By Vivekananda Nemana
I just made up the term “masculinity porn,” but you know what I mean: all those physics-defying acts of flexing muscles, flipping cigarettes, starting explosions, twirling moustaches, kicking ass, and so on. Masculinity porn means the hero is not only an unstoppable fighter but also an infallible human being, virtuous in his manliness, constantly outsmarting foes and imparting elevated moral wisdom. And it’s porn because 1) the character makes no pretenses at realism and 2) you are still supposed to either want that guy or want to be that guy.
Sometimes, it’s awesome. Who doesn’t love all of Rajnikanth’s tamaashas? My eyes widen with joy when Jason Statham takes on an entire gang of international smugglers in a mechanic shed. And for the record, my favorite macho scene of all time, in any language, is an old Chiranjeevi clip innocuously titled ‘Horse under truck’ on YouTube. I’m a huge fan of action movies specifically for their cartoonish violence and tough-guy posturing (you’ll find some great examples here).
Enter SS Rajamouli’s Bahubali – the testosterone-heavy epic combining muscle men and waterfalls and Game of Thrones-meets-Lord of the Rings-meets-300 visuals, which dials up the masculinity porn to stratospheric levels.
We all know that it’s one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. It may certainly be the most ambitious. It’s inspiring memes like none other. And its poster (the image is from one of the movie’s first few scenes) shows the hero’s wet, rippling body as he carries a gargantuan *ahem* Shiva lingam towards a waterfall.
As is customary with highly anticipated releases in the south, fanboy flex boards covered Hyderabad in the weeks before Bahubali’s release, with full-sized action shots of Prabhas, who plays the film’s hero, and encouraging messages like “Best wishes 2 our Prabhas Anna.” Without exception, the posters also carry images of the said fans, who are almost always young men, their vacuous expressions indicating a steely devotion to either fandom or, I sometimes suspect, excessive masturbation.
Hero worship is of course commonplace in the south, where the biggest stars are revered for their godlike machismo (watch this video of fans watching the Bala Krishna film Legend). But the hype around Bahubali ensured the fan frenzy reached transcendent levels, with the actors’ workout routines going viral and fights breaking out at theatre queues. And Prabhas – who has about as much acting talent as a circus pony but who is, well, tall and jacked – has built a cult following around his virile, lady-slaying roles.
But action movies, however cartoony (unless, of course, we’re talking Mad Max: Fury Road), almost always indulge in the objectification of women, from Bond girls to item dancers. And Telugu films take it a few steps further: a common trope is the unapproachable heroine, whom the hero, cool as a cat in his shades and designer outfits, must aggressively woo. And since he is often portrayed as a rebel – a status underscored by his coterie of less attractive, risk-averse friends – he cannot approach her normally by, like, asking her out. Instead he repeatedly undermines her, pranks her, shows up uninvited at her home or office, or if he’s particularly sly, re-engineers the circumstances of her life (consider this scene from the 2012 Racha, in which the hero literally bets that he’ll win over the daughter of a mining don). The heroine’s increasingly agitated rejections are of no consequence, because some twist of plot – a dramatic rescue, a stirring speech – will inevitably prompt a change of heart. “No” is really an invitation to try, try again. The director Puri Jagannadh is especially fond of this construction, but so is Baahubali’s director SS Rajamouli – his college romance Sye and his recent blockbuster Eega both present such borderline harassment as funny, cutesy courtship.
The more “unattainable” a woman is – the more independent or glamorous, the more she strays from the good girl archetype – the more bravado in the hero’s pursuit, until she finally caves. Thus, the constantly reinforced message has less to do with love and courtship than with masculine men taming unruly women. Their voices and actual desires are all but irrelevant in this structure, as is any notion that love is an equally balanced thing. The heroic alpha male wins through constant pressure, sabotage, shows of strength. (Need I even mention the implications for real life street harassment and stalking?)
It’s no surprise then that Bahubali, with all of its rippling tough guy tropes, not only replicates this idea but multiplies it. The film, the first of two cinematic parts, traces the life of Shivudu (played by Prabhas), a barrel-chested young man raised in a tribal village, who travels to the seat of a powerful kingdom ruled by the tyrannical Palvaalthevan (played by Rana Daggubati). There, he discovers that he is actually Bahubali, the rightful heir to the throne, and that Devasena (played by Anushka Shetty), an imprisoned queen he had come to rescue, is his real mother. The movie ends with an extended flashback about how Bahubali’s father (also played by Prabhas) was crowned king over Palvaalthevan, while leaving the story of his downfall – and of Bahubali’s redemption, presumably – for the next chapter.
The movie has four major female characters, all of whom are ostensibly strong (although it comes nowhere close to passing the Bechdel test. Two of them only interact once, for about five seconds, and that too about the hero). Initially, the most compelling female character seems to be the female lead Avantika, played by Tamannaah. She fits the unapproachable trope both literally and figuratively: Avantika is a tough warrior who lives atop a treacherous waterfall and hacks away at enemies with her sword. She’s a trained fighter in an overwhelmingly male cohort, and a true warrior – unlike, by the way, the stubborn Bahubali, who grew up in a tribal village with zero military training.
But the pornographic logic of Bahubali does not allow any woman to leave as much as a shadow on the hero’s glorious masculinity. In a single, jaw-dropping scene, the film methodically sabotages a strong, feminist lead – and the idea that a woman could ever compete with the hero’s machismo. One night, as Avantika sleeps, Bahubali surreptitiously (and inexplicably) paints her arm with a flowery design that sharply contrasts against her battle-worn armor. She’s been chosen to pursue her life’s mission – to bring back her clan’s queen, imprisoned in the palace – but almost loses the chance when her chief notices the tattoo and berates her for frivolous “girlish interests.”
