The death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has been a big blow to the movie industry, making space for the outbreak of several narratives related to the image of the entertainment industry. This open rampage against Bollywood triggers most effectively this time as it is related to the death of a talented actor. To address the point, the Producers Guild of India issued an open statement on Twitter highlighting the “relentless attacks” of painting a false image of the Indian film industry’s reputation which is later though slammed by all & trolled by many.
Upon the issue of the open letter, not only so called Kareena Kapoor Khan but many Bollywood actors including Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, Farhan Akhtar, Sonakshi Sinha, Genelia Deshmukh, Vir Das, producer Nikkhil Advani, director Zoya Akhtar, and many others have shown in their solidarity with a fruitless attempt to safeguard the community with the views put forward by the Producers Guild of India.
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In response to that, Kareena Kapoor Khan shared the letter on her Instagram story with the caption “With my industry.” ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actress Sonam Kapoor also shared the same on the photo-sharing app with the hashtag – ‘in solidarity’.
The Guild in the statement noted that the “tragic death of a promising young star has been used by some as a tool to defame and slander the film industry and its members.” The organisation explained that the picture painted of the industry as a “terrible place for outsiders to aspire to, a place that threatens those who dare to enter it with contempt and derision; a murky den of substance abuse and criminality” was not the truth.
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The film industry has its “imperfections”, accepted Guild in the statement. However, they stated that like any other sector, there is an ongoing attempt to improve and that to “paint an entire industry with the same brush is a gross misrepresentation of reality”.
Highlighting only the positive sides of the industry with all might, the Guild pointed: “The film industry employs hundreds of thousands of people, boosts travel and tourism, and is one of the most important sources of soft power for India across the world. It has entertained hundreds of millions of people for over a century and has brought joy, honour, and glory to the nation. It has welcomed and embraced talent from across the country– from the worlds of literature, poetry, art, and music– and has drawn them in to create a unique cinematic language.” “This has ensured that we are one of the few countries in the world to still have a vibrant and thriving local film industry across multiple languages, despite the decades-long onslaught of Hollywood.”
The industry has contributed generously to “national causes in times of need, and has readily offered its resources name, recognition, time and funds whenever called upon to do so, and often even without having to be called upon”.
Hinting at the nepotism theory, the Guild clarified: “Being born into the industry most definitely affords you the privilege of access and a first break, but after that, it is up to each individual’s talent, hard work and drives to propel them forward.” They continued the statement by addressing to “come together instead of tearing each other apart.” Members of the industry on both sides of this debate, especially women, have been subjected to rape threats and death threats. This is unacceptable and must stop now,” the statement said.
