Mary Kom: Can A Woman Indeed Have It All?

Mary Kom/Celebden

In recent times, Indian women are gradually coming into the limelight. For Anokhi Media, I have recently taken an interview with Asia's upcoming female comedienne and actress, Sharul Channa upcoming in the next month! 

While Deepika Padukone has recently made headlines with the Times of India recent photo gallery showcasing popular Bollywood actresses including Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan caused a controversy in Tinseltown drawing the issue of women's rights into the lime light once again. That being said, India's Film Industry has been attempting to make films, which raises awareness of women's rights in India. 

Although politically, I am a humanist and my heart feels compassion and empathy for all those who are suffering in need - men, women, child, and others who do not fit into one category or another. These are issues that do concern me because India continues to be remained with female infanticide, rape and sexual violence, child sexual abuse, and so on. 

Bhansali Productions, known earlier for blockbuster hits such as Ram Leela (2013) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1998) released Mary Kom - a biopic starring Priyanka Chopra. The movie is about a young woman's dream to break boundaries and emerge as India's first woman boxer who has won several championships. What makes her dream possible is the support she receives from her family and life partner who encourage her to follow her dreams against all odds. Mary Kom goes on to win world championships. 

Priyanka Chopra With Mary Kom/IndiaToday

What perhaps make this film stand out among others is that it highlights the issue of racism that continues to run within India's nervous system especially when it comes to the people of North-east India commonly called "Chinkis" because they have many features that makes them look more Chinese supposedly and stereo typically than most Indians. Much like the North-South differences that continue to be apparent in India, there have been many attempts in media especially through advertisements (See Amitabh Bachchan's KBC episode). 

Throughout this film, we are able to see many experiences that the men and women from this part of the region experience on their daily lives. To have a woman fighter borne out of these circumstances is something that serves as a reminder that India's history and culture are much more richer than what meets the eye. Furthermore, this particular film is the perfect example of the power that popular culture has. If this film had not been made, we probably would have never heard or known about the success that Mary Kom had accomplished for her India! And as Indians, we should be proud and more accepting of those who are different from us! 

The Real Mary Kom exclaimed after watching the film to Indian Express,“What makes me happy is that my story and whatever it may contain to inspire younger generations, would now be taken far. Now the story of my struggle has gone to every corner of India." Indeed, where this story makes the most mark for me is that Mary Kom is the living proof that women can have it all - a career and a happy home if she receives the right type of support from her family and life partner. 

While obviously it is hard to overlook that her life is somewhat romanticized as a biopic, what makes it hard-hitting is that it is based on a real life biography of a woman who overcame difficult circumstances to become a successful boxer bringing India's name to the forefront in international games all around the world. 

This movie is a must-watch for all! 

Productions of Othello, Halloween, and the Production of the Other

                        Bethanny Jillard (Desdemona) and Dion Johnston (Othello) via Montreal Gazette

I recently went to see the production of Othello at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, ON. Dion Johnston (Othello)  and Bethanny Jillard (Desdemona) played the main characters in the most recent Stratford production of the play. Othello is one of the most memorable plays in the Shakespeare canon. Unforgettable for its powerful themes including the racialization of the other, military heroism and the incompatibility of love, and problems of isolation. I am particularly drawn to two themes in the play - domestic violence and racism - but I will focus only on racism. Since Halloween is in 3 days, I thought it will be interesting to discuss the various productions of Othello and think about how we perform different types of characters - whether they belong to our 'race' - and how we "perform" or enact different personalities.

Inspired from a Huffpost article I recently read arguing that Halloween is not an excuse hate and racism. When we are asked to "dress up" and not be who we are, people use this holiday to impersonate or dress up in costumes that can be offensive without realizing (albeit it could be an unintentional move and not directed to hurt anyone)

I want to suggest that we should use Halloween as a time to wear costumes that yes, are fun and creative but also respect various cultures and people without reducing them to others reinforcing racist ideologies. It should not be a time to mock cultures and customs but a time to celebrate the act of "dressing up" in costumes without trying to "perform" people of different races and cultures. I also agree and want to reemphasize the idea that Halloween is NOT an excuse to promote hate and racism.