Furious, Avantika searches for the dolt who nearly derailed her. She attacks Bahubali when she finds him, but now – despite kicking ass just a few scenes earlier – her arrows keep missing their mark, while our hero cracks sexist jokes about how feisty she is. The music selection here is also important: it’s playful, and lighthearted. Avantika demands to know just who Bahubali thinks he is, but he replies with something daft like, “The question is, who are you?” She says that she’s a warrior. Baahubali knowingly shakes his head, jabs her chest and says, “But who is the woman inside you?” The question leaves her speechless.
And then – and fucking then – as Avantika struggles with him, Bahubali proceeds to tear her clothes off, and he has this goofy my-mother-loved-me-too-much smile on his face while the flirty, lighthearted score continues in the background. Baahubali strips Avantika, kickass warrior, down to red underwear, and paints her face (in lieu of makeup) with some berries and coal. She fights back until he pushes her towards a waterfall, where she sees her reflection (plus Prabhas’s creepy leer in the background) and has an epiphany: she never knew how beautiful she was until he stripped her of agency and painted her face with makeup.
Despite the extremely rapey events of the past two minutes, Avantika turns her adoring eyes to Bahubali, now the omniscient romantic, who explains that this was all part of the plan because he climbed a waterfall for her. Somehow, this excuse is sufficient for both the heroine and the audience. They make love.
The message here is clear: Dudes, if you harass a woman long enough, she will fall in love with you, and you will probably get laid. Ladies, if you choose to deviate from traditional female roles, you’ll always be inherently unhappy, and secretly, you’ll be waiting for a hero to save you from empowerment.
After they are together, Avantika slips away from her new lover to resume her mission to save the queen. She walks, visibly distracted, when she is attacked by royal guards. She’s unable to defend herself this time; the badass warrior who existed all of twenty minutes ago seems no more. Only Bahubali can save her, as if he grew stronger as she diminished. The transformation is complete: the powerful warrior has been reduced to the damsel in distress.
This moment also spells the end of Avantika’s important mission. Bahubali grabs her face, stares into her frightened eyes, and says something like, “You’re mine now, your mission belongs to me. Chal, I’ll go.” And we are supposed to believe that she lets him walk away without a fight.
Vivekananda Nemana is a freelance journalist based in Hyderabad. He’s working on a book about how tribal youth in Andhra Pradesh are negotiating global markets. He swears he actually does enjoy watching Telugu movies.
July 18, 2015 at 8:04 am
Hilarious and ridiculous post. You have safely ignored the subtleness of the romance shown, but got attracted to the rapey striptease!!
Agreed the editing was not good and should have more footage of the romance to make it believable. 1)Avantika, being a bandit and warrior in those troubled times, was shown as confused/dissatisfied whether to concentrate/not concentrate on exterior self. 2) As the hero climbs the mountain hallucinating about his dream girl, Avantika also has man of her dreams who can climb the mountains and bring the lost mask of hers. She romances due to this and not because of the makeover/harassment (wat a disgusting interpretation u had for such a subtle romance shown!!!) 3) Mvs require twists, lows and highs with the characters of hero and heroin else the screenplay becomes flat just like NH10 which had strong female character!!
July 18, 2015 at 8:11 am
puhlease..what a disgusting objectification of the scenes!! Avantika was initially shown as a warrior who cannot kill all the goons following her by herself. She takes help of her bandit mates! Obviously she became weak when trapped by net or outnumbered. Laughing out for the sick indian male interpretation that she became weak after sex!!
July 18, 2015 at 8:24 am
For a Jaundiced eye everything looks yellow
July 18, 2015 at 8:38 am
You are full of shit….
I wonder why you omitted Ramya krishna’s character and highlighted only one character…..probably to propagate your shitty views
July 18, 2015 at 8:41 am
It was fun reading this article. You rarely get to see such stupid writers. I know the type — probably a single guy trying to win over feminist girls by being more feminist than them. I bet he masturbates looking at pictures of tomboyish girls being bad and all. He doesn’t like women being strong as women. No, that doesn’t get him an erection. That’s why he doesn’t see all the other strong women characters the movie pushes.
As soon as we came out of the theaters my little daughter said “Bahubali should’ve taken Avantika with him to get Devasena.” This idiot probably wasted several nights to write this silly article just to get that simple point across. Dude, wank your monkey a smuch as you want, but don’t think you are being intellectual and all.
July 18, 2015 at 10:05 am
When a woman says no she doesn’t always mean no. That’s a lie they spread to keep ugly guys at bay. If you believe that you’ll stay single forever… Or you could try the ultra feminist approach. And that could be the reason you have lot of spare time to look into the eyes of some teenage guy and identify “steely devotion to excessive Masturbation” or whatever it is you saw. It is time to up your game Anna…
July 18, 2015 at 2:55 pm
bethlovesbolly dhanyarajendran theladiesfinger in the hyperbole that the juggernaut called Bahubali has become, pertinent points raised.
July 18, 2015 at 3:40 pm
When you are reviewing a bad movie like Bahubali, you say what you want to say quickly and get done with it. There are a thousand bad movies made every year in India. But this guy makes it sound like an intellectual analysis, a veritable thesis, as if he is going to make this a chapter in the book he says he is writing. Every time something makes a splash, a hundred idiots pop up trying to steal some limelight holding contrarian views. But this guy clearly doesn’t know when to stop. He is probably losing his sleep checking Facebook every minute to see how many likes and shares he got for this trash he doled out which reads like a 15-year old practicing writing. If Ladies Finger allows trash like this on their website, they will surely lose subscribers.
