| Thursday, January 18, 2007 |
| Shilpa Shetty and racism in Celebrity Big Brother - my take |
In a Reality Show, there is no script. People are just expected to act the way they are, talk the way they are and react the way they are. At least that is the theory. And as long as there is no violence, nobody interferes. Or maybe orgies. I don't know.
So what is the right way to react to something like the Celebrity Big Brother Show on Channel 4 in the UK?
We have all seen clips of what has transpired between the participants in Big Brother. Shilpa Shetty, the Indian second-ring actress, is paid more than the others to participate in the show. And in little less than the two weeks that she has been there, the three white women in the show have turned against her, and she against them. Four letter words and innuendoes have flown, and Shilpa has shed tears. The governments have got into the act, Shilpa has declared and withdrawn allegations of racism. The Indian government has reacted, and so have the British establishment. The Sun tabloid wants everyone to show that Britain is not a racist country, and people should vote Jade Goody out of the show today.
I am trying to tackle the points of contention one by one. Please bear with me.
Shilpa the super Indian actress:
Shilpa walked in there as the only brown girl. The other participants have no idea of who she is. They are told she is a Bollywood actress with millions of fans. They sort of believe it. And any actor or actress in India may have millions of fans, as we populate pretty fast, and the definition of a fan is unclear.
Shilpa being described as a dog:
Hmm. I regularly describe people of all races as dogs, asses, mules, rabbits, penguins, cows, snakes. Is there anything wrong in describing people so? Not for me. I shall continue calling people names, despite any political correctness involved, and irrespective of race.
Shilpa cooking with onions:
I think this is what led to the 'dog' incident. From Shilpa's point of view, why can't she cook with onions? But point is, was she cooking for those who may not like it? If she was cooking for herself, that's fine. If Danielle Lloyd was protesting her being served food cooked by Shilpa Shetty, why does she have to eat it? I do not know if the show demands that people cook food for each other. Let Shilpa cook with onions or mud or little stones, frankly I don't see how it matters to others. And I don't see why Shilpa should bother if others don't like what she cooks either.
Indians being thin and sickly:
I don't know who said it. It was something about undercooked food or overcooked food. Many Indians are thin and sickly because of no food. And if all the really obsese people in India go to UK, probably their little islands would sink into the sea.
Class clash?
Maybe. Shilpa has that massively artificial behavior and smile, a bit like Aishwarya Rai. Is an Indian actress classier than the white model and reality TV star? I don't know. Shilpa Shetty has been in movies for 17 years or so I think, and that has earned her a large sum of money, and probably she has lived in the lap of luxury for a long time. Perhaps money makes people classy. Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd has been described in the British Press as trailer trash. But even they are not exactly poor - though may be new money while Shilpa is older money.
Not being able to pronounce Shilpa's name
This is rubbish. Two syllables are all there are to it, and anyone should be able to. I think they were just making fun of her. That's like saying Danielle sounds like the name of a man or Germaine sounds like the name of a woman. Who cares!
Shilpa a Diva?
Not from what I have seen. Rekha, thats a diva. Many of our Indian socialites can pull off a convincing act of being a diva too. Shilpa Shetty is just very boring.
Who started the fighting?
I don't know. There have been arguments galore it seems. How can people who met each other just a few days back fight? To like each other, you need some time, right? Or even to hate each other? Here Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody have been at each other's throats so naturally, I wonder how this even developed. Don't you just look away if someone unfamiliar to you does something strange? Do you oppose it right then and there if you have to live with them for a while?
Who knows where those fingers have been.
Good point. The reference is to the Indian habit of wiping their arse with water and using their left hand. It is natural for people who use a tissue to get scared of Shilpa Shetty wirping her arse and then touching their food with her hands. Come on people, this is India, and what is so surprising if people who clean their arse after a good shit in a different way are psyched by this habit of ours? It is our proud habit. Anyway, the westerners who wipe their buttholes with tissues - that is no brilliant way of cleaning up either. I suspect a lab analysis of western and Indian arseholes after a similar shitting session will show up a larger quantity of remaining turd particles around the western arsehole. I once read a blogger who convinced Americans on this.
Anyway, the point is, what was Shilpa doing, touching their food with her fingers? Why go around touching their food? She likes doing it? Shes a food-fondler? I have been with many strange people in my life, and have never touched their food. What is the need? I fail to understand why Shilpa did it. Or maybe she did it while cooking. Anyway, they were making fun of her I think.
Shilpa Poppadum
This is too funny. Jade Goody can pronounce the word Poppadum? She can pronounce it and not pronounce Shilpa? Anyway Shetty being a Tamilian, this is an apt nickname, and I don't think its racism at all. I am a south Indian, and if a white man or noth Indian calls me poppadum, I would burst out laughing. And would be quite amazed that they even know the word. Such potshots are each other's color, race and religion make life interesting.Labels: celebrity |
| posted by a correspondent @ 11:43 PM |
|
|
|
