Opinion Think democracy,act monopoly

In contrast,consider how Marilyn Monroe,the star,was born. She was a black-haired woman named Norma Jeane working in an aviation blades factory. A man took her picture and sent it to Yank magazine where it was published. Encouraged,she applied to the Blue Model agency,but they wanted golden-haired girls. She promptly bleached her hair and went on to become a famous model; then she changed her name and became a famous film star. Just look at this perspective: when black hair became blonde,it made all the difference,intertwining Marilyn’s identity with blonde hair for all time to come. It shows the silver screen is a big manipulator.

The Indian media gets sucked into popularising star families by reporting candid intra-family relationships. For example,different star family members will talk about the mother’s tenderness,the father’s ingenuity,the son’s human qualities. As a ‘commoner’,your dream of becoming a great actor one day will forever remain suppressed as you compete with star children of doubtful acting calibre,ill-gotten publicity gains,no box office hits but the advantage of family heritage that Bollywood kowtows to.

Manufacturing and service industries in India use such legacy to establish their brand. The Bachchans—father and son—have supposedly brought “stature and youthfulness” by advertising a car together. Cricketer Pataudi advertised Royal Paints and passed on the mantle to his son Saif Ali Khan. Doesn’t establishing brands with such references reek of force fitting?

In 2007,the US produced only 453 films as opposed to 1,164 films in India. Indian Cinema News reported in 2008 that in spite of India producing the highest number of films in the world annually,“the dependence of the entire filmdom on half a dozen saleable stars and even lesser number of production houses is bad economics”. Yash Raj Films and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions share this set of saleable actors. Other production houses are dubbed as “mavericks”,“close-knit family affairs”,“corporate moneybags” or “working in silos”. Bollywood dampens the spirit of newcomers,so hopefuls without film family connections apply “shock therapy” as Mallika Sherawat did to grab attention and become successful.

In the same vein,monopolistic legacy is the backbone of our nation’s political system. I may have differences of opinion about Mahatma Gandhi’s politics,but that he did not actively promote his family members in politics,in spite of enjoying such mass adulation,is highly admirable. The biggest voter list in India comprises the underprivileged people,among whom illiteracy is very high. The British Raj made babu culture so effective that poor Indians always did,and still do,consider rich people as their babujis. As respect for the rich is entrenched in India,Left movements like the Bolshevik or Chinese revolution could not grow here. Most of India’s feudal lords and landowners entered politics after Independence,and are growing like a banyan tree.

Strong family power and respect for heritage allow political families to retain their foothold,generation after generation,even if they are not of Indian origin. At the same time,if an Indian in the same family has a differing opinion,that member can be totally cornered. Even after the death of a politician,or if a politician is discredited with corruption,a son or wife can overnight become the replacement candidate. This certainly is hard core monopoly of politics in the name of democracy. More disgraceful are the sycophants who feed the legacy of such leaders. Huge public adherence is required to maintain this monopoly of politicians over generations. Does it mean that our country lacks political intellectuals,apart from political families?

Such family continuity in business is not comparable as economic power is technical by nature. A first-generation businessman puts in all his effort,risking his own money to build his business. His inheritors do not necessarily run the company—they can own it and appoint professionals to run it. Here,they are not playing with public fame or money.

In the liberalised economy with many avenues opening up and extracurricular activities in and outside schools,let’s hope the monopoly of stars and politicians will break sooner than later.

Shombit Sengupta is an international Creative Business

shininguniverse.com