.
Someone by the name Kaushiki Das says she is disheartened to see the comments here calling it “backlash” and tries to do some of her own “analysis”. Lets see….(a) The whole story is driven by woman characters alone — from killing of soldiers by the escaping Queen to tribal mother/queen to Avantika to Devasena. (b) The movie did not disclose yet why Avantika fights for Devasena’s release the way she does (hardly any women in that group). Given that, it is hard to analyse why she lost it when she is distracted by Bahubali, and turns to courtship instead of fighting.
Coming back to the dork who wrote this piece… A woman walks into a bar dressed like a slut looking for a date, a man offers to buy her a drink when she is having a drink alone, she dances with him a little later letting him touch her all over, she takes him home and fucks him like a dog, he makes her breakfast the next morning and leaves it by her bedside along with his number on a note. I am sure this dork would find this normal process of courtship. What he needs to realize is this.. the target audience for this movie is not dorks like you. So stop acting smart and practice your writing on someone else. I mean, who uses phrases like “strips her of agency”? Agency? ‘Agency!?”. ROFL.
July 18, 2015 at 6:22 pm
splendiddeeds erroneous analysis. Avantika was shown to become bedazzled by the reflection of Baahubali’s ideal version of her, as if to suggest, What more can she want in life than to not be wearing her clothes, to be decked in make-up and in the process to become an attractive proposition to the man who, by virtue of being so manly, was capable of weakening a position of militant conviction she had built up for so long? the further implication is that the man cannot help the woman without first establishing his superiority on every level, after which she must be devoted to and concede all decision-making rights to him.
July 18, 2015 at 6:34 pm
aliyakhan ROFL is a great argument. your training in parliamentary debate is very impressive and you must be thanked for spreading enlightenment. as for your other displays of intellect and understanding, however, there are some issues. when you say that the whole story is driven by female characters just because one ran with a baby, one raised the baby, one was a member of a militia and one was a captive, you are basically saying that the existence of the transport sector in an economy makes it quite obviously the most powerful and important of all sectors. however, as we all know, the transport sector facilitates the decisions and actions that the bigger and more powerful sectors take; similarly, these women, who hardly interact with other women at any point in the film, are merely devices for the propagation of the pornographic male image. moreover, if bad films do not deserve to be given time, why have you given what you think is a bad review so much time in your reply?
oh, um, ROFL.
July 18, 2015 at 6:42 pm
aliyakhan add after ‘merely devices…male image’: ‘…, to which the majority of the running time is devoted; women (and men, of course) watch admiringly and approvingly as men do manly things. whatever Avantika lost when she was battling Baahubali was lost because she saw the image he constructed of her, by peeling off the layers of the image she herself had so painstakingly constructed. i cannot believe the politics of this obvious display of male superiority are lost on you; deliberate daftness is worse than congenital idiocy because you’re choosing to prevent progress. luckily, not everyone is as idiotic as you.’
July 18, 2015 at 6:47 pm
It has become a trend now to get famous by writing big disagreement and awful content on generally liked movies, people, situations. why not focus ur strength on better things?
July 18, 2015 at 7:06 pm
I wonder if these feminists will brand Lord Krishna as ‘sexual harasser’ for teasing girls by hiding their clothes. This militant feminism is laying eggs in India too…disappointing days ahead.
This author is not only a feminist but also an opportunist who is trying to get attention(unfortunately succeeding in it) by slinging mud at this masterpiece. Baahubali is one of the few epic movies in the world where women were shown as terrific warriors and ruthless Queens. Also Anushka character is also a warrior which will be shown in part 2(see making videos). No hollywood epic movies-Gladiator, 300, LORT etc have such strong women characters.
Instead of pointing this fact and saluting the feminist spirit of the writer(Vijayendra Prasad), the author just rambled on non-nonsensical militant feminist talking points.
BTW, no where in the world were women fighters and participated in battles, especially in mdieval ages(where the film seems to be set). And there is a reason for this- women are not as physically strong as men- which is what counts on the battle. This fact may sound sexist to you, but this is literally the fact.
I will go so far as to say that showing Avantika as a warrior was historically inaccurate. So stop bitching and appreciate the only epic war movie which has strong women characters!
July 19, 2015 at 12:28 am
dhrubaenator Wrong. One can infer from the group leader’s words earlier that any kind of attention to their physical appearance is a taboo in that group. May be Avantika was brought up in that group all her life trying to fight for someone else’s causes.. like a slave. And for once she could see that she is a woman, and beautiful too. I guess the director thinks that is a necessary for an acceptable courtship. And you think its perfectly okay to be a slave than pay attention to one self?
splendiddeeds
July 19, 2015 at 12:38 am
dhrubaenator You see, when anything about Baahubali gets eyeballs, it makes sense to also throw some light on the author’s stupidity while helping The Ladies Finger? After all, its a worthy cause. No other post on this site is getting so many comments and this is good for The Ladies Finger.
As for your brilliant arguments, I suggest you make a movie called Avantika. This one’s called Baahubali.
As for the argument below you painfully constructed — the warrior image was not something Avantika constructed. It was given to her. And she was a slave to that image, not knowing anything else beyond it. That’s why it required someone else to take pains to make her go beyond it. Got it? Its a different matter what you want her to be doing instead. As I said, go make a movie yourself.
July 19, 2015 at 5:27 am
And Mr. Vivekananda, I believe you’ll scream that Roark raped Dominique in The Fountainhead. And as one guy rightly commented, you’ll cry that Lord Krishna was the first and worst version of a peeping Tom. Get a perspective!!
