Bollywood condemns Tamil moral police

Comments [ 0 ] By IANS | 25 May 2008 | 7:32am

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) The incident took place some time ago, but Bollywood is still fuming over a police complaint being filed against actress Mallika Sherawat for wearing a revealing dress at the audio launch of 'Dasavatharam' in Chennai.

Here's what they say:

Malaika Arora: I think Mallika has become a favourite punching bag in the press. Leave the girl alone. It's ridiculous. Maybe the moral police in the south should take a closer look at their own films for obscenity.

Rahul Khanna: I feel sad for the moral police. Perhaps they're jealous of Mallika's legs. They seem to have a lot of free time on hand - why not use it for issues more important than the length of skirts?

Hema Malini: I was there in Chennai. Mallika's dress was looking good. She too was looking very good. But perhaps the dress was a little too short for the occasion. Who knows!

Sonu Sood: Some people have all the time in the world to measure dress lengths. Good for them. At least moral policing keeps some people busy. At the same time I feel some celebrities dress a certain way to attract attention and create controversies. Ignore them. It will avoid unnecessary publicity.

Amrita Arora: It's ridiculous. What's wrong with wearing a short skirt? And why only target Mallika for it? Girls in colleges and work places across the country are wearing them. Go get all of them, you moral cops! By the way there're much more serious things to be done.

Sophie Chowdhary: I think the reaction to Mallika's skirt is ridiculous. According to me, the outfit is definitely not vulgar or offensive. Surely there're a hundred other issues in our country to get upset about. Leave Mallika and her clothes alone.

Diya Mirza: I think they've no right to comment on Mallika. I think they should instead give attention to the sleaze content in some of their films. Stop pointing fingers at someone just because you've nothing better to do.

Lilette Dubey: Who's this self-appointed brigade? And what are they afraid of? Influencing youth of this country? A generation that's now exposed to movies, fashion and images from around the world right there in their homes? It's up to the individual to decide what she wears and, if she can handle the public gaze, then it's her prerogative to dress the way she wants.

Priyanka Kothari: I think the moral police are more publicity crazy than any other section of our society.

Samir Soni: I believe what is moral or immoral is an extremely personal decision. No group of people have the right to force their value system on us unless an individual's action inconveniences others or obstructs someone's fundamental rights.

Gul Panag: Why should it be anyone's business what someone wears or doesn't wear? The moral police should close down Khajuraho or dress up the sculptures in 'suitable' clothes before attacking anyone.

Sandhya Mridul">Sandhya Mridul: With due respect, the actresses down south wear clothes that seem pretty suggestive and sexy. So what's their problem? The moral police all over the country should keep tabs on the real moral issues rather than the clothes actresses wear. Incidentally, why are only actresses pulled up? Why not the males who nowadays pose in less than women?

Pooja Bedi: I think the more importance the media gives to such people, the more such cases we'll see. The quickest route to fame is to sue celebrities. Morality is so subjective. Do these moralists want to take us back to the days of the purdah? And should their standards of morality be applicable to society? Was there a dress code at the music event? If not, how could they expect a girl with a glamorous sexy image to land up in a salwar-kameez?

Nandana Sen: It's absurd! Mallika is beautiful and has a style of her own. How can anyone have the right to say that style is wrong? Should we all start wearing uniforms now to make everyone happy? Clothes are one of the ways in which a person expresses her or his individuality. Dictating what another individual wears is as ridiculous as a third party forbidding you, a writer, from choosing certain topics, or me, an actor, from taking on certain roles.

What's the issue with Mallika's clothes? If the concern is protecting women's dignity, why don't we create a safe and protective environment so that little girls aren't thrown into fires for stepping beyond boundaries that should never have been set up?

Copyright IANS

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