MeToo is on fire. No, it is THE FIRE. And getting licked by its flames are the rich and the famous of our own Tinseltown. And its latest (and perhaps greatest) victim, the ever so revered and loved and respected – Babuji.
Let’s give it to him, he had a way when it came to being an on-screen father. That slight tilt of the head. A gentle warmth in his eyes. And his lips stretching, just a little, in a smile filled with gratitude. The result, an expression that said he has found the world, his family, and he cares nothing more.
That’s how we see Alok Nath – the actor famous for being Babuji on the silver screen of the Indian Cinema. It was his talent, to bring to the life of the silver screen, the trials and tribulations of the most thankless job in this world – being a father.
He was the great Indian Father of Indian Cinema. Babuji. Sanskari. Everything that is good out there.
His story was going all sow well. But …
… but like any Bollywood Potboiler, there was a twist in his story, too.
Babuji is not Babuji. What!! He is not?
Yes, He is not. Actually, he is ‘Baby-Seeking-Ji,’ garbed in the attire of Babuji. A perfect disguise that unarmed the most skeptical of the skeptics. Girls falling in his arms thinking he is the father they needed in that big bad world of Bollywood. And he played his part well too.
He showered them with fatherly love (on screen and off screen too.) Sprinkled it with that I care about you smile that said I’m harmless. And then garnish all this with those heavenly eyes, which said I’m harmless. Result- a perfect disguise, the wolf in the garb of a sheep. The Red Riding Hood Story yet again.
Who would have thought that when Babuji was raising one hand to give ‘Aashirwaad’ the other one was simultaneously reaching behind and tearing off the modesty of the girls half her age.
That those loving black eyes were only the facade hiding the actual red of his eyes. Those wolf eyes waiting for a moment to devour any girl out there.
But behind this curious case of Babuji lurks the greater question that requires attention. Sooner than later, if want to avoid more such Papas (Bapuji) and Nanas and Dadas of Bollywood.
The real question is how did he survive to do this for so long.
How did he kept on assaulting (if he did) and nobody put him in the docks? How can Bollywood Stars who assays the role of fighters, truth seekers and all that is good out there, decide to ignore it? Why did they let cancer grow when it was small and benign, rather than let it grow like this?
This is troubling.
For if we call Bollywood an Industry, it is the right time that is starts behaving like one. Or better, it should be audited like the other industries. What is its work culture? What are its work ethics? Are the new-comers being taken advantage of? Are women being mistreated?
If not then Babuji will come again, in a new avatar, in a new form. Keep tuned in.