July 19, 2015 at 5:35 am
annavetticad how premature,haven’t even seen the full movie,and we deduce it is a rape:).what if this was how they played when young(pun)..
July 19, 2015 at 5:38 am
annavetticad theladiesfinger Thanks Anna! Loved your piece as well…think you nailed what a lot of people felt
July 19, 2015 at 5:48 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger
July 19, 2015 at 5:51 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger agrees with the Indian psyche? After all we have epics, centered atound abduction & molestation.
July 19, 2015 at 5:53 am
aliyakhan dhrubaenator splendiddeeds firstly, are you under the impression that being a militant member of a political cause is the same thing as slavery? would you like me to direct you to some pages and historical/economic tracts that will clarify for you what basic education should have a long time ago, i.e. the definition of slavery? any assumption you make about her having been forced to join the cause is entirely your own fabrication because there is no evidence supporting it in the narrative, and this theory probably influenced by your regressive belief that women cannot be members of militant causes of their own volition. secondly, she doesn’t give up on her mission because Baahubali has proven to her that ‘she is a woman, and beautiful too’; she just agrees that, despite all her training and determination, his decision to usurp her mission is perfectly reasonable. he does not free her from any sort of slavery, he merely adds another master in her life (himself) by proving himself the stronger, the faster, the wiser, the better. thirdly, the notion that a warrior woman will wilt when she is introduced to a man’s vision of female beauty IS pandering to historical, MAN-MADE constructs of womanhood, which is the problem. so, no, not wrong. i mean, you are, i’m not.
July 19, 2015 at 5:56 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger ROFL, you guys are made for each otherU0001f602U0001f602. Is it appraisal time already at your office ?U0001f608
July 19, 2015 at 6:00 am
aliyakhan dhrubaenator thanks for giving me permission to wank off to tomboyish girls. i wasn’t entirely sure you would be alright with that, but since i now am, i’ll be sure to make it a habit. now for your laughable rebuttal: the only circumstances in which we construct anything for ourselves are those involving agreement or disagreement with existing cultures. no one lives and thinks in isolation; this has been known for millennia. hence, when i suggested that Avantika constructed an image for herself, i did not mean that she did it outside of any and all influences; i meant that she had agreed with the norms of a certain rigorous way of life designed to achieve political objectives for her people. all of this was undermined by a big, muscular man who smilingly bested her in combat and took off her clothes. the implication that that’s all it takes to change the mind of a woman, regardless of her political radicalism, is equivalent to the implication that women are made to be beautiful objects of the male gaze.
your argument for critiquing this review is exactly the argument for the existence of the review. thank you again, for shooting yourself in the foot. now stuff that bleeding foot in your mouth, please.
July 19, 2015 at 6:03 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger #bullseye or shall I say….Ahem!
July 19, 2015 at 6:05 am
dhrubaenator aliyakhan splendiddeeds
July 19, 2015 at 6:17 am
discobillee I’ve been calling it eroticization of masculinity for a long time.
July 19, 2015 at 6:40 am
chillpillpilly yep. Just quite like the term Masculinity Porn. haha. So simple and accurate!
July 19, 2015 at 6:42 am
discobillee chillpillpilly YOU! yr ALIVE?!!
July 19, 2015 at 6:43 am
utterflea haha. I come back to life every now and then bro! I’ll call to yo ulater today? Must to chat x
July 19, 2015 at 6:44 am
discobillee hokay. Where u be? Nilgiris or back in the Dally?
July 19, 2015 at 6:44 am
utterflea bangalore. Going back to the hills tomorrow. in Delhi soon tho for a very short time. will tell you all over phone x
July 19, 2015 at 6:46 am
discobillee ok ☺
July 19, 2015 at 6:49 am
discobillee yeah! Didn’t think of that word until I saw it! 😀
July 19, 2015 at 6:49 am
utterflea discobillee evidently. 😀
July 19, 2015 at 7:04 am
Don’t really understand what really the issue is with the writer? is the article written just for the sake of writing something on something that is being considered successful just so that some success brushes off to the writer or is it written to please the misandry in the writer.. more than 99.99% movies worldwide are male-centric so what is the writer’s exact problem with Baahubali? he/she has issues with hero playing hard to get in south Indian movies but would themselves play the part in real life.. about the hero tearing the actress clothes (its a tolly staple), how many times have you written an article on the subject after seeing it umpteen times in say Gameof Thrones? some people just write for the sake of writing and getting 2 mins of fame with no objectivity in sight..
July 19, 2015 at 7:06 am
dhrubaenator Ah. So Avantika’s change of mind and mission is not of her own agency. Why? Because you don’t like it? Where are hell are you guys from?
About your second point — learn to read. I rubbished the author’s pretensions and not his act of writing itself.
July 19, 2015 at 7:13 am
dhrubaenator So when Avantika decides to outsource her mission to man she loses her agency but when she works under an abusive man who imposes restrictions on her behaviour and decides her missions, she is on her own? Keep wanking.
aliyakhan splendiddeeds
July 19, 2015 at 7:17 am
A man’s a man after all, no matter how much he tries to please. Look at this creep who pretends to be a feminist but cannot cover up his medieval thinking. When Avantika outsources her mission to a man and makes it his mission she “loses her agency”. But when she works under another man who not only imposes himself on her, decides what she wears and what she does to her skin, and decides what her missions are, she has agency. Vivekananda, huh? Where are you from, Sri Rama Sene?
