Opinion Boys’ clubs and ‘nepo babies’: Why Priyanka Chopra’s interview is a cue for Bollywood to look within

Her revelations once again put Bollywood, which is yet to recover from the events following actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide in 2020, in the dock. Allegations of unfair treatment of women actors and outsiders — Chopra Jonas was both — in this film industry are not new. But it is rare for a mainstream Bollywood heroine, who has seen some success, to speak up. Which is why this makes it more damning, for if a top actress can be pushed out after over a decade of success and critical acclaim, what chance does a newbie have?

Bollywood has always been a boys’ club. Female actors get paid a fraction of what male co-stars command, and their careers as bankable movie stars are short-lived with many considered to be past their “sell-by” age before 30. Few films are centred on their lives; even songs, the mainstay of Hindi films, rarely have a female point of view. The odds are heavily stacked against them. If they rub anyone the wrong way or find themselves embroiled in controversy, whether of their making or not, they may as well say goodbye to their careers, or at least a coveted role or two. Case in point: Aishwarya Rai, who was fired from the movie, Chalte Chalte, apparently because her abusive ex-boyfriend created a ruckus on the movie set. No other workplace can get away with something as unprofessional and callous as this.

Even though no industry can claim to be completely fair in its treatment of women, Bollywood has an especially troubling history of showing women “their rightful place”. As for men, borrowing from the title of a Priyanka Chopra film, it’s “saat khoon maaf” (all sins are forgiven).

Chopra Jonas’s accusations couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time for Bollywood. Amid censorship and boycott calls, and the OTT boom ensuring that even big stars like Akshay Kumar experience a series of box office failures, no one wants another blow to the beleaguered industry.

But instead of waiting around for this latest controversy to blow over, Bollywood would do well to use criticism from one of India’s biggest and most internationally recognised stars as an opportunity to look within. The industry must reflect on how it can create an equitable and fair workplace. And most importantly, how it can fix accountability.

Despite its flaws, the Hindi film industry gives hope in the worst of times. It sells dreams which, even if only for three hours, helps viewers forget their reality and invest in the imaginary lives of imaginary people. In an increasingly polarised world, it remains a bastion of secularism. And despite all the allegations of nepotism, its biggest star remains an outsider, a member of a religious minority. It’s high time Bollywood took steps towards becoming a stronghold of meritocracy and gender equality — the road to which will be long and arduous, but worth every bit of the struggle.

deepika.singh@expressindia.com