Former NYPress editor Alexander Zaitchik wrote a compelling feature for Spiked about the death of beloved movie star Rajkumar, which turned Bangalore, high-tech capital of India, into a literal mob scene.
"For two days in April," Zaitchik writes, "Bangalore looked like Baghdad. Following the death by heart attack of the south Indian film icon known as Rajkumar, grieving fans shut down the nation's knowledge capital. Bangalore's streets, usually imagined as paved with hi-tech gold, were on 12 and 13 April turned into a stage for tear gas, gunfire, burning cars and bloody street clashes between police and 60,000 of Rajkumar's supporters. The final body count: eight, including a young policeman killed and strung up by outraged fans attempting to gain entry into their hero's funeral. To a bemused world, this fiery convulsion triggered by the death of an old actor was just another example of Indians' idiosyncratic, borderline-religious love for their movie stars. This was also the local view in some quarters. According to an editorial in the the Hindustan Times, the state of Karnakatka had 'completely lost its mind.'"
For the complete article, click here. Another good Zaitchik feature from April: His Reason Online article on how Bruce Lee became a symbol of peace in the Balkans. -- MZS
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The Rajkumar effect
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5 comments:
I just cannot understand why the death of an actor sparked such violence.
catch-13
www.catch-13.blogspot.com
As Alex explains it, it seems like a cultural version of "rage against the dying of the light." There are actually two movie industries, one based in Bombay, and the other in the south. Rajkumar symbolized and identified with the South, a region whose culture is in danger of being swallowed up by an increasingly globalized India. As the article says:
"...The majority of India's films - whose audiences split down regional and language lines - are produced farther south.Understanding what happened in Bangalore last week starts with understanding Rajkumar's seminal role in the local Kannada-language film industry, based in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka.
'Rajkumar was the face, hero and defender of the regional cultural identity', says Stephen Hughes, an Indian film and culture scholar at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. 'His rise coincided with the assertion of Kannada language and culture, at a time when Indian film was dominated by films from the north. He was an elder statesman and father figure who carried a burden much greater than that of film star. He represented a culture under siege.'
This piece and the Bruce Lee piece are reminders that the phrase "movie star" means a lot more in other countries than it does here.
Imagine what Paris will look like when Jerry Lewis croaks...
I am from Karnataka. Bangalore is, as the world knows it, definitely a major IT hub of the sub contintent today but there is also a parallely running passion for actors like Dr.Raj that go beyond movies. Specially in countries like India where movies and society are like the Siamese Twins, it is hard for the foreign and untrained eye to comprehend how such a casual seeming event can cause such insanity.
The rowdy events following his death, however, do not seem to be that of his faithful fan following. There are rumors of some anti-social and possibly political party behind the curtains pulling the strings on this one. Regardless, as an admirer of the man, I think it was very unfortunate and sad the way he was sent off. For someone who gave us clean and classic entertainment for over 5 decades this was quite possibly the worst ways to pay homage. On behalf of my state, my people and my land I offer my respects to the departed soul and pray that such incidents cease to resurface.
This was not possible anywhere other than Bangalore for the culture is like that. I have tried to give a detailed explanation trying to find out the rationale behind the uncivilized behaviour of the Bangalore crowd here.
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