July 19, 2015 at 7:35 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger madversity Kya aapne yeh dekha?
July 19, 2015 at 7:39 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger wow. Just wow. What did I just read. !?
July 19, 2015 at 7:46 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger you are welcome to make the perfect movie. Also there are women oriented films where men are jokers
July 19, 2015 at 7:46 am
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger so what’s your point?
July 19, 2015 at 2:46 pm
annavetticad It isn’t masculinity porn. Technically its worse. Porn (exclude child porn) has consent. vnemana theladiesfinger
July 19, 2015 at 2:59 pm
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger Mahendra Bahubali (Shivudu) is more villain than Bhallala deva [part 2 isn’t released yet]
July 19, 2015 at 3:06 pm
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger Going into details the film has it in a song & consent is blurred into lust. Yet Stockholm syndrome?
July 19, 2015 at 3:08 pm
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger Close to Gandharva – Asura vivaha. Asuras are bad guys for most Hindus 🙂
July 19, 2015 at 3:22 pm
annavetticad You are still a sickular left libtard Christian psycho Sonia boot licking CONgi… presstitute vnemana theladiesfinger
July 19, 2015 at 3:26 pm
annavetticad Don’t see you writing as much against Islamic, Christian despots who used tape as weapon in India vnemana theladiesfinger
July 19, 2015 at 3:31 pm
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger Bahubali is fiction. #RapeJihad from time of pedo Mo till now is a reality you celebrate. Feminist?
July 19, 2015 at 4:21 pm
aliyakhan dhrubaenator Avantika’s change of mind occurred after a man representing the epitome of masculinity defeated her effortlessly in combat, progressively undressed her, and in the process exposed her to an image of herself that accords with a historically constructed male idea of female beauty – in other words, a woman’s political militancy is no match for the allure of the sexual role, a role of inferiority, assigned to her by a man through a show of dominance. do you ascribe agency to a person who has been persuaded through dominance that she is helpless against, you moron? since you appear not to understand much, let me clarify how this works: in a patriarchal society, propagating this dynamic, a dynamic of patriarchal constructs of masculinity and femininity, translates to reinforcing male superiority, i.e. sexism. that it’s being reinforced through ‘subtle’ or ‘poetic’ romantic images doesn’t change its message. this is followed by her being saved by him through divine-heroic efforts, after which he unilaterally declares that she is his and so is her mission. is this how things are ‘outsourced’? i’m sorry, what choice of hers can be found in this usurpation? she is, quite simply (for your sake), carried away by his masculinity, which nothing can withstand. again (for your sake): the promotion of masculinity as an all-powerful force is a device that promotes patriarchy.
‘when she works under an abusive man who imposes restrictions on her behaviour’? she is a member of a militant outfit, you dimwit, not a brothel! they have a political objective! there’s a chain of command that maintains discipline in order to achieve that objective (in case you aren’t aware, that’s how political revolutions are carried out), and the ‘abusive man’ is clearly her senior in age and rank, which is why she listens to him, just like everyone else in the group does! goodness, how stupid are you?
as for your recommendation that i learn to read, it would be farcical for me to take the advice of someone who interprets films and film reviews the way you do, and your exact words were, ‘When you are reviewing a bad movie like Bahubali, you say what you want to say quickly and get done with it.’ you’ve established a link between bad movies and the need for brevity in analysis; there should logically exist the same link between bad reviews (since you considered this review bad) and analyses of those.
and, to answer your question, i’m from Delhi. is wanking all you think about? go out a bit, maybe you’ll get laid at some point down the line.
July 19, 2015 at 4:28 pm
aliyakhan pasting the relevant portion of my response below: ‘ she is a member of a militant outfit, you dimwit, not a brothel! they have a political objective! there’s a chain of command that maintains discipline in order to achieve that objective (in case you aren’t aware, that’s how political revolutions are carried out), and the ‘abusive man’ is clearly her senior in age and rank, which is why she listens to him, just like everyone else in the group does! goodness, how stupid are you?’
July 19, 2015 at 4:28 pm
aliyakhan also, Sri Rama Sene is not a place.
July 19, 2015 at 4:33 pm
_twitwhat annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger you are welcome to write the perfect review. also there are reviews that are praising this male oriented film.
July 19, 2015 at 6:16 pm
annavetticad vnemana theladiesfinger Such concern for women!So touching!And I bet you will have no problem dancing to ‘sheela ki jawani!’
July 19, 2015 at 6:30 pm
dhrubaenator Good try… stretched your brain a bit, huh? Sample this — (a) I never defended that silly scene, (b) I criticized author’s use of the word “agency”, which neither you or he understand. Don’t embarrass yourself publicly by disclosing your silly attempt at understanding the notions of “dominance” and “superiority”. Go back and read what you wrote and find the exact point where she loses her agency. Take my advice — don’t be a pretender… go out more often.
Here’s some more work for your overstretched brain — I have been a feminist all my life, living and working in the US. I wear a hijab. But I don’t impose it on my little daughter. Analyze that.
But I got to accept that your attempts at insulting me are cho chweet 🙂
aliyakhan
July 19, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Brilliantly written! Wish i had read it before, rajeev masand (4/5 stars godammit!) ruined my saturday! 🙁
July 20, 2015 at 1:45 am
Sarwagna_Ananta I haven’t watched a single Hindi film in the last 15 yrs. incl Sheila Ki Jawani, bcos they are misogynistic. can I talk?
July 20, 2015 at 1:53 am
aliyakhan dhrubaenator vnemana i used the scene you didn’t criticise to explain to you how female agency is lost through a series of images linking extreme masculinity to a woman’s acceptance of herself as a sexual and inferior being. i don’t care what you claim to do or wear, where you claim to live or whom you to claim to have mothered. none of it is in the least relevant. it’s just sad that you’re trying to make some sort of inspiring biopic out of this. don’t get me wrong, all your responses have been ludicrous, but this last one was plain sad. you even flung my words about going out right back at me. ‘ROFL’!
anyway, seeing as nearly everything i do on a daily basis is more interesting than your sad efforts to make the world a more sexist place for your daughter, i shall now take my leave. no more time can be wasted trying to get a moron to recognise the moronic aspects of his/her reflection. khuda hafiz.
July 20, 2015 at 1:54 am
kavitharao Certainly, you may! I was being sarcastic at the hypocrites.
July 20, 2015 at 1:55 am
Sarwagna_Ananta most Indian films have been this way for years. deep entrenched culture of seeing women as maal. sudden outrage silly.
July 20, 2015 at 2:28 am
kavitharao That was my point also to the Hindu hating Christian woman.
July 20, 2015 at 2:29 am
Sarwagna_Ananta oh now you have lost me. bringing ppl’s religions into it is vile. bye.
July 20, 2015 at 2:36 am
kavitharao I lost you?Whatever made you think I ever had you?Strange assumptions!
July 20, 2015 at 2:40 am
Show this in Mark of Zorro, no problem.. Show this in an Indian movie, huge problem.. When will the hypocrisy end?!!
July 20, 2015 at 3:15 am
You don’t understand. The women voluntarily take up such roles.. If they feel they are objectified, let them say no. And if a similar movie is made with roles reversed, I am sure the men will not feel jealous, but of course that movie will not make money. I guess it is safe to say that the movies are generally accepted by all and please don’t try to invite sympathy to women. They are independent, manipulative and smart enough to know how to move forward in life and the last sentence is gender neutral. So stop feeling inferior to men because, this article was penned only because you felt inferior to men or superior to men. Start trying to think both ways. Thanks.
July 20, 2015 at 4:25 am
Forget it mate! They happily attack people, culture, religion but the moment you talk other religion, they play holier-than-thou and go outta it.. They have some weird idea of misjudged objectivity-ism el of some misjudged and misguided objectivity-ism and consider themselves rebel of some sorts by attacking establishments.. They think they are real life heroes by criticising people that don’t deserve their criticism and staying mum where criticism is actually the need of the hour
July 20, 2015 at 5:15 am
madhav Sigh. I was so looking forward to this movie. But not after reading this and annavetticad’s article.
July 20, 2015 at 10:53 am
jazznewbie You and I will agree that Elena saw Zorro earlier and was amused by her charm which Zorro felt clearly, her glowing face and happiness can tell you what was going on inside her, she even went to confess the same, the Zorro heard it and knew what he was doing. You should think again about considering the context.
July 21, 2015 at 8:35 am
dhrubaenator Idiot. It is people like you and vnemana who ban hijab in the name of women’s upliftment. You idiots don’t even understand what “loss of agency” means, or what dominance means. You confuse between what was actually shown in the movie, what may have motivated the director to show what he did, and what you think he should’ve shown.
It is people like you and vnemana who subvert the feminist cause with your stupidity. Stay away. Please.
July 21, 2015 at 1:48 pm
aliyakhan dhrubaenator vnemana i don’t support banning hijab. i do know what agency, loss and dominance mean. i’m not confused at all; if you don’t refrain from transferring your confusion to me, you’ll probably be facing a pyschotherapist soon. would be a good thing, because at the very least your manufactured definitions of those terms, and of ‘subversion’ and ‘feminism’, might be treated with interest and benevolence by a psychotherapist.
p.s. i am a little confused, about whether to smirk at you for being so moronic or sympathise with you for being mentally challenged.
July 21, 2015 at 9:39 pm
harshad_fad brainwashed by feminazi, move on.
July 21, 2015 at 10:01 pm
truthbyheart harshad_fad http://www.booksie.com/humor/short_story/emilio_amaro/the-feminazis U0001f609
July 22, 2015 at 10:48 am
truthbyheart You are missing the point. Cinema is the reflection of society and chauvinism needs to be treated for a better world.
July 22, 2015 at 1:07 pm
harshad_fad then u need to criticize whole Indian cinema. Why the hell have u singled out Telugu cinema. Isn’t that racist bias?
July 22, 2015 at 4:09 pm
truthbyheart Stating a bitter truth.Whether to criticise one player or entire team my choice.Racism not in my nature.I come from Hyderabad.
July 24, 2015 at 12:25 am
sdaas Read this too. http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/the-needless-public-discourse-on-sexism-in-bahubali-115072000194_1.html
July 24, 2015 at 12:36 am
jazznewbie you clearly missed the point because you are attuned to male celebration in telugu movies. 99% of telugu people haven’t expressed outrage against the movie. And speaking of Game of Thrones, people have voiced dissent disapproval of the rape scenes. So, accepting rape since it’s just in a movie is improper. Consider the kind of reach the movie has. More people think it’s okay to indulge in wooing even when women have clearly said a no. The society has enough trouble understanding what consent means.
August 3, 2015 at 2:20 pm
I agree that you have very good Writing skills but no common sense at all
this movie was a complete fiction and there was no awkward scenes between them.
Grow up buddy educated people who have some common sense are far more capable such that they wont get inspired to do something which the heroes or villains or heroines do in these fiction movies.
If you want to target ppl who are psychos, rapists and uneducated ppl who think women are only for fun write articles in simple english language or in our national language hindi or go to slums research about people take interviews and explain them what is good and bad other than posting some bullshit articles which are not even useful for society
i appreciate your so called writing skills which you want to show off so use them in writing some good articles which make sense but these kind of publicity stunts will fetch you nothing . If you keep on writing useless articles ..I think you need to consult a psychiatrist… god bless you.
August 6, 2015 at 1:23 pm
I can tell that you have done a bit research and seen the movie…. but as far as this article of yours shows, i dont think you have actually “seen” the movie…. besides some common mistakes you did while re-telling the story(regarding who actually is Sivudu…. and how he is related to Bahubali and Avanthika’s scene)… you forgot that stories are not facts and concrete evidential stuff…. they are works of imagination beyond the common sense and are suppose to play to the tune of a rhythm which makes us think “what if this was true… how fascinating would it look!!!”. For eg. people like you and me could never pull half of the stunts these people did in the movie, but what they show in the movies is not suppose to be all true. But let me tell you another “real fact”… the old Kings use to be bigger and stronger because they were bred with objective to make them bigger and stronger. If you don’t believe me, go to a museum of old kings and you will see how big their clothes were….
And the rape scene that you mention about stripping her to her underwear…. she was wearing full clothes (but i guess that hurt your eyes too) and the whole scene was suppose to be a poetic expression of the hero to show the heroine how he sees her and to shed off her hard shell in front of him as he knows what she looks like from within…..
also I am not able to understand while you continuously ridicule the movie that it is not showing female actors better and not giving them room to improve whereas the whole film starts with a female actor cutting up two soldiers and the title screen also shows the same actress holding the child above the water….
I mean seriously man… dont just write an article for the sake of it and actually see the movie and feel it before writing about it.
In all other senses… i find you a good outspoken writer
August 9, 2015 at 11:44 am
HargunSherBhatia I agree, one thing all these types of prefabrication’s leave out is that Avanthika is slated to leave on a suicide mission to save the queen. This was her only chance to feel beautiful and have some semblance of normal marriage like a regular woman. even after her rough exterior was striped away, it never went any further than that, the director left it up to your imagination. I say the people that imagined a rape occurred are the dirty one’s. Most of us felt nothing more happened. It was for us to decide though don’t you get it? If you say rape it was your mind not everyone else’s meaning you’re the perv not the actor.
August 14, 2015 at 2:38 am
You all may think that Baahubali is a work of fiction, SOMEONE out there will not assume so. Just look at all of the idiots that stare at girls as they walk by on the roads in India. You ALL know what I’m talking about. Movies may mimick cultural patterns and occurrences in order to show reality, but maybe this is just further entrenching society instead. I agree fully to this article. What happened to the female power that was shown in the beginning? What was that disgusting rape scene? Is this really what the future generation should be watching and possible… learning?
August 14, 2015 at 2:40 am
No wonder rape is so common in India
August 14, 2015 at 2:41 am
This doesnt make sense whatsoever.
August 14, 2015 at 2:46 am
Its not about the fact that the actress accepted this role. Porn stars are hired to have sex with anyone and yet this is socially looked down upon in society. Are you saying that just because the star accepted that it is okay to show to the rest of the people?
August 14, 2015 at 2:49 am
And how is this related to the article above? Please discuss this elsewhere because there is no place here.
August 14, 2015 at 2:52 am
If a women who works in an office has a male boss that assigns her projects, does that mean that he is forcing himself on her? That just makes no sense at all.
August 14, 2015 at 2:53 am
Its the fact that the movie shows that even the strongest women are nothing compared to their male counterparts. That is what makes this technologically advanced movie not as socially advanced
August 14, 2015 at 2:55 am
Well…he was was. That is pretty much the truth and this is coming from a Hindu
August 14, 2015 at 2:58 am
There were plenty of female warriors in any culture around this period. They were just disguised as men. Such as Joan of Arc, Mulan, etc. Krishna was a sexual harasser. Anyone who did this in todays time would end up behind bars. Just stating the facts
August 14, 2015 at 10:19 am
@truthbyheart: I am afraid what you term by militant feminism. I am a chauvinist, love male characters, action films and have been a scholar in cinema. I do not agree with a lot of facets regarding feminism, rather can ‘critique’. But what refuse to see is the type of militant machismo that is celebrated throughout the film. I will do one thing to a girl – tear her clothes off, will touch her and paint her body and lips even if she refuses – i dont know where the hell faminism comes into this! I would like to add one more point – the potent males are all endowed with physique, but the only cripple is a villain – hence the supremecy of the body politics continues! The end battle is fought with an African tribe? (the language at least say so!) And where have you read/heard/seen that there were no women warrioirs? hohohoho!!! please find out the facts, they are awaiting your bliss! I absolutely agree with Papita – but its beyond question to ask the mythological characters for their deeds – they are absolute, the truth, the unquestionable, infallable!!! Probably the pious people do not delve enough into their own religion! The rapes committed by the gods are beyond measure – sometimes they are cursed (like Shiva, Indra) and sometimes its the woman who fall for the rapist (Krishna?) or sometimes they avenge for their misfortune – like Amba. Please read the ancient Indian literatue, they were not as stupid as us!
August 14, 2015 at 10:22 am
Pakula Papito very nice! People have gone mad or what? Thye support this triumphant act of abuse?
