Let’s kill with art not guns, Monika’s Musings

There was yet another shoot out at an American university. This time the terror unfolded on the campus of Ohio State University. Despite the regularities with which these shoot-outs occur, the gun lobby in the US is so powerful nothing is ever done about changing access to these lethal weapons. There is talk about focusing on mental illness etc. but no politician seems inclined to bell the cat and just ‘#saynotoguns.’ Under the Trump regime, any progress so far will have a setback in any case, so the possibility of such situations increasing is quite likely. Given the attacker was identified as a Somali Muslim, reinforces Trump’s stand. The Obama administration has seen a record number of shooting incidents. Most theories seem to point to mental illness as a factor in the rising shooting incidents. There are many reasons for deteriorating mental health but the fact is mental illness is a real issue and one people tend to ignore or sweep under the carpet.

A recent Bollywood movie, Dear Zindagi, focuses on the need for addressing depression and mental health. Kudos to director Gauri Shinde for boldly addressing this stigma and forcing it out into the open for discussion. There are many Bollywood stars who have battled depression and felt brave enough to acknowledge this in public too. Shahrukh Khan makes a statement in the movie where people are willing to speak about all their doctor visits but refuse to acknowledge the need to see therapists or doctors for mental health. Being labelled ‘pagli’ or crazy seems a worse burden to bear than a debilitating illness that could have no cure. Seeing a therapist can in fact help overcome whatever the issue and free a person to face life once again as is the case with Alia Bhatt’s character in the movie.

Talking about Alia Bhatt and this young actress has matured into a sensitive performer. Her journey from Student of the year to Highway, Kapoor and Sons to Dear Zindagi is proof of her growth as an actress and her ability to pick power-packed roles. Alia’s effortless acting draws you deep into her characters making her emotions palpable.

Palpable emotions reminds me of a recent play I saw on Broadway, which must definitely have given some people in the audience palpitations. Les Lisaions Dangereuse, exactly as the title suggests, is a play revolving around sexual intrigue and betrayal in the French aristocracy. With such a risqué premise, the play could have degenerated into a titillating show but has in fact been presented in an aesthetic manner, despite the X rated situations. The semi-nudity, the love-making scenes, the seductions and seduced are done in a tastefully suggestive manner. Hollywood actor, Liev Schriber plays the title character and while he is great, his co-star, Tony and Olivier award winning British actress, Janet McTeer, delivers a stunning performance.

India has so much talent, it is a pity there is no Broadway or West End equivalent in the big cities. There are amazing Indian productions but everything is so make shift. There are no theaters dedicated to these kind of shows where sets can be created and the shows can run for years on end. There is no particular area/ street dedicated to theater in the big cities of Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta or Bangalore. Recently I met a few young Indian-American artistes who were lamenting the lack of support they get for their art forms. If there was a dedicated effort made to support theatre as there is for screen, many more talented Indians would get visibility.

Years ago there was an effort made by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Bombay Dreams but it did not do as well because it was ridden with clichés. There is no dearth of talent and hopefully someday, Indian productions will be talked about in the same breath as Hamilton, Lion King, Chicago and their ilk. There is so much possibility in this field, will somebody take a chance and bite the bullet?

And this bullet will be so much more palatable than the ones flying around the country right now. Let’s kill with art not guns.

Monique Patel
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