My father gave his life trying to elevate art of acting in adverse conditions: Irrfan's son Babil
Mumbai: Actor Irrfan Khan's son Babil on Wednesday said he doesn't like the political debates around Sushant Singh Rajput's death, but there is now a wind of change in cinema, something his father kept fighting for throughout his life.
Babil said his father constantly tried to challenge the existing ecosystem in the Hindi film industry, but he would be defeated at the box office by hunks with six-pack abs delivering formulaic dialogues.
Irrfan passed away in April at the age of 54 following his battle with a rare form of cancer.
"My father gave his life trying to elevate the art of acting in the adverse conditions of noughties Bollywood and alas, for almost all of his journey, was defeated in the box office by hunks with six-pack abs delivering theatrical one-liners and defying the laws of physics and reality," Babil wrote in a long Instagram post recalling his father's struggle.
"Photoshopped item songs, just blatant sexism and same-old conventional representations of patriarchy (and you must understand, to be defeated at the box office means that majority of the investment in Bollywood would be going to the winners, engulfing us in a vicious circle)," he added.
The cinema student said the mainstream films work because the audience want and enjoy movies that only offer entertainment.
"All we sought was entertainment and safety of thought, so afraid to have our delicate illusion of reality shattered, so unaccepting of any shift in perception.
"All effort to explore the potential of cinema and its implications on humanity and existentialism was at best kept by the sidelines," he added.
Recalling the days before he went to a film school in London, Babil said his father "warned" him that he would have to prove himself there as Bollywood is "seldom respected in world cinema".
He said Irrfan had asked him to inform others about Indian cinema that's beyond the control of Bollywood.
At his film school, the aspiring artiste said, he found that Bollywood was not respected and people had no awareness of Indian cinema of the 1960s and 1990s.
"There was literally one single lecture in the world cinema segment about Indian cinema called 'Bollywood and Beyond', that too gone through in a class full of chuckles.
"It was tough to even get a sensible conversation about the real Indian cinema of Satyajit Ray and K Asif going. You know why that is? Because we, as the Indian audience, refused to evolve."
Babil said today he feels there is a change, a "new fragrance in the wind" with a new generation searching for meaning.
Referring to how the conversations after Rajput's death have been about starting anew, he hoped it leads to something positive.
"We must stand our ground, not let this thirst for a deeper meaning be repressed again... Although I resent that Sushant's demise has now become a fluster of political debates, but if a positive change is manifesting, in the way of the Taoist, we embrace it (sic)."
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Karavali Utsav to be held at Pilikula in December
Mangaluru: A meeting chaired by Dinesh Gundu Rao, the minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada district, has decided to hold the Karavali Utsav at Pilikula Nisargadhama instead of Karavali Utsav Maidan in Mangaluru.
Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan M.P. stated that the Karavali Utsav was previously organised at the Karavali Utsav ground in Lalbagh. However, the festival has not been held for the past few years. This year, it has been decided to organise it at Pilikula, utilising the facilities of Urban Haat, Samskritika grama, and others to attract more people, as reported by Deccan Herald.
The festival will take place starting from the third Saturday of December and will continue for a month. The Deputy Commissioner said the inaugural program is likely to be held on December 13, followed by month-long celebrations.
The decision aims to celebrate the Karavali Utsav in a new way by showcasing the linguistic diversity of Dakshina Kannada and the culture of the Koraga community in a global village model.
In the meeting, Gundu Rao also instructed authorities to establish the necessary committees for Kambala and Karavali Utsav.
