Ratna calls RRR ‘regressive’ but mum on Deepika Padukone's vulgar song in 'Pathaan'

The raging controversy over the song "Besharm rang" has failed to attract the attention of the actor but she is quick to make adverse remarks on Rajamouli's film which has already been hugely appreciated by the audience cutting across language barriers.

Mumbai, Dec 19: SS Rajamouli's 'RRR', one of the three pan-India movies to universally win the hearts of the cine-goers in the country, is a "regressive" film, according to Bollywood actor Ratna Pathak Shah, wife of veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah.

Speaking at a book launch event in Mumbai, Ratna said, "Films like RRR are so popular today. But it's a regressive film. It looks backwards while we should look forward. We just feel whatever we are doing is good because we are part of the mother of democracy-India."

She then urged filmmakers to analyse their work critically. "Until filmmakers will not see their work critically, we will have to watch films like RRR. But we don't like criticism... Our ego gets hurt. This atmosphere is created by so many big people and unfortunately, we have accepted it," she said while speaking at the function to launch the book 'The Queen, The Courtesan, The Doctor' written by Sabah Khan, at YWCA's Lady Willingdon Hostel in Mumbai.

An insult to Indians

By dubbing the movie 'RRR' as regressive, the actress has insulted the entire country which loved the movie cutting across the language barriers. The movie managed to strike gold in the Hindi market too although it did not feature A-list Bollywood actors in the lead roles. It had Telugu actors, yet the content managed to attract the North Indian viewers which showcases the emotional connect the fans had with the movie.

Looking at the film, the Indian fans brimmed with pride as the two lead characters managed to bring down the Britishers at the end of the film. It is one of the rare stories where Indians emerged victorious against the British Raj and this factor was one of the reasons why the cinephiles in India gave a big thumbs-up for the flick. But, quite shockingly, Ratna Pathak Shah, who is left-leaning like her husband, felt that the movie is "regressive".

The patriotic film showcased how Muslims too were part of the freedom movement as Komaram Bheem spends much of the movie disguised as a Muslim mechanic, Akhtar. Unfortunately, these factors were not taken into consideration by Ratna before making the remarks about the film. It clearly shows the pseudo-liberals' hatred for anything that injects patriotism in people. Looking at her remarks, it is clear she wants films which are made for international awards or those flicks that degrade India (like 'Slumdog Millionaire'), to be recognised everywhere.

No comments on 'Pathaan'

On the other hand, while making remarks on a film which has already been liked so much by the audience, Ratna conveniently forgot to comment on the ongoing controversy over the vulgar song 'Besharam rang' in the upcoming movie 'Pathaan'. Deepika Padukone's skin-show in a bikini-clad avatar has failed to attract her attention. It is certainly not the way women should be presented in movies, but Ratna does not have anything to say about the issue while she took on a film that is now in the Oscars race. This exposes her hypocrisy and selective outrage.

If 'RRR' takes us backwards, what about 'Besharam rang'? Will it take us forward or is it progressive? Well, the skin-show in the song has taken us two decades back as this formula used to work then. But today, Indian audiences have become intelligent enough to welcome content-oriented movies like 'Kantara', irrespective of the fact whether the movie has any of the Khans or not.

And that is the reason why Hindi film industry is struggling to deliver hit movies. Hence, Shah's comments are nothing but an insult to the intelligent Indian audience.