Our films and television serials often make a mockery out
of religious preachers. The latest are the press reports about television
actress Rakhi Vijan playing godwoman Radhe Maa, nicknamed 'Ghoongat Wali Mata'
in a daily soap Gangaa on &TV. So is playing godly personalities on
television the new 'in thing'? Sanjeev Gupta of Global Advertisers, patrons of Radhe
Maa, is learning to take such nuances in his stride. "People mix piousness
with frivolity nowadays," he says. "And no amount of spirituality or
knowledge seems to control their amateurish thoughts," Gupta adds with
sarcasm. Acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt terms the
phenomenon as "unique". Television superstar and popular film actor
Ram Kapoor feels, "this is absolutely fine. You need to remember that all
these characters in TV serials are fictional. They are meant to entertain and
not to be taken too seriously." Actress and firebrand social activist Pooja Bedi remarks,
it's all about entertainment. "From cops, judges, lawyers, religious
figures, to religion itself... everything is susceptible to being
caricatured."
She explains, that "the problem is not the world of
entertainment. It's us taking what's meant to be entertainment, too
seriously." The spunky Priya Malik of Bigg Boss fame feels, "Radhe
Maa is more famous for her antics than she is about religion. Plus, we live in
a democracy and hence there's nothing wrong with it." So there goes. Different people, different views. Sanjeev
Gupta has the last word. "Even our Prime Minister Narendra Modi propagates
diversity for a vibrant democracy. So what's important is to show mutual
respect and keep decorum even while one shows or portrays a difference of
opinion." True that.
In the meantime, no amount of controversy, seems to be
stopping the godwoman. Radhe Maa's fame and reach only grows from strength to
strength. This week, she contributed a sum to one Shree Sai Dwarkadheera
Padyatri Mandal to help downtrodden people living in the hutments of remote
areas in Borivali East in Mumbai. Woah!
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें