/ARTS WEEKLY/INDIA: Bold Film ‘Busts’ Female Beauty Stereotypes

By Sujoy Dhar Reprint | | Print |

Sujoy Dhar

KOLKATA, India, Apr 4 2005 (IPS) - Tollywood, the eponymous Bengali film industry based in the ill-equipped Tollygunge studios of this eastern Indian metropolis, often rushes where perhaps Hollywood fears to tread.

A new Bengali film is the talk of the town since it is based on the sexist view of essentially judging a woman’s beauty and persona with her cleavage.

‘Shunyo E’ Buke’ (Empty Canvas), the second feature film by art house filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly, is bold enough to explore the issue of the indignity suffered by a flat-chested woman. It is based on male sexual fantasy – what men desire in women and how they react when their expectations are not met.

The film’s commercial release on Apr. 15 is preceded by a teaser poster campaign with the catch line ”Bhara buk na buk bhara bhalobasha” (Full breasts or a heart full of love).

”It is pathetic that the girls are drowned in the quicksand of their cleavage and external beauty. To judge a woman by her cleavage is a horrible projection of them. No cinema nowhere ever dealt with such a subject and so I decided to reverse that ingrained concept of external beauty,” said Kaushik Ganguly who shot into fame with his bold tele-films, including one on a lesbian relationship.

After its world premier in London, the film’s U.S. premier would be at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles on Apr. 21 where it is the only Bengali entry this year. In India the film would be commercially released on Apr. 15.

The teaser poster of ‘Shunyo E’ Buke’ seems to be a steamy shocker though director Ganguly claims the subject has been dealt with restraint and due sensitivity.

When questioned whether he too is exploiting the female form in his teaser campaign to sell his movie, Ganguly reacted, ”The criticism against my teaser campaign poster is only the reflection of sheer hypocrisy about discussing the aspects of our social life which are considered taboo. We have chosen a teaser campaign deliberately so that we can hit the audience directly and make them take note.”

”I have not used sex in a single frame of the movie to market it. My film is against commoditisation of women,” he lashed out.

”The objective of this teaser campaign phase is to bring this controversial social issue out of the closet into the public limelight as well as generate maximum word-of mouth and a sense of anticipation.”

”This is a sensitive issue and we have not resorted to any vulgarity to trivialise the message,” said Ganguly who cast his elegant actress wife Churni Ganguly in the role of the soft and sensitive woman who undergoes the motions for her bust line deficiency.

”I have chosen to cast my wife to portray the woman because of my comfort level with her,” he added.

The Bengali director explains how ‘Shunyo E’ Buke’ came about.

”I had written the story some time back and it was published in the Sunday supplement of a Bengali daily. I was waiting for a producer as it is very difficult to get a producer in Bengal who is willing to back a film on such a subject. You may criticise the film but our effort should be recognised,” Ganguly said. ”The title is direct since I wanted to hit the audience directly.”

‘Shunyo E’ Buke’ is shot extensively in Khajuraho, the famous temple town in Madhya Pradesh, known for its erotic relief works depicting full-breasted female forms.

But some women are scathing of the film’s subject.

According to exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who is currently in Kolkata, the poster campaign and the subject of the film reflects the same old way of looking at women through the eyes of men.

”I have not seen the film and so it is not right to comment on it but from the subject I think it is another statement of how men should look at women and not how women should look at themselves. It is like showing sympathy to women,” she told IPS.

”It is high time that women should learn to love themselves and not look up to men for their verdict on beauty. It’s like enslaving oneself if one had to look up to men for their view of women,” said Nasreen.

In the film four artists gather at Khajuraho to gaze at the sculptures adorning the façade. While contemplating the romanticised renderings of the female form, one man finds the living embodiment of his ideal. The two engage in a clandestine romance but after marriage the painter quickly discovers that unlike clay or canvas a real woman cannot be moulded to fit his standards.

”The audience has now matured and we hope that they would appreciate the film,” said Kaushik Sen, the leading male cast of ‘Shunyo E’ Buke’ who portrays the painter and husband.

”It is a challenging role and owing to the storyline my character can be misunderstood and branded insensitive. But my namesake director has done a fine job,” added Sen.