| Hollywood Hinduism | |
|
||
|
||
|
||
Madonna
At the
MTV awards ceremony in 1998, Madonna had dressed a la Lord Shiva and
set the fashion world agog on Indian themes. Couture houses and fashion designers
have, since then, encashed a lot on this message of Madonna that India is hot.
Trudie
Styler
At a recent fundraiser for the Tibetan Peace Garden at London's Royal Opera
House pop-star Sting's wife Trudie Styler was seen wearing a skirt featuring
Lord Ganesha as a design motif. This was genuinely appreciated by those Hindus
who want to see India on the world stage, and obviously, there can be few for
whom these uses of Hindu symbols, gods and goddesses may seem ungodly.
Xena:
Warrior Princess
In February 1999, Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the world's most popular
TV serials, showed Hindu mythological characters Lord Krishna, Hanuman, Kali,
and Indrajit doing things they never did in traditional tales and epics. Some
thought it sacrilegious; others saw it as an exposition of Hindu ideas to Western
audience.
Mike
Myers
Another
instance of cultural insensitivity was aired on the April 1999 issue of Vanity
Fair where photographer David LaChapelle's shot of Mike Myers posed as a
cartoonish Hindu deity was published as a photo spread. Public opinion on this
issue has been varied. Members of South Asian Journalists Association considered
it blasphemous, and many Hindus found the pictures grotesque and offensive.
The Newsweek declared "Maybe it's time Hollywood gave up the Hinduism
thing". However, there were others who found it a spirited and friendly
attempt to "cross cultural lines".
The
Bottom Line
However, the entire concept of judging works of art is quite relative. It greatly
depends on an individual's aesthetic tastes, preferences, temperament and forbearance.
Many people are of the opinion that art is a free creation of an artist, who
has complete license to give art whatever form or sound s/he chooses. But is
it morally right to reap creative benefits at the cost of maligning the cultural
and religious sentiments of another sect? Therefore, it remains an open debate
whether such depictions are OK by any standard. But the bottom line is that
it's not as easy to understand the culture, symbols and essence of Hinduism
as finding them colourful enough for use in films or fashion.
