Speech Flashcards
Intro 1
Bollywood. It’s not simply just a film industry, it is a global phenomenon; a substantial sector of the world’s media. The cultural magnitude of Bollywood is almost unquantifiable. An average annual gross 20 billion. How much of it should be accepted? Bollywood bespeaks Indian culture and it has heavily influenced society.
Intro 2
Throughout its history, Bollywood films have interweaved the ever-changing morals and values of Indian culture in almost every aspect. Many of the story lines revolve directly around Indian customs and practices. But is it pragmatic?
Discrimination 1
With its outreach and audience both nationally and globally you would expect diversity and justice to be demonstrated, yet discrimination is almost expected. Arguably, the most prevalent of which is for women who are forced to confine within a patriarchal prism as Bollywood continues to reclaim the narrative of a conventionally beautiful woman who can maintain perfect domesticity.
Discrimination 3
After this already gruelling environment the pay gap is substantial, according to Forbes even up to 5 times more. Their pay worsens when you consider their comparative longevity of careers. Experienced actress Anushka Sharma explained that producers believe “Men can work as long as they want to, but women are only okay until they are young and desirable” since they have “shorter shelf lives.” Alongside the misogyny, films also pursue homophobic and racial stereotypes.
Discrimination 4
For example, Muslims are portrayed as aggressive jihadists or as exhibiting terrorist missions. Furthermore, there is almost no representation of the LGBTQ+ community and when there is, it is almost always portrayed in a homophobic manner. Subsequently, there is widespread stigma regarding diversity, gender and sexuality, with any attempt at representation leading itself to major stereotyping due to the lack of knowledge surrounding the issue.
Nepotism 1
Navigating the universe both outside and inside the screen can be brutally difficult. Plagued with a virus of nepotism, generational power is a significant issue in this world dictated by wealth. Irrespective of their ability, descendants of famed actors are almost guaranteed limelight in the industry. This is evidenced by more than 71% of the highest paid actors obtaining lineage in this industry. In fact the highest paid actor has been accused for multiple crimes including: drug use, domestic abuse and even culpable homicide.
Nepotism 2
Nonetheless, neither his career nor his socio-economic status has stopped evolving. Furthermore, as evidenced by his drug use, it is evident that abuse of narcotics is also a pressing issue for Bollywood A-listers. Some even undertake ad campaigns for tobacco products on national television just for clearly unnecessary commissions. Particularly when taking their overarching influence and affluence into consideration I think we can agree that our involuntary cumsumption of advertisements have a subconscious impact on our minds.
Nepotism 3
Should these people just be allowed to influence youth without repercussions simply because of their status? However, some articles undignifying the individuals have been published with few actors openly expressing their disgust for it, gaining considerable traction in the media.
Nepotism 4
A case clearly highlighting this exponential issue is Sushant Singh, an actor praised by many for his talent, was allegedly pressured into consumption of drugs. Despite his acting prowess he still had professional rivalry which can be explained by the lack of pedigree. This led him to commit suicide due to clinical depression.
Evolution 1
Many complain that bollywood has negatively impacted contemporary society in India due to the toxic levels of violence and increased superficialness. For instance, when a movie becomes popular, other filmmakers try to replicate several components and it metamorphosizes into a trend overnight.
Evolution 2
As a consequence, movies can become too repetitive and only entail people who enjoy the particular trend, limiting the audience of Bollywood as a whole. Hence, there is a clear lack of originality and insufficient funds for new and creative ideas to emerge.
Evolution 4
On top of that, unnecessary elements and sequences are added to qualify for cinematic awards just to gain press and thus viewers and money. As you can see, the business model is based upon returning customers so the average price of a movie ticket is equivalent to only 68p which creates a substantial rush. However, as a result ushers don’t have time to care about ages meaning toddlers and children are often exposed to extremely violent deaths, guns and gang activity.
Conclusion 1
As we have established there are a myriad of reasons how the dictatorship of wealth has demolished this industry. The overwhelming frequency of prejudice and violence both inside and outside the screen make the movies abhorrent and repulsive. Casting and characters become repetitive and ultra-conservative providing an impossible plank for new actors to walk.
Conclusion 2
Moreover, the content of these films is mutilating to mental health when consumed at large frequency like they currently are. Taking this power into consideration, viewers want, viewers need and viewers deserve equality on their screens.
Discrimination 2
Thus, women are narrowly policed on an appearance. An appearance which can only be achieved through an instruction manual, compiled by men, to engineer self-esteem issues and dangerous lifestyles.