August 14, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Since when was feminazi a thing. The only thing I see are male macho idiots who like to look down upon, abuse and rape women
September 14, 2015 at 1:25 pm
ewallacestudent1 HargunSherBhatia
You idiots…. this blog doesnt say rape happened. The whole idea that a man has the right to give a woman the semblance of a ‘normal’ marriage… or show her his poetic expression is what is wrong. For e.g. let’s say Avantika wanted to show Sivudu that in her eyes, he’s not a warrior, but a delicate, loving boy…should she have stripped him and made him wear sheer, linen clothes and shaved his mustache off? I mean, you’d be ok with that right…after all it’s her poetic expression of how she sees him.
😀
I think Bahubali was a grand movie…with great action pieces, amazing battles and some thumping action….but come on that scene was sexist as hell. And if you don’t see that…. god save the women you decide to have poetic expressions for. 😀
September 25, 2016 at 10:11 am
Exactly. To shed of her hard shell. Conforms definitely with the stereotypical idea that females are always meant to be soft, while men strong. Look around you. Do you see many women around you like that? Your mom, your sisters, gf, wife, a daughter maybe. Do you want them to be mellow. The fact is that the author has looked at the movie from a gender neutral, more biologically realistic perspective, while you from the typical indian machosistic one.
September 25, 2016 at 10:17 am
As a real woman i assure you that avantika would never have an urge to be like a “regular” woman. Because the image of a regular woman that we have is artificial. It was just a romantic way for the director to tell a story.
September 28, 2016 at 5:28 pm
Dayum man you’re too good. Brilliant.
October 9, 2016 at 8:42 pm
when you said strong female lead, I thought you meant Ramya Krishna who played the queen role to perfection and looked and sounded every bit a queen. But tamannah…dude, get a life man
March 16, 2017 at 5:50 pm
I felt quite similarly the first time I saw that particular garden scene. However, is the word Porn so appropriate here? One just can’t hijack an English word, unless he/she’s Oxford or Cambridge. Further, it was not necessary either to go overboard with linguistic caricature like that to put forward a serious point, no matter how crucial it is (Try even defining Feminine Porn in this way as a linguistic experiment and see the related backlash).
Rest is quite okay, but you are about to be bashed much more coz you pointed your finger to the Biggest cinematic event of the recent years. The actual topic, however, will stay un-noticed for sure :).
April 27, 2017 at 5:18 pm
*Looks at comments *
*weeps for India *
To the writer – you did not misuse any word. The movie made me react the same way.
Patriarchy did its damage and, do anything against it, you are called a feminist which is used as an insult when It isn’t. In india, it’s not just entertainment, when heroes are treated as gods, things like this are as real as any other issues.
But I guess we only react like it’s a matter or pride or prestige when foreign cinema does a portrayal, whether true or not.
Every other time, it’s just entertainment?
May 1, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Agree with Juan.
I’m surprised so many Indians against what the writer wrote. I’m not from India. I felt uncomfortable when he teased and stripped her as if she was his sex toy. Was wondering why the female lead became so weak all of sudden and willing to handover her cause that easily to a guy she has just met. Makes no sense.
May 3, 2017 at 1:40 pm
This is absolutely brilliant Vivek! I haven’t watched this movie but it seems so damn typical of every South Indian film. It pains me how people are so blind to the obvious sexism and are actually justifying it. Some things can never change. India has always regressed and will continue to regress. The few remaining sensible humans will have no choice but to watch it happen. Unfortunately the movie reflects the mentality of the audience it was made for. Which was why it was made in the first place. But whatever. I am beyond disgust.
I think you write beautifully.
May 6, 2017 at 3:21 am
I completely agree with the writer. I had exactly the same feelings when I watched the movie. It is sad to know that so many people out there find this kind of ‘wooing’ normal.
May 19, 2017 at 12:47 pm
Wow…I can’t believe the comments here!! Especially of aliyakhan.
The writer has written an article and I agree wholeheartedly with him. Even if you don’t agree to something, you should politely point it out instead of abusing them first. The person claims the author is doing this out of joblessness and then you yourself spend most of your time abusing a random person on the internet. Butthurt, much?
The people who are cannot argue logically are the first ones to abuse.
For a moment, do people actually think that scene is romantic?? It’s so cringe worthy and the people defending it makes me cringe more. Imagine if someone strips and smears makeup to someone you know (your daughter, sister, friend etc. or even you). Would you/she be happy? The person would feel so violated. They aren’t going to embrace their “feminity” and make love to that guy.
And for people telling its just a movie. Yeah, sure. It’s a movie. But the fact that people don’t find that scene abnormal in the least is…scary. I go to a national institute. Its said to be a pretty good one with top students. But here I’ve seen so many guys stalking girls to no end. They actually even state movies as their inspiration, seeing how the hero woos the heroine by stalking her!! There is even a guy who even after getting warnings from the institute, stalks the girl furiously and asks for just for “one night” and claims to do all this in the name of “true love”.
You don’t know how scary it is. Scarier it happens among so called “educated people”.
We should voice against anything supporting such a horrible mindset. The problem is those scenes show it in such a way that the girl is happy in the end, so its fine. Try doing that in real life to a woman. What are the chances she’ll be happy??
I really, really can’t comprehend some one showing love that way is normal.
The writer has done a good job! So are the people defending him! Ignore the retards who can’t understand.
May 23, 2017 at 9:41 am
I agree with Swati, i cannot believe the comments here, especially of aliyakhan. I do wonder if its a man posing as a hijab wearing woman just to “prove” that women are ok with these things. Otherwise i see no reason why a seemingly educated woman who claims to havea daughter would make such moronic arguments. My heart weeps for my fellow women after reading the crazy reactions to a perfectly valid, sane article. In which universe was that scene romantic or anywhere appropriate for a testerone charged nation with cities boasting of labels like “rape capital”? What the hell is wrong with people?