You Are My Chicken Fry ....

In modern cities, people get together to grill and leave huge balls of fumes in the air, as they chat and drink endlessly, gossiping about jobs and the hardships of the developed world. But I'm absolutely not referring to such barbecues or making you privy to an endless rant about half or fully grilled pieces of chicken. The subject matter on my mind today is the very infamous AIB Roast. It's never too late to bitch/talk about anything, is it. As a writer, who expresses opinions in public, it is very natural I talk about something where the world was divided on where the line be drawn in expressing.

It would be silly of me to start explaining what I'm talking about, mentioning names etc. I don't think there's any netizen (an Indian one at least) who's not aware of the fiasco in question. But for the benefit of those who tuned in late, here it goes. Ace filmmaker Karan Johar joined hands with the over-the-top Ranveer Singh and the trying-too-hard Arjun Kapoor. And together with the AIB gang, they roasted and roasted, until the chicken got burnt and inedible for most Indians. 

The Idea of Roasting ....

Roast is a concept imported from the West, like most other innovative ideas originating in the creative minds of our country (let me not get into roasting!) The idea is to honour a celebrity with outright sleazy cheap jokes and insults. The language is abusive and vulgar. Well, the concept which is a hit in the West, was very widely condemned and criticised in India.

To See or Not to See ....

Now now, raise your hands who among us had a hearty laugh at the Roast videos. Ok, maybe not all of us. Next question, raise your hands who all increased the YouTube traffic to get a glimpse of what really transpired. Oh come on, most of us, I know. I was one of those who added to the millions of hits on the video, while my toddler peacefully slept, blissfully ignorant of that kind of language in his life to date.

I am a woman, and a woman hailing from a decent background with decent family and friends. Most importantly  a mother. Yet, I watched the videos. And inspite of the big gasps, and cries I made during the show, the thought of raising my voice for a ban on the show didn't cross my mind. 

Such content is to be viewed at discretion and is to be strictly kept out of the reach of children, 100%. But banned, really? How does it matter whether what was on display was liked by me or not? There are thousand such visual products, shows, movies et all, which we dislike, criticise, maybe hate. So what? Does that mean the makers have no right to showcase their talent or whatever you may choose to call it? It's by no means fair to stop someone from expressing what they want to, simply because you and I don't like it, isn't it? 

Ban, Really? ....

I particularly have a problem with the hypocrisy of those men, who dont hit the bed without a peek at the hot videos on their smartphones. And when it comes to raising their voice in public, would object to such content, to impress their girlfriends or the babe they probably have the hots for maybe?

And what good are we achieving, when the big bad world of Internet welcomes every single soul with open arms. And every kind of adult, horrific, negative piece of data is accessible to  all at the click of a button. You can delete the Roast of the Singhs and the Kapoors, but if I'm really upto it, I can watch Charlie Sheen or Justin Bieber being roasted, can't I? And what about the modern day movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, which have been applauded for their brutally honest depiction of the rural and criminal ways of life, including gory scenes and abusive language.

Mind you, I'm in no way suggesting I'm in favour of what the AIB guys and the Bollywood guys did. I don't even want to get into a debate on the quality of the content. All I'm saying is, India is a democratic country. Freedom of expression is one of the basic foundations of a democracy. And the more we are broadening our horizons as a country, the  more we need to let every voice be heard. Let every adult decide for himself what's right and wrong. We can make recommendations, give suggestions, set examples, but not dictate. That only causes revolt.

The creative souls should never be chained down. Let them lose. That's how you and I will build an open and mature society for our gennext.