You are correct, my title is contradictory! If you understood this, then you are quite a logical person.
Logic or Rationalism has nothing to do with popularity. It has to be unbiased, not to be corrupted by emotion. Recently Nasiruddin Shah criticised Rajesh Khanna’s acting skill. This was not taken well by public…. well at least by his legal wife & daughter. Media reported the criticism as ‘rude’, may be because Khanna is not alive. And Khanna’s family reacted with some riddles like ‘Khanna’s successful career speaks for itself, Public knows better, he has contributed a lot to the Industry’ etc.
This gives rise to many questions. Why we can never be rational? Sure, we are not rational by nature. Rationalism, logic, reasoning, mathematical analysis, and so, science – is quite new for our brain. Majority of human beings find it strenuous, leave alone enjoyable, and need to nurture these skills. So we often become subjective.
- In the above issue, emphasize was not given on the correctness or the content of the criticism, but on how it was made. In fact, criticism is expected to be rude, right?
- Media or Khanna’s family had also missed the point that, if the same criticism was made by 3rd rated ‘actor’s like Gajendra Chouhan, one could expect applause for sure. But what did they expect from an extremely talented & serious actor like Shah?
- Would Khanna’s family have reacted the same way if that criticism was made for some other poor actor? Their reaction was an immature move. They reacted the most expected, trivial way. They should have declined any comments since Khanna is their close relation.
- Are Dimple & Twinkle (who also were commercial actresses for the Industry) talented enough to judge someone acting…. or even more, such as Shah’s criticism? We shall see.
How childishly they reacted! Success? Popularity? Are those any match before acting talent? They in fact unwittingly raised a classical topic: Hero vs Actor. What makes a hero? It is an illusion, a mass hysteria, upon which the life & death of the Industry depends on, and which is actually based on some proven (good or bad) mannerism of the ‘actor’, not his acting skill. In an illusion show may gimmicks and behind-the-stage tricks are involved, similarly for a hero also many dummies, playback singers, a team of beauticians, designer wears & props from boutique etc. are all essential. Did I mention good look & patchworks by world’s top cosmetic surgeons? So, of course all that is to ‘contribute to the Industry’! What is more, he/she has to maintain that illusion (sometime called ‘image’) carefully, like a soap bubble! They can not expose themselves too much in public, just like a magician can not exhibit his tricks in day light!
Now, in their wise opinion, being successful in such a scenario indicates talent! Oh lord! That’s not only ‘rude’ but outrageous comment for many dedicated, extremely talented actors/actresses. And finally, again that magic word ‘Public! Public knows!’ Hmm! So public knows better than top actors or directors may be! Well Madams, then my humble suggestion is, why not scrap all selection committee, jury systems in all fine arts competitions, and start public voting system everywhere… like all those ‘reality shows’?
Sanjiv Dutta's Blog 