Kamat played the role of Parvati, while Gokhale played Mohini. The casting of Gokhale and Kamat in Mohini Bhasmasur was monumental, particularly as the performing arts were perceived at the time to be the exclusive domain of oppressed- caste women and sex workers. In Raja Harishchandra—the first full-length Indian feature film, which was released ear- lier in 1913—Phalke cast a male actor, Anna Salunke, as the female lead, to work around the taboo against women actors. Kamat and Gokhale continued to be active in theatre, working for Chittakarshak Natak Mandali, a touring com- pany renowned for its performances of Shakespeare’s plays. Gokhale, who gave her first stage performance at the age of four in Vikar Vilasit—a Marathi adaptation of Hamlet—played significant roles in Marathi productions such as Saubhadra, where she was both Arjun and Subhadra from the Mahab- harata. Gokhale encountered opposition, primarily from male actors accustomed to playing the parts of women,

courtesy reena mohan throughout her career.

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