I still question Heidi Klum's Kali costume but these are the types of costumes that I want to draw attention to. This type of a "costume" not only mocks the religious Hindu ideologies and further promotes the notion that Indian religions are primitive and barbaric. Without knowing the reason for why Goddess Parvati/Durga transformed into Kali, the costume will promote a very problematic understanding of Hinduism.

                                   
                                                 Heidi Klum as Kali via fasthack.com

On my recent trip to the Stratford Festival last Friday, I learnt that Othello had been produced in 1973. Nachum Buchman, an Israeli actor with a heavy "accent" played the role of Othello while Stratford icon Matha Henry owned the role of Desdemona. I found it fascinating and troubling that the production choices has "othered" an already "othered" actor. During the trip, my classmates and I earnestly and excitedly went through all the image stills, production booklets, and so on trying to understand and construct the performance in our minds.

                      Nachum Bachman (Othello) and Douglas Rain (Iago) via pictures.historicimages.net

The production choices included Nachum Bachman to wear the blackface makeup, brought especially from England and earlier worn by Lawrence Olivier in his 1965 NT Live production. I found it troubling and fascinating that the production had doubly othered Othello and the play had not received good reviews. Why was there a need to produce an already racialized actor who would have been perfect to play Othello as he were and almost mock his costuming and make up? In my opinion, I would strongly argue that Othello can be a man of middle-eastern descent. It is not necessary that he has to played by a "black" actor although it has become a norm for the productions of Othello to be performed. Performing a racialized character, one that is not of our own race, is always a questionable move. Furthermore, it almost seemed unnecessary to put the "blackface" make up on. Below is Laurence Oliver and Maggie Smith 1965 production of Othello:

                                 Laurence Olivier (Othello) and Maggie Smith (Desdemona) via dailymail.co.uk

Olivier's costume again emphasizes his "uncivilized" roots reinforcing the play's racist ideologies that are at work in both the text and production. By wearing the "blackface" makeup, Olivier is still "white" in the inside but attempting to construct a persona, which is a characterization of an African man in his own mind. It is not authentic by any means but the character of Othello is magnified by his star persona. Is it "authentic"? I would argue NO.

Thus far, we have talked about actors who wore "blackface" makeup - Nachum Bachman and Laurence Olivier. Now, what happens when an Othello is produced in Washington theatre and Othello is played by a "whiteman" i.e. (hold your breath) Star Trek star Patrick Stewart while the rest of the characters are "black." I struggle with the rhetoric "black", "white", "brown", etc to describe people as the language is problematic but that discussion is for another day!

                               Patrick Stewart (Othello) and Patrice Johnson (Desdemona) via Tony Awards

In an interview, Stewart who had come up with the concept told Playbill,"I've been imagining myself playing Othello and, in a sense, preparing for it, since I was about 14. "When the time came that I was old enough and experienced enough to do it, it was the same time that it no longer became acceptable for a white actor to put on blackface and pretend to be African. One of my hopes for this production is that it will continue to say what a conventional production of Othello would say about racism and prejudice... To replace the black outsider with a white man in a black society will, I hope, encourage a much broader view of the fundamentals of racism."

Many actors have suggested that Othello should be produced in a similar way - a man who is an "outsider" in his own society should play Othello to understand the "fundamentals of racism." In my own view, I do not think it is a bad idea - much better - than the idea of "blackface" which actors wear stripping the character of any sort of an "authenticity" the character may have. Halloween is a great time to explore these problematic ideologies when we dress up and try to enact characters that are not our own. Stewart uses an important word  - "pretend" - and that was we do during this time - we "pretend" to be someone who we are not. Our actions are at stake each time we wear our costumes. Just because theatre has stopped using "blackface" makeup, it does not mean that we should have an excuse to wear it during this time.

Halloween is not the time to promote and produce the "Other"!

Images & Sources: stratfordfestival.ca, playbill.com, thepsn.org, tonyawards.com, i.dailymail.co.uk, montrealgazette.com, fasthack.com 

© Nidhi Shrivastava 2014 This content is subject to copyrights. Please ask for my permission before using this content for any purpose.