Boycott Culture of Bollywood: A Trend

 Bollywood and Boycott Culture

The word “Boycott” has its roots in Ireland. The term was coined after a British tax collector, Charles Cunnigham Boycott, who had absolutely gruesome, merciless and desperate ways of collecting tax from the lower section of the society, that is, the peasants and farmers. In the 1880s not being able to bear with the tortures of the tax collector these helpless people also raised their voice against him. Since then boycotts have been used on a worldwide basis. 

Boycotts are the modern tools of protest, which can be viewed as a selfish way of protesting if we take into account the boycott culture of bollywood. Boycotting a particular movie for the sole motive of not watching the movie of the lead actor harms the box office collection that is true. But if we dig deep enough, the dark side unravels itself and we realize that a single film feeds almost 200-300 families. By boycotting a movie for personal reasons, the public is not only protesting but also taking the livelihood and food from 200-300 families. Protesting against evil is necessary for rebuilding the society and taking it towards development. But is it not selfish of us to do so at the cost of the livelihood of people and taking away their means of feeding their family ?

Soon after the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput (June 14, 2020) during the pandemic, a storm of boycott was raised. His fans and other people had joined together and decided to boycott the films of the starkids. Some starkids do take advantage of the fame of their parents, but there are actors and actresses who are really talented and never took shelter in the umbrella of their parents. Apart from the star kids, there are actors like Sushant Singh Rajput who had no background in the film industry. It is solely their struggle and dedication that fetched them a place in the hearts of the audience.

There are good films like “Padmavat” which have been opposed and boycotted by specific communities due to their perception about the films. Not only did these people boycott the movie but also threatened the lives of the lead actor and actress. Besides undergoing other trivial changes, “Padmavat” had to change its name before it was released. The films are to be judged on the basis of their content and not solely on the star cast. In this era of boycotting, where it has become a trend, society might even miss out on great movies. It would be sensible of the public to give every actor or actress a chance to prove them, a chance to the plot of the film, a chance to survive in this world to the hundreds of other people whose livelihood depends on this. Be it the light person, the cinematographer, junior actor and actresses, the person who serves tea to the people on set or even the man who sells tickets outside a cinema hall to earn just enough for feeding his kids and wife. There’s more to this world than just mere hate for a fellow human. A simple step of valuing the content and real talent will change the whole scenario of Bollywood and take it to another level, beyond any bind of nepotism or